JLasiantkera. fentandria monogynia. 1 329 



about an inch long, having at the broadest vertex a rudiment of the 

 Bti^ma • one-celled, one-seeded. The flesh is soft, sub-diaphanous. 



Receptaculum, no other than the bottom of the cell from whence 



rises an umbilical chord, which surrounds the seed longitudinally like 

 a band. Seed rather large, clavate, with a swelled umbilicus. — In~ 

 tegument simple, chartaceous, grayish, striated with parallel, longitu- 

 dinal veins, adhering firmly to the pulp ; smooth and silvery within. 

 Albumen none. Embryo conform to the seed, inverted, white. Co- 

 ti/ledons very large, semicylindric, amygdaloid, obtuse, their inside 

 flatened and contiguous, the outer one convex and turgid. — Scape 

 long, cylindric. Plumula very large and conspicuous between the 

 cotyledons, consisting of two, ovate, acute lobes. Radicle superior^ 

 inserted between the base of the cotyledons. 



Obs. I am very doubtful whether this.can be considered as a speciea 

 of the genus established by M. Palisot de Beauvois, whose work 

 quoted above, I have not had access to. In the event of its prov*. 

 ing distinct I would propose gomphan.dra as the generic name for 

 it. It was not until i had by repeated examination satisfied my, 

 self of the fact, that I could persuade myself not to consider what 

 1 have described above as the cotyledons, to be a real peiisperrn, and 

 the plumula to be the cotyledons. The facility, however, with which 

 the former admits of being divided into its two lobes, places the 

 matter in its true light, and it follows that the seed is exa Ibuminous. 

 The scape is remarkably long, bearing at the apex a proportionally 

 large plumula,; which reaches almost to the middle of the cotyledons, 

 which constitutes the radicle, its base is placed between the upper ends 

 of the latter. The habit of the shrub is much like that of a Limonia, to 

 which indeed it approaches also by its dotted leaves; the natural 

 order to which it belongs may perhaps be Apocyne<2> Can it be a 

 Wallenia? 1 have unfortunately omitted examining the structure of the 

 ovary, which would have thrown some light on this question, by shew- 

 ing at least whether or not the plant belongs to the family of Myrsi- 

 tieas, to which Mr. Brown refers the last mentioned genus. — JN. \V\ 



77 



