234 Mr. Bentham's Observations on some Genera of Plants 



Stemmatosiphon uniflorum. Pohl. PI. Bras. Ic. ii. p. 89. t. 159. 

 Hab. in Brasilise provincia Minas Geraes. Pohl.! 



2. Seguieria. 



The circumstance of a polyandrous genus amongst the true Monochlamydea; 

 is of so rare occurrence, that the first impression conveyed by an unknown 

 plant of that description is that of a defective polypetalous one ; and accord- 

 ingly, although some species or other of Seguieria occurs in most extensive 

 South American collections, I have usually found it amongst Swartzieas or 

 with Securidaca, to both of which the genus bears some external resemblance. 

 For this reason, probably, not only no new species has yet been described since 

 Jacqnin and Linnaeus published the original S. americana, but even of that 

 plant no description has appeared but what has been taken from one of those 

 two authors. The aflSnities of the genus were entirely unknown, until Brown, 

 who had examined three Brazilian species, associated it (App. to Tuckey, 

 p. 36.) with Petiveria as a tribe of Phytolacece. 



The peculiarities of this tribe are there alluded to in the following words : 

 " The lateral stigma, the spiral cotyledons, and want of albumen in Petiveria, 

 remove it to some distance from the other genera of Phytolacece, and at the 

 same time connect it with Seguieria, with which also it agrees in the alliaceous 

 odour of the whole plant." The lateral stigma and solitary carpel is very 

 remarkable in all species of Seguieria ; in the seeds I examined, which were 

 unripe, I found a considerable quantity of mucilage resembling albumen, and 

 a small, somewhat curved embryo, with cotyledons by no means spiral, giving 

 me the idea that they were very similar to the seeds of several true Phytolacece ; 

 it is only when they arrive at maturity, in which state Mr. Brown examined 

 them, that their true structure may be seen. Although my specimens are 

 insufficient in this respect, yet the genus is so little known, and so remark- 

 able in other points, that I have added to the following synopsis of the species 

 known to me, a figure of one, in which the fruit, though immature, has attained 



Its full size. 



Seguieria. Linn. 



Perigonium calycinum, quinquepartitum, laciniis parum insequalibus, sestiva- 

 tione imbricativa, 2 exterioribus, 3 interioribus, per anthesin reflexis. 



