Wulfenia CarintJiiaca. 81 



Churchill, of Clifton, Bristol, the well-known European 

 botanist, shows much affinity, as already said, with Wulfenia, 

 especially in the species Bonarota, the flowers of which are 

 purple, while those of Ageria are yellow. 



But the nearest approach to the genus in formation of its 

 corolla and other particulars is undoubtedly the N. American 

 genus Synthyris* Bentham. Here the flowers are small, 

 purplish for the most part, in a simple spike, the stamens 

 (two exserted) are situate close to the sinuses of the corolla, 

 which is 4 cleft, somewhat irregular. Style filiform, with 

 capitate stigma. The main difference between the two 

 genera is that the anther-cells are in Synthyris not confluent. 

 Wulfenia is, however, a much more showy plant. 



The genus Gymnandra, Pallas, a small Oriental and 

 Arctic group, now placed in the N. O. Selaginece, and allied 

 to Globularia, L., has several points in common both 

 with Pcedarota, Synthyris, and Wulfenia; indeed by George 

 Don, in Dichlamydeous Plants, Vol. IV., p. 581, it was placed 

 in Scrophularinece, next to Wulfenia. Here the corolla is 

 bilabiate, upper lip either emarginate or bifid, lower one 2-4 

 cleft. Stamens 2. The order Selaginece has many points 

 in common with Scrophularinece ; all (nearly) the species of 

 both orders turn black in drying, the Selaginece are, how- 

 ever, as a rule of a different habit; many assume an eriliform 

 appearance, and they differ mainly from the ScropJinlarinece 

 by the cells of the ovary being 1-2 ovulate, and even Ben- 

 tham and Hooker confess this character is not always to be 

 relied upon. 



Lastly, the genus Ourisia, Comm., native of New 

 Zealand, Tasmania, and the Andes of S. America, may be 

 compared with Wulfenia, as possessing many attributes in 



* In May, 1872, I had the privilege of spending a short time with the late Dr. Asa Gray, at 

 Cambridge, Mass., U.S.A., and, showing me Synthyris Houghtoniana growing in the 

 Botanical Garden, he pointed out its characteristics and touched upon its affinity to Wul- 

 fenia, Digitalis, and Veronica, and, if I remember aright, mentioned that he considered the 

 genus one of the most interesting in North America. 



