30 Mr. J. Miers on the genus Salpiglossis. 



rated without bursting. The fact is noticed by Mr. Hassall in 

 his memoir "On the Structure of Pollen " (Ann. Nat. Hist. viii. 

 100), who states that so curious a circumstance is not singular, 

 as it occurs in Oxyanthus in Cinchonacece, Leschenaultia in Goode- 

 niacece, and in some species only of Epilobium in Onagracece : 

 the same is also observable in all the genera of the Epacridece 

 and of Ericacece, with the exception of Clethra, where they are 

 simple. From these analogous facts it is evident that this com- 

 pound structure of the pollen-grains is not of sufficient import- 

 ance to affect in any way the ordinal position of Salpiglossis. 



Mr. Bentham mentions only a single species of this genus, as 

 he considers all our garden kinds as mere varieties of S. sinuata. 

 On this head I may remark, that I found in Chile, plants which 

 I always considered to be two very distinct species, viz. S. sinuata 

 (my S. glutinosa) and my S. purpurea (Trav. ii. p. 531) ; but I 

 have little donbt that S. picta, S. Barclay ana, S. fulva, S. inter- 

 media, &c. are all hybrid productions from these two species. I 

 always met with S. sinuata growing near the coast, its corolla 

 being constantly of a yellowish white, with brownish stripes ; on 

 the contrary, I invariably found S. purpurea at a much greater 

 elevation near the foot of the main Cordillera, or within its 

 gorges, its flowers being always of a dark lilac, with deep purple 

 lines, and never of the yellowish hue so conspicuous in S. sinuata. 

 I cannot however refer to my original specimens, as they were un- 

 fortunately lost off Cape Horn with my general Chile collections ; 

 but the coloured drawings of both species made in 1820, and 

 which I have preserved, serve to impress these facts strongly on 

 my memory. From the several dried specimens of Salpiglossis 

 in Sir William Hooker's herbarium collected by Gillies, Cuming 

 and Bridges, we may detect at a glance the two different species. 

 The following I consider as the amended diagnosis of this 

 genus : — 



Salpiglossis, R. & P. (char, emend.). — Calyx tubulosus, 10- 

 nervis, 5-dentatus, dentibus subsequalibus, attenuatis, obtu- 

 siusculis. Corolla infundibuliformis, tubo imo cylindraceo, 

 superne campanulata, compressa, limbo 5-lobo, obliquo, sub- 

 bilabiato, lobis profunde emarginatis, superiore majore, erec- 

 tiore, aestivatione reciprocativa*. Stamina 5, inclusa, quorum 

 4 didynama, quinto breviori, sterili ; filamenta subulata, e con- 

 strictione tubi orta ; antherce ovatae, 2-lobse, basi cordatse, sub- 

 versatiles, lobis adnatis, rima marginali dehiscentibus ; pollen 

 compositum, e granulis 4 aggregatis, quorum 1 superpositum. 

 Ovarium conicum, disco carnoso sub-2-lobo impositum, 2-locu- 

 lare ; placenta centrales, dissepimento utrinque adnatse, multi- 



* Ann. Nat. Hist. 2nd Ser. vol. iii. p. 172. 



