90 



MEMORIALS OF RAY : 



of Hispaniola ; stem shrubby, twining, thread-shaped, 

 subdivided, with slender smooth leafy branches. Leaves 

 rather distant stalked, smooth on both sides, pointed 

 entire, three-ribbed, veiny; ovate at the base. Foot- 

 stalks round, smooth, often as long as the leaves. Clusters 

 axillary numerous, longer than the leaves, slender, many 

 flowered, rather zigzag. Flowers dioecious, the males in 

 compound clusters, females in simple ones, all stalked and 

 turned toward one side. Corolla very minute, yellowish 

 green in the male, reddish in the female blossoms. Cap- 

 sules compressed, with an ovale falcate membranous wing. 

 (Swartz.) 



B. angustifolia. Narrow-leaved Raiania. Swartz, 

 Ind. Occ, V. 1, 639, Mart. n. 3. " Leaves linear 

 lanceolate, rounded at the base, three-ribbed." Native of 

 extremely dry bushy places in the west part of Hispaniola, 

 where it climbs upon high trees, flowering in May. Root 

 annual, stem thread-shaped, round, twining, flaccid, subdi- 

 vided, smooth. Foot- stalks smooth, red, twisted according 

 to the direction of the stem. Clusters axillary in pairs, the 

 length of the leaves, pendulous, slender, many-flowered ; 

 the flowers very minute, nearly sessile, red polygamous, 

 five or six on each of the alternate partial stalks, all lean- 

 ing one way. Bracteas very minute, acute blood-red 

 under the flowers ; on some plants the latter are entirely 

 male, with six nearly sessile anthers, on others all her- 

 maphrodite, with six perfect stamens, a triangular oblique 

 germen, no style, but three minute stigmas. Capsule as 

 in the rest of the species (Swartz.) 



M. quinquefolia. Five-leaved clustered Raiania. Linn. 

 Sp. PL, 1469 — {Jan Baia scandens quinquefolia ; Plum. 

 Ic, 149, t. 155, f. 2.) Leaves five together at each 

 joint, elliptic oblong. Clusters lateral between the joints. 

 Native of the West Indies, but hitherto observed by 

 Plumier only. This seems to have the habit of all the 

 foregoing, except that the stem has tumid joints, at 

 each of which stand five elliptic oblong, obtuse, entire, 



