214 



CHINA. 



[ Urticece. 



foliis floralibus ad ejus ramificationum bases duobus oppositis parvis sursum decrescentibus 

 deciduis, involucri glandulis orbicularibus disciformibus concaviusculis processu luteo orbi- 

 culari carnosulo duplo majore suffultis, processubus inter se fequalibus, capsulis glabris lajvi- 

 bus, seminibus subgloboso-tetragonis leviter rugulosis caruncula arillata destitutis angulo 

 unico sulciforrai. 



Hab. Peninsula of China ; Rev. G. H. Vachell, n. 240. 



Ord. LXXIII. URTICE/E. Juss. 



1. Urtica Millettii ; herbacea, dioica? foliis alternis longe petiolatis subcordato-ovatis acu- 

 minatis dentato-serratis supra piloso-scabriusculis subtus pubescenti-scabris, capitulis florum 

 masc. axillaribus pedunculatis, pedunculis petiolo duplo brevioribus. 



We have seen but one specimen, and that very imperfect ; it was sent by Mr. Millett. 



1 , Boehmeria? nivea. — Urtica nivea. Linn. — Spreng. Syst. Veg. 3. p. 843. Lour. Fl. Coch. 

 2. p. 683. — U. tenacissima. Roxb. Fl. hid. 3. p. 590. 



The female perianth is urceolate as in Boehmeria, not 2-valved as in Urtica. Roxburgh hesitates about 

 his plant being the same as U. nivea, from Loureiro's erroneous description of the female flower, " germen 

 filamentis multis sterilibus circumdatum :" but Loureiro must have taken either the hairs on the ovary, or 

 the styles of the other flowers, for " sterile filaments." The style is simple, with one, not two stigmas, as 

 Loureiro says. 



2. Boehmeria alienata. Willd.Sp. 4. p. 341 ? — B. Cochinchinensis. Spr. — Urtica alienata. 

 Roxb. FL Lid. 3. p. 582. (an Linn. ?) — Parietaria Cochinchinensis. Lour. Fl. Coc/i. 2. p. 

 804. — P. Zeylanica. L. — Herba memoria. Rumph. Herb. Amb. 6. L \2.f. 2? 



Willdenow describes this as an herbaceous perennial, and Sprengel, we know not for what reason, inserts 

 the Ceylon plant among the shrubby species. Linnajus mentions it as herbaceous, but does not speak of its 

 duration : Roxburgh finds it annual. We have not seen the root, but the stems are certainly herbaceous. 

 The specimens before us, from Mr. Millett, have the leaves opposite on the primitive stem only, and alter- 

 nate on the branches, thus differing from both Loureiro's and Roxburgh's description, but agreeing in that 

 respect with Roxburgh's U. tuberosa; this last, however, seems to have a differently shaped female perianth. 

 The habit is quite that of a Parietaria, and although it and several of Roxburgh's species of Urtica 

 present almost no difference in character from Boehmeria, they possibly ought to form a distinct genus, or 

 at least a sub-genus. One specimen before us is simple with larger leaves, and all of them opposite, ex- 

 hibiting more the habit of a small Urtica; this form agrees with Loureiro's character, but it seems to be 

 merely a younger state of the other. 



1. Tropins scandens ; caule scandenti inerme, foliis breve petiolatis lineari-oblongis 

 subiter obtuse acuminatis integerrimis utrinque glabris venosis lsevibus, floribus axillaribus, 

 masc. dense spicatis, fcem. paucis intra receptacula suberosa pedunculata 1-5-na aggregatis, 

 fructibus oblongis. — Caturus scandens. Lour. 2. p. 751. 



Hab. Canton; Mr. Millett. 



Dioica. Caulis scandens, glaber, brunneus, punctis albidis adspersus. Spina nullae. Folia alterna, rigida, 

 breviter petiolata, anguste oblonga, basi subcordata, apice subiter acuminata, acumine longiusculo obtuso, 

 utrinque glabra, tactu la;via, subundulata, supra tevissima, subtus nervis venisque protuberantibus notata, 



