Mr. J. Miers on the genu* Pieroglossis. 33 



tibus. Capsula calyce persistente tecta, 2-locularis, 2-valvis, 

 valvis semibifidis, placenta centrali denium solutis. Semina 

 ignota. — Planta Chilensis subglabra, radice lignosa perenni, 

 caulibus plurimis adscendentibus, gracilibus, laxis, divaricatini 

 ramosis ; folia alterna, inferioribus sinuato-pinnatijidis ; pedun- 

 culi uniflori, axillares, paniculam laxam efformantes. 



1. Pteroglossis laxa ; — subglabra, ramosissima, ramis plurimis, 

 teretibus, gracilibus, laxe divaricatis, nodis distantibus ; foliis 

 axillaribus, inferioribus oblongis, sinuato-pinnatitidis, in pe- 

 tiolurn spathulatis, sub lente minutissime pubescentibus, me- 

 diis linearibus, supremis floriferis in bracteis parvis decrescen- 

 tibus : pedunculis solitariis, viscoso-pubescentibus, unifloris ; 

 floribus parvulis ; corolla straminea, lineis violaceis picta. — 

 Coquimbo, in herb. Hook. (Bridges, no. 1839). 



This plant has very much the habit of Schwenkia americana : 

 the root is ligneous, as well as a short perennial woody stump, 

 from which arise several somewhat erect branches 12 to 18 

 inches long, which are evidently deciduous ; these are slender, 

 terete, glabrous, flexuosely brachiate at each axil, and again 

 dichotomously branched : below, the axils are more approximate, 

 above widely distant. The lower leaves are sinuato-pinnatifid, 

 about 1 to 1^ inch long including the petiole, and 3 lines broad 

 including the segments ; to the naked eye they appear quite 

 smooth, but under the lens they are seen to be invested by nu- 

 merous, very short, minute hairs : these leaves gradually dimi- 

 nish to the size of f to 1 inch long and only half a line broad, 

 and as they ascend they become smaller, till they arrive at the 

 terminal floriferous branchlets, where they assume the form of 

 linear bracts, scarcely a line in length and ^th of a line broad ; 

 from each of these springs a very slender glandular pubescent 

 peduncle, about half an inch in length, bearing a solitary flower; 

 the calyx is l^- line long, tubular, and crowned by five equal 

 fleshy erect teeth ; the corolla is about 4 lines long, of a yel- 

 lowish colour, marked by about fifteen violet-coloured, parallel, 

 branching lines ; the tube is contracted and cylindrical below for 

 one-third of its length, above this it is ventricose, with a border 

 of five, oblong, rounded and emarginate patent lobes, the upper 

 one of which is somewhat longer and broader ; they assume in 

 sestivation that peculiar mode of plication which I have called 

 reciprocative (loc. cit. 172) ; the didynamous stamens are in- 

 cluded, arising from the contracted portion of the tube ; the 

 ovarium is oblong, 2-grooved, imbedded in a fleshy 2-lobed cup 

 borne upon a short stipitate support, and surrdunded by the in- 

 duvial remains of the corolla; the style is slender, the length of 

 the stamens, inflexed at its apex, and gradually widening consi- 



Ann. $ Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 2. Vol. v. 3 



