376 
CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANT. 
apex, having as many free stamens fixed to their claws; the 
filaments, nearly as long as the petals, become much broader 
and flattened towards the apex, to which two distinct divaricately 
separated anther-lobes are dorsally affixed and partially imbedded, 
the lobes bursting introrsely by a longitudinal furrow. Here 
the chief peculiarity consists in the valvate aestivation of its or- 
bieular fleshy inner sepals, in which respect it resembles Tiliacora, 
Abuta, Anelasma, Limacia, Triclisia, and Synclisia. From the 
first and fourth it difiers in having only three free stamens, 
from the second and third in the presenee of petals, from the 
fifth in its stamens being only three in number with three petals, 
and from the last in its sepals being orbicular and free to the 
base, not oblong and united for half their length into a tube : 
other differential features exist, which may be seen by comparing 
the respective generic characters. This valvate character of its 
stamens suggested the generic name *. 
Aristega, nob. — Flores dioici. Masc. Sepala 9, in ordine ter- 
nario alternatim disposita, extus gradatim minora, quorum 
6 exteriora bracteiformia, ovata, carnosula, prseter margines 
tenuiores longe piloso-ciliatos glabra, 3 interiora dimidio 
majora, suborbicularia, valde coneava, apice inflexa, carnosa, 
marginibus crassis, JEstivatione arete valvata, glabra. Pe- 
tala 3, sepalis tertia parte breviora, alterna, cuneato-ob- 
longa, apice emarginata, canaliculatim concava, earnosa, gla- 
bra, staminibus paulo breviora et opposita. Stamina 3, libera; 
filamenta unguibus petalorum affixa, sursum gradatim latiora, 
crassiuscula, apice dilatata et rotundata ; anthera 2-lob8e, 
introrsae, dorso semiimmersae, lobis oblongis, segregatis, imo 
paulo divaricatis, utrinque sulco longitudinali dehiscentibus. 
Frutex scandens, origine ignoto, sed verisimiliter ex India orient ali: 
folia ovata, acute attenuata, ^-nervia, reticulata, glaberrima, 
petiolo brevi et tenui : paniculse ^ racemiformes, solitariee aut 
gemince, e nodis aphyllis annotinis ortcE, folii circa longitudine, 
ramis approximatis brevibus, iterum ramulosis, ramulis brevis- 
simis, pedicellos 1-3 unifloros gerentibus. 
Aristega Icevifolia, nob. ; — ramulis validiusculis, glabris ; foliis 
ovatis, imo rotundatis, apicem versus breviter constrictis et 
acuminatis, acutis nervis 5, e basi enatis, cum aliis paucis ultra 
medium alternatim ortis, arcuatim nexis, valde reticulatis, viri- 
dibus, utrinque glabris; petiolo tenui, limbo 5-plo breviore : 
paniculis ^ racemosis, ssepius binis, e nodis annotinis aphyllis 
axillaribus, folio brevioribus, rigide puberulis, axillellis ap- 
proximatis, bracteolatis ; ramis brevibus ; ramulis brevissimis, 
* From apt, valde; erttyo), teyo. 
