310 
CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY. 
been understood even by the most eminent botanists. There is 
nothing in the habit of that plant, in the venation or form of 
its leaves, or in its inflorescence that approaches this genus : it 
is the drawing of a well-known Syngenesious plant from Chile, 
the Proustia oblongifoUa, Don, with a panicle in an undeveloped 
state, as may readily be seen by comparing it with the dried 
plant, with which it agrees in all respects, even showing its 
spinuliform stipules. 
All the species of Chondrodendron are climbing plants, natives 
of Peru, Guiana, and Brazil. The leaves are usually subcoria- 
ceous, glabrous above, somewhat tomentose beneath, often with 
lengthened petioles inserted upon, or a little within, the margin 
of the blade ; the inflorescence assumes the form of long, lax, 
racemose panicles ; the male flower consists of from twelve to 
eighteen sepals, externally smaller, the outermost minute and 
bracteiform, all imbricately placed in ternary series upon a 
somewhat cylindrical torus; six petals in two series, shorter 
than the larger sepals, or sometimes reduced in size and scale- 
like, are affixed to the androecium ; stamens six, in two series, 
the inner ones connivently erect, free to the base, but compacted 
upon the summit of the gynfecium, the outer ones slightly 
curved, all surmounted by 2-celled anthers, the cells being sepa- 
rated by a fleshy connective, which is introrsely excurrent, the 
long apical obtuse points all inclining towards the centre. 
The female flowers have a similar number of sepals and petals, 
but no stamens, or only rudimentary ones ; generally six ovaries 
are somewhat stipitately affixed on a central gynsecium ; six or 
fewer drupes radiately attached, each firmly affixed by its long 
support upon a large clavate receptacle, which terminates the 
pedicel ; the putamen is ovoid, subcompressed, coriaceous, bi- 
marsupially divided by a septiform condyle, like that in Hyper- 
hana, which extends from the base beyond the centre, as in 
Tiliacora : the seed, which fills the cell, is thus deeply hippo- 
crepical, exalbuminous, with two large, fleshy, accumbently 
curved cotyledons, and a very small radicle pointing to the style, 
which, owing to the excentric growth, is brought down close to 
the base of the fruit. 
Chondrodendron, R. & P. Botryopsis olim, nob. — Flores 
dioici. Masc. Sepala 12-18, ordine ternario imbricatim dis- 
posita, ad torum subcylindricum seriebus alternis crebriter 
affixa, gradatim minora, exteriora minima, bracteiformia, 
extus pilosula, 6 interiora majora, elliptica, apice subreflexa. 
Petala 6, staminibus opposita, interdum rotundata et squa- 
niiformia vel ssepius sepalis interioribus paulo minora, 
cuneato-oblonga, carnosula. Staniina 6, biserialia, cen- 
