The Genus Azima. 53 



Hab. — Common in the peninsula of India, in hedges and 

 bushy places. Eastern districts of the Cape of Good Hope ? 

 Zeyher. 



Observation I. — Lamarck and all succeeding botanists 

 describe two species of this genus, the one here described, 

 which is said to be common to India and the Cape, and 

 A, diacantha, also said to be an Indian species, but only 

 known from a figure in the * Photographia' of Plukenet (tab. 

 133. f. 3.) To whatever genus this plant may belong, it 

 certainly has nothing to do with the present one, the alter- 

 nate leaves, and the position of the prickles or spines — infra- 

 petiolar, — being totally at variance with it. Is it not rather 

 some Rhamnaceous plant ? Wildenow in his edition of the 

 Linnaean ' Species Plantarum', refers to Rheede's Isjerou 

 Kara (Hort. Mai. p. 73, t. 37,) as being identical with the 

 plant of Plukenet, but the figure there given is certainly 

 that of Canthium Rheedii, DC. The same figure is again 

 quoted by Wildenow for his Webera tetrandra (Canthium 

 parvifloram, Lam.) To these two species Sprengle has 

 added a third, the Camphorosma paleacea of the younger 

 Linnaeus, which must also be removed from the genus. The 

 materials which we possess render it more difficult to ascer- 

 tain whether the Azima tetracantha of the Cape, and that of 

 this country are identically the same species. Harvey seems 

 to have had good materials from which to form the generic 

 character which he has given. Judging from that descrip- 

 tion, we incline to believe that the species are distinct, from 

 the fact, that the stamens in his plant are said to vary from 

 four to seven, and that two or three of the filaments are 

 sometimes combined. We have examined numerous flowers 

 of our species, and have never observed more than four 

 stamens, with their filaments always free. He further states 

 the ovules of the Cape plant to be suspended from the sum- 

 mit of the cells ; in ours they are always erect from the base. 



