PLATE DC. 



GjERTNERA racemosa. 



I 



Hacemed Gcertnera, 



\ 



CLASS X. ORDERI 



DECANDRIA MONO-DI-TRIGYNIA. Ten Chives. One to Three Pointals 



GENERIC CHARACTER. 



Calyx 5-partitus. Petala 5 lacero-ciliata, in- 

 aequalia. Stamina decern, unicum reliquis 

 longius. Stylus incurvus. Stigma simplex. 

 Germen triloculare, 3-spermum. Samara 

 inaequaliter quadrialata, monosperrua. 





Cup five-parted. Petals five, cut-fringed, un- 

 equal. Stamens ten, one longer than the 

 rest. Style incurved. Summit simple. 

 Seed-bud of three cells with three seeds. 

 Fruit with four unequal wings, one-seeded. 



; 



* 



REFERENCE TO THE PLATE 



1 . The empalement. 



2. The same shown from the outer side. 



3. The chives and pointals. 



4. The seed-bud and pointals. 



5. The capsule. 



— 



This curious and interesting plant, originally considered as a species of Banisteria by Linnaeus, was very 

 properly separated and named in honour of the celebrated Gaertner by Schreber in his Genera Planta- 



about 



of Mol 



na, in honour of the author of the Natural History of Chili. Gaertnera however has the right 

 of priority, and has been continued by Dr. Roxburgh in his Plants of the Coast of Coromandel where 



Spec 



Willdenow 



On exammmg the fructification, we have found the plant more closely allied to Banisteria than has 

 hitherto been suspected, the styles being commonly two with a rudiment of a third, and the germen 

 three-locular with a young seed in each cell , but the inequality of the petals and stamens, the solitary 

 gland on the calyx, and the abortion of- the lateral seeds, furnish abundant distinctions 



From the Coromandel plants above quoted we learn that it is a large climbing shrub, growing naturally 

 on the Crcar mountains in India, and is commonly cultivated all over that coast on account of the 

 beauty and fragrance of its flowers, which open there during the rainy season. According to Linn*us 

 , ,s also a natwe of the Island of Ceylon. No other species of the genus has yet been described. The 

 plant „ certamly a great acquisition to our collections, and was introduced from India by the late 

 Lady Ameha Hume about the year 1805. Our specimen was communicated from the collection at 



Wormlev liurv the rnd nf Ua M^L 





