scribed five additional species in Rees's Cyclopaedia, which had 
been gathered by the celebrated Dr A. Afzelius at Sierra 
Leone. With the characters of none of these will our plant 
accord, which has been raised from seed, sent from Nepal by 
Dr W ALLiCH, both at the Botanic Gardens of Glasgow and 
of Edinburgh. It first flowered in the magnificent new esta- 
blishment of the latter city in June 1822, and it was there 
that the accompanying figure was made. 
I possess dried specimens of this handsome plant, from 
Katmandu in K^epal, which I received both from Dr Wal- 
LiCH and from Sir James Smith. The latter gentleman has 
sent me likewise another species of the genus, from the same 
country, differing from the present in its shorter leaves, and a 
calyx entirely concealed by thick bristle-shaped processes. This 
is the O. crinifa of Smith's MS. and should, when published, 
bear that name. 
The stamens vary from 8 to 10 in this genus, which many 
botanists scarcely consider sufficiently distinct from Rhexia, 
but which Smith considers may be sufficiently marked by the 
" permanent simple teeth of the calyx, destitute of interme- 
diate scales." Many plants have, however, according to Mr 
Brown, been arranged among the Rheocioe which do not be- 
long to them ; and this author even goes so far as to say, that 
probably no genuine species of Melastoma, and certainly none of 
Rhexia, has yet been published in M. Bonpland's splendid 
and valuable monographs of these two genera. The original 
species of the Linna3an genera Melastoma and Rhexia, the 
same author, however, believes will be found to possess generic 
characters sufficiently distinguishing them from the greater 
part of the plants that have been since added to them by va- 
rious authors- 
As an Order, Mr BiiowN assures us that Metastomacew 
is only to be distinguished from Myrtacem by the absence of 
the pellucid glands of the leaves and other parts, which exist 
in all the genera really belonging to that extensive family. 
Fig. 1. Flowev from which the petals have been removed. Fig. 2. Stamen. 
Fig. 3. Portion of the style and stigma. Fig. 4. Base of a petal. Fig. 5. 
Germen cut through vertically. Fig. 6. Scale of the calyx. Fig. 7- Ger- 
man cut through transversely. Fig. 8. Capsule bursting. — All more or 
less magv 'ificd. 
