14 ON SGUTH-AMEEICAN APOCTNACE^. 



to the dissepiment ; the albumen is 2| lines long, ^ line thick ; radicle superior, 3 times 

 as long as the short obtuse linear cotyledons. 



A figure of the inflorescence of this species, and of its fruit and seeds, are exhibited in 

 Plate 1 B. 



The Taberncemontana Utcida, H. B. K. (Gen. vii. 209), appears to belong to LacmelUa, 

 as shown below. 



To be excluded : — 

 Ambellania quadrangularis, Miill. = Rhigospira quadrangularis, nob. 

 Ambellania macrophylla, Miill. = Rhigospira venulosa, nob. 



Lacmbllia. 



This genus was established in 1856, by Karsten, upon a New-Granada plant, naming 

 it after its vernacular title, " Leche e miel " (milk and honey). It has been acknowledged 

 by Messrs. Bentham and Hooker (Gen. ii. 694), but only by absorbing into it Miiller's 

 genus Zschokkea : the latter appears to me, however, a valid genus, as will presently be 

 shown. Only one species has been hitherto known; but a second and closely allied 

 species is here added, from one of Bonpland's plants. 



1. Lacmbllia edulis, Karst. Linn, xxviii. 450. Rio Meta, in littoribus {non vidi) . 



A middle-sized tree, growing on the banks of the river Meta (flowing from the New- 

 Granada Andes), at a spot about 70° 40' W. long, and 60° 20' N. lat. : its trunk yields a lac- 

 tescent juice, made into a cooling drink ; it is crowned by a branching head ; its opposite 

 leaves are shining above, and on short petioles. The inflorescence is an axillary cyme of 

 small yellow flowers, on bibracteolated pedicels ; the calyx consists of 5 small, concave, 

 imbricated, persistent sepals ; the corolla is tubular, with a border of 6 linear lanceolate 

 segments, twisted in aestivation and deciduous ; the stamens, on very short filaments, 

 are inserted in a pilose ring above the base of the tube of the corolla ; the ovary is single, 

 bilocular, with many hemianatropous ovules in longitudinal series in the axis ; the style 

 is conical, 10-costate ; stigmata 2, lanceolate. The fruit is yellow, oval, baccate, as large 

 as a hazel nut, crowned by the persistent style ; by abortion it is 1-celled and contains a 

 single, good-tasted seed enveloped in a mucilaginous covering; the albumen, as long as 

 it, encloses the heterotropous embryo, of 2 oval foliaceous cotyledons conjoined by a 

 superior fusiform radicle. 



2. Lacmbllia lucida, nob. : Taberncemontana'^ lucida, H. B. K. vii. 209; Psychotria lucida, R. & Sch. 



(non H. B. K.), Syst. iv. 189. In Nova Granada ad Rio Atabapo {non vidi). 



A closely allied species, collected by Bonpland at the Missiones of S. Erancisco, in the 

 same longitude, and about 50 miles southward of the locality of the preceding species. 

 It forms a lactescent tree 50 feet high, growing on the border of the river, with fuscous 

 branches 2-edged, compressed, smooth and incrassate, the axils by a transverse ridge 

 conjoining the petioles ; leaves opposite, oblong lanceolate, obtuse or rounded, rarely 

 emarginated at the apex, narrowly cuneated at the base and running into the petioles, 

 subcoriaceous, glabrous, thickened and entire on the margins, with many approximated 

 parallel faint nerves, nitid above, concolorous beneath, with a prominent midrib, 3-3i in. 



