ARISTOLOCHIA PICTA. 
20 1 
corolla, which at the base assumes the form 
of a large swollen tube, the upper part of 
which is abruptly turned in the manner of a 
hook, where it takes an inflated bladder-like 
form, then suddenly becoming contracted ; 
and at last expanding in a large broad limb, 
having the tube connected with it at one side, 
and terminating at the apex in a long hairy 
appendage. The upper cylinder-like part of 
the flower tube hangs or grows downwards, 
and near the middle of the bladder-like ex- 
pansion it is contracted and turned upwards ; 
the interior of the part of this tube thus 
turned up is of an ochre-yellow colour, slightly 
tinged with dark violet ; the net-like veining, 
which extends to the margin, is also yellow. 
Six stamens are inserted at the base of the 
style, by means of a sort of glandular ring, 
and united to it at their inner side. The 
fruit is from three to four inches long, six- 
celled. The seeds are nearly triangular, ob- 
lique, heart-shaped, and placed in a row to- 
gether, but divided from each other by a 
leafy or nearly fleshy membrane, in which the 
seeds are clothed. In the middle line of the 
fleshy albumen is a very small cylinder-like 
radicle, with thick, fleshy, unequal cotyledons, 
lying on each other. 
" Aristolochia picta belongs to the group 
Clematites of Endlicher, the species of which 
have a tongue-formed border to the corolla. 
It differs from those hitherto described, par- 
ticularly such as have the flower bilabiate, 
which Endlicher includes in the group Pis- 
tolochia. It comes near to A. ylaucescens 
(Kunth), to which the resemblance in the 
flower is considerable. The leaves in A. glau- 
cescens, however, are not only larger, but also 
oval, and deeply cordate at the base. It 
comes still nearer to A. Ottonis (Klotzsch), 
not only in the form of the leaves, but also 
in respect to the position of the flower. A. 
Ottonis was discovered by Mr. Edward Otto 
in a locality near to that where A. picta was 
found growing, and is distinguished in par- 
ticular by the prominence of the stipules : the 
border of the corolla is also somewhat longer, 
particularly at the cordate end. 
" Aristolochia picta is found in the province 
of Caracas, and appears to be somewhat ex- 
tensively distributed in the neighbourhood. 
I found it at first in the district of Puerto 
Cabello, in the valley of the river Esteban, 
and subsequently near the Araqua, the Guaire, 
the Tuy, and the Tacarigua sea, and in other 
places ; and generally in such places as are 
covered with water in the rainy season, and 
which become so parched in the dry time, 
that the roots can scarcely obtain nourishment. 
" This plant requires for its full develop- 
ment the entire influence of the sun, including 
both light and heat. In the tropics it is ex- 
posed to the full action of the atmosphere. 
During the day, the influence of the sun's 
rays raises the temperature of the soil in 
which it grows to 60° Eeaum. (167°Fahr.) 
and during night, under a cloudless sky, it be- 
comes so cool, that the thermometer sometimes 
falls below + 12° Reaum. (59° Fahr.) But 
the roots do not throw off" their heat so rapidly, 
since the ground is covered with bushe?, which 
considerably modify the abstraction of the 
