a new genus of plants belonging to the dioica bernardiae of Linnaeus. It is a native of Chili, and is thus described in Perroux's Voyage, from drawings sent to France by La Martiniere. The leaves are alternate, on footstalks inflated at their base. Each leaf is bi-nernate, that is to say, it is divided into three leaflets, each of which is again subdivided into three oval sharp-pointed folioles, which, when young, are entire, but afterwards become obscurely lobed. The flowers, disposed in simple and pendent clusters, grow towards the top of the stem and of the branches in the axils of the leaves. The plant is dioecious. At the base of each cluster of blossoms are two small, rounded, oval, floral leaves.

Male Flower.—Calyx formed of six expanding leaves, oblong-oval, and obtuse, of which the three outermost are the largest. Corolla composed of six sharp lanceolate petals, opposite to, and shorter than, the leaves of the calyx. A cylinder rises from the centre of the flower of the length of the petals, terminated by six oblong bilocular anthers, which open from below.

Female Flower.—Calyx similar to that of the male flower, but larger. Corolla inserted beneath the pistil, composed of six petals, rarely entire, but generally bifid or trifid at their summit; shorter than the leaves of the calyx. Stamens six, having the same insertion as the corolla; filaments distinct, broad, very short, surrounding the pistil; anthers, six, upright, oblong, acuminate, barren. Seed body, cells, from three to six, oblong, gibbous on the outside, of nearly the length of the corolla; styles none; stigma, fitting, oblong, permanent. Berries, equal in number to the cells, oblong, acuminate (divided into six cells, containing several angular seeds. Flora Peruviana).

The general character of the lardizabala evidently places this new genus among the family of the menisperme, to which it is related by its climbing stalk, its bunches of dioecious flowers, by its six petals, stamens, and leaves of its calyx, by its pistil, composed of from three to six cells, which contain as many seeds. It differs from the known genera of this order only in its fruit, which, instead of being monoecious, contains several seeds. This character, which requires the introduction of a new section into the menisperme, strengthens the relation of this family to the next order of the anone. In fact, the greater part of the genera of the anone, as they have in the same flower several fruits, with numerous seeds, differ in this particular from all the genera of the menisperme; and by placing between them the lardizabala, we establish a natural transition. In order to confirm these resemblances, it only remains to examine the inside of the fruit, and particularly the structure of the seeds. Those of the menisperme are reniform, at least on the inside, inclosed in a hinged pericarpium, and containing in their upper part a very small dicotyledonous embryo. The characters that we have given of the lardizabala render probable a similar structure in its seeds.