8S 
LOASA NITIDA. 
Shining-leaved Loasa. 
POLYADELPHIA POLYANDRIA (ratlier than Polyandria Monogynia ) Nat. 
Ord. LOASEjE ( Genus Onagrariis affinis, Juss. Gen.) 
Gen. Char. — Cal. pentaphyllus. Cor, pentapetala. Nectarium pentaphyl- 
lum. Capsula semi-infera, monolocularis, semivalvis, polysperma. — Pcrs. 
Loasa nitida ; hispida, foliis oppositis cordato-lobatis angulato-dentatis 
petiolatis superioribus sessilibus, pedunculis axillaribus. 
L. nitida. Lam. Encycl vol. iii. p. 581.— Willd. Sp. PL vol. ii. p. 1177.— Juss. 
in Attn, du Mus. v. 5. p. 25. — Pers. Si/n. PL v. ii. p. 71. — Bot. Mag. t. 2372. 
L. tricolor, BoL Reg. t. 667. ? 
Apparently an annual plant, with a straggling, weak, succulent, and fragile 
stem, of two or three feet high, branched in a dichotomous manner, and, 
as well as the whole plant, clothed with longish hairs, which appear, 
when seen under a microscope, to be jointed, and to have short reflexed 
bristles, and still larger hairs or stings, seated upon a swollen sac or bag 
of poison, similar to what is seen in the stings of the Common Nettle. 
Leaves all opposite, somewhat five or seven lob'ed, with the lobe angular 
and toothed, the lower ones much the largest, placed on long footstalks ; 
the upper ones sessile, smaller, and less distinctly lobed. 
Flowers axillary, generally solitary, pedunculated. Peduncles at first erect, 
after flowering bent down, swelling upwards into the inferior pyriform 
germen. Calyx cut into five, rarely four, deep segments, superior, lan- 
ceolate, acute, green, hispid, at first patent, afterwards reflexed. Corolla 
of five, bright yellow, subunguiculate, concavo-ventricose petals, reddish 
at the base, waved at the margin, at first spreading, then bent back. 
Crown of five, broadly ovate scales, red below, white upwards, where 
there are two slight depressions, and bidentate, somewhat pubescent at 
the base, where there are three (one on each side and one in the middle) 
subtriangular, toothed, red, fleshy appendages, each at its upper margin 
furnished with a yellowish-brown, clavate Jilament. On the posterior 
side, the margins of these scales are seen to be curved in, and to contain 
two filamentose bodies, curved and slightly pubescent at the base, about 
equal in length to the scale, and bearing on one side a purplish filament, 
which exceeds the scale in height. Stamens about ten in each bundle ; 
at first bent doAvn at an angle, and concealed within the concave petals 
of the corolla, at length gradually springing upwards, and lying against 
the style and stigma, between the scales of the nectary. Filaments purplish. 
Anthers yellow, ovate. Pollen oblong when dry, spherical when moist, 
and always marked with a central line. Germen inferior, or nearly so : 
rising above the calyx, in an hemispherical hairy head. Capsule, with the 
persistent calyx opening into three valves in the superior extremity. Re- 
ceptacles corresponding with the sutures, rather large, fleshy. Seeds se- 
veral on each receptacle, longish, oblong, attached on one side, wrinkled, 
brown. Albumen white, between waxy and horny, and enclosing in its 
centre a cylindrical straight embryo, slightly thickened upwards. 
Raised in tlie stove of our Botanic Garden, from seeds sent 
by Mr Cruikshanks from Chili ; and being no doubt the 
same species as the individual above quoted in the Botanical 
Magazine. In general appearance, too, this plant sufficiently 
VOL. II. 
