An Account of a New Peruvian Plant, Lately Introduced into the English Gardens; the Several Characters of Which Differ from All the Genera Hitherto Described; Presented to the Royal Society by George Dionysius Ehret, F. R. S.

XXVII. An Account of a new Peruvian Plant, lately introduced into the English Gardens; the several Characters of which differ from all the Genera hitherto described; Presented to the Royal Society by George Dionysius Ehret, F.R.S. Read May 12, 1763. This plant blowed in the Physick Garden at Chelsea, and flourished there in great perfection in the year 1761. It produced abundance of branches, which spread themselves on the surface of the ground: these branches were greatly multiplied by side ones, which grow alternately; and are smooth towards the ground, and streaked towards the top, as the figure [Tab. X.] expresses. Each joint is furnished with many ovate-shaped leaves, having membraneous ciliated footstalks. This plant was also richly ornamented with abundance of buds and flowers: the flowers being of a sky-blew, with a dark embroidered purple bottom, made a beautiful appearance. These flowers are monopetalous, or tube-shaped, having five obtuse laciniæ, which expand themselves exactly like unto the Alkekengi Indicum glabrum chenopodii folio, Dill. Hort. Elth. The difference in both these flowers is only in the insertion and situation of their filaments: the filaments of the alkekengi adhere at the base of the tube, but in this flower they are inserted in faux corolla at the swelling of the tube: in both of them the filaments are also hairy at their base, and their antheræ are distant from each other, other, whereas in the rest of the Akekengi their antheræ incline to each other. The most remarkable character in this plant is, the position of the five similar seeds, (each of these has its peculiar receptaculum) which lay in such a manner in the center of the calyx, that, at first sight, it appeared as if it belonged to that class of plants called Herbae verticillatae; but, on a closer inspection, it appeared, that each of these similar seeds were separate seed vessels (or a trispermous fruit) and contained three seeds. The ingenious and learned Dr. Albert Schlosser, of Amsterdam F. R. S. presented me with many curious dried specimens of plants, which he had collected in the Botanic Garden at Paris in the year 1755; amongst which was this plant, under the name of Belladona Peruviana minor. Jussieu. Hort. Reg. Paris. Mr. Philip Miller proposed to honour this plant with the name of Walkeria, in gratitude to Richard Walker, D. D. Vice-master of Trinity College in Cambridge and Casuistical Professor, who, by his indefatigable pains, and at a large expense of his own, has lately founded a Physic Garden in that University, to incite and extend the study of Botany in that famous seat of the Muses. Description of the Character, Tab. X. Fig. a. Represents a side view of the calyx, whose leaves are open, and cover the tube of the flower: when these flowers drop off, the calyx closes instantly again (to protect the Embryo) and forms a pentagonal conical figure, see Fig. b. Fig. c. Is a side view of the corolla, separated from the periantheum: it has a small tube which swells into an open (monopetalous) bell-shaped figure: the limbus of the corolla, Fig. d, having small fissures, divides it into so many obtuse laciniae. Fig. e. The inside of the corolla laid open, to expose to view the five stamina, whose filaments are inserted at the swelling of the tube: they are hairy at their base, and of equal length, and their apices are dispersed in the middle of the flower. Fig. f. This figure represents the calyx laid open: it is monophyllous, divided into five laciniae: it also shews the situation of the five germina, which are surrounded with a yellowish nectariferous fleshy substance. From the center of these germina or embryos comes forth the style, which is of equal length with the stamina, having a globular or capitated stigma. Fig. g. Five capsulae or seed-vessels, which are closely connected to each other, adhere together, and yet may each of them be separated, independent of its companion: they are punctated, rough, of a hard woody substance: each capsula contains three small ovate seeds: see the transverse section fig. h. Fig. i. Represents the calyx and receptacle: the nectariferous part divides the receptacle into five semicircles: each of these vestigia had an oval-shaped round capsula, fig. k. XXVIII. Ob-