374 
CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY. 
leaves, with alternate, long, spreading branches, each again with 
alternate short branchlets bearing from five to seven others, 
which support from one to three sessile flowers on their apex : 
the flower consists of from eight to ten sepals, all orbicular, very 
concave, glabrous, the outer two ciliated on the margin, smaller 
than the others, whieh are subequal, submembranaceous, and 
much imbricated ; it has from eight to ten petals, half the size 
of the sepals, cuneately oblong, with the lateral margins infleeted 
and embracing the stamens, subfleshy 3 from eight to ten sta- 
mens the length of the petals and afiixed to their claw, with 2 - 
lobed introrse anthers, the lobes dorsally and collaterally adnate 
to the filament, eaeh bursting by a longitudinal furrow. I have 
had no opportunity of seeing either the female flower or the 
fruit ; but Dr. Mueller states that it bears three drupes (one or 
two sometimes abortive), subglobose and stipitate, enclosing a 
hard putamen of similar shape, rounded dorsally, somewhat 
compressed on its faces, the condyle being internal and intru- 
ding, thus rendering the cell hippocrepical and 4-locellate by a 
monstrous expansion of the intruding condyle — a formation 
which it is difficult to understand : the seed is said to be hippo- 
crepiform, but whether with or without albumen is not stated, 
nor is the shape of the embryo known. The genus must for the 
present therefore be I’eferred to the section made to include those 
of doubtful position. 
Selwynia, P. Mueller. — Flores dioici. Masc. Sepala 8-10, 
orbicularia, valde concava, glabra, submembranacea, quorum 
2-4 exteriora minora, margine ciliata, 6 interiora duplo ma- 
jora, subsequalia, decussatim imbricata, omnino Isevia. Petala 
8 - 10 , , sepalis dimidio breviora, cuneato-oblonga, sepalis 
opposita, sequilonga, in unguibus iis afflxa ; filamenta subcom- 
planata, sursum gradatim latiora; antheree introrsse, filamento 
dorso adnatae, 2 -lobse, lobis oblohgis, collateraliter affixis, la- 
teribus pi-ofunde sulcatis, in sulcis 2 -valvatim dehiscentibus. — 
Foeni. Flos ignotus. Drupre 3, vel abortu pauciores, sub- 
globosse, imo stipitatse, basin versus stylo persistente signatae : 
putamen durum, subglobosum, dorso convexum, in faciebus 
subcompressum, loculo hippocrepiformi ; condylus internus, 
intra loculum longe intrusus. Semen hippocrepiforme. Cae- 
tera ignota. 
Frutex scandens Australiee orientalis intertropicoe ; ramuli teretes, 
tenues ; folia ovaio-lanceolata, imo ^-nervia et triplinervia, longe 
tenuiter petiolata : panicula axillaris, glabra, folio multo 
longior, divaricato-ramosa, bracteolata, ram is alternis, iterum 
ramulosis, ramulis ultimis 5—7, apice flores 1-3 sessiles geren- 
tibus : inflorescentia $ simpliciter racemosa. 
