412 SOLANACEAE. 



tibus, subtus prominentibus ; flores in axillis foliorum subumbellati pedi- 

 cellis pedunculum aequantibus; calyx campanulatus glaber, 5-fidus, lobis 

 brevissimis, acutis, corolla 5 -partita, tubo brevi laciniis ovatis sub-acutis 

 margine revolutis, uni-nerviis, extus sparse puberulis. Stamina 5 in parte 

 superiore tubi inserta, filamentis brevibus, inferne brevissime connatis, 

 antheris ovato-ellipticis, filamentis multo longioribus, sulcatis apice poris 

 2 dehiscentibus, pariete externo multo crassiore quam pariete inter- 

 no; ovarium ovatum glabrum, stylo terete antheras paulo superante, 

 stigmate obtuso ; bacca rugosa, ovata, apice acuminata, bilocularis ; semina 

 plurima, reniformia, glabra, in pulpa nidulantia. 



Planta 3—4 pedalis, foliis solitariis ad 37 cM. longis. 14 cM. latis; venis 

 lateralibus utrinque ad 17. Petiolus 5—7 cM. longis. Pedicelli et pedunculi 

 1 cM. longi. Flores 6 cM. lati, antheris 1 mM. longis. Bacca 18 mM. longa, 

 12 mM. lata. 



PI. XVII. 



Lawa River, near Cottica Mountains: Versteeg 331 (fl. and fr. Oct.). 



French Guyana. 



Comparing the above described specimen with the original specimen 

 of Aublet in the British Museum, I found that my plant in all vegetative 

 parts agrees so perfectly with the original Bassovia sylvatica Aubl., that, 

 in spite of the fact that Aublet's specimen bears no flowers or fruit, I 

 did not hesitate to identify the above described plant with Bassovia 

 sylvatica. When examining the flowers and fruits, however, it appeared 

 that Aublet's illustration is not quite correct and moreover is too in- 

 complete to found the genus Bassovia on it. So e.g. nothing appears 

 from Aublet's illustration about the shape of the anthers and the way 

 in which they spring open. Besides the illustration of the fruit has pro- 

 bably been taken from a dried specimen, so that the seeds, which lie 

 directly under the wall of the fruit, when dried, give the impression as 

 if the fruit were »tuberculate", which is by no means the case, however, 

 as proved by fruits preserved in alcohol which are in my possession. 

 Also of the membranous fringe round the seed nothing can be found 

 in my specimen; here Aublet probably illustrated part of the pulpa or 

 of the cast off testa. From the description given above, it further ap- 

 pears that Bassovia sylvatica differs in no respect from Solanum. The 

 outer wall of the anther is considerably thicker than the inner one and 

 also the anthers spring open with two apical pores. Hence the genus 

 Bassovia Aubl. has become synonymous with Solanum Linn, and so it 

 is necessary to give a new generic name to the remaining n species 

 of Bassovia. 



