other New Zealand and New Holland solitary-flowered creeping Lobeliaceæ with unilabiate corollas, but in the absence of any specimens with fruit I am unwilling to add them here.
The genus Pratia was established by M. Gaudichaud on a species detected by himself in the Falkland Islands, the P. repens, which was first described in Ann. Sc. Nat. vol. v. p. 103 (anno 1825); but the original discoverers of the genus were Banks and Solander, who, during Captain Cook's first voyage, gathered the P. angulata in New Zealand (in 1769): to the species of M. Gaudichaud there was first added another from La Plata by M. Chamisso (Linnæa, vol. viii. p. 212), and more lately what appears to me a truly distinct species was published as a variety of this last, under the name of P. hederacea, β elliptica (vide Hook. Bot. Journ. vol. i.p. 278). I have seen the fruit of all these except the P. hederacea, and they agree with the characters of Pratia. In 1839 M. Alph. DeCandolle removed the Pratia begonifolia, Wall., and erected it into a separate genus, Piddingtonia, mainly on account of the 2-lipped corolla; besides this character of the corolla, which has the two outer lobes
very variable in length, as is the corolla itself and the tube of the calyx in shape, the form of the latter depending upon the greater or less maturity of the seeds.
4. P. hederacea, Cham.; ramis repentibus, foliis petiolatis membranaceis late ovatis rotundatisve crenato-dentatis basi subcordatis, petiolis limbo longioribus, pedicellis folio longioribus, corolla filamentisque intus basi villosis.—Chamisso in Linnæa, vol. viii. p. 212. Alph. DeC. in Prodr. vol. vii. p. 340.
Hab. South Brazil and Uraguay; Chamisso, Gaudichaud.
Having only seen a solitary but authentically-named specimen of this (communicated from Herb. reg. Berol.), I have no opportunity of dissecting the flowers: in the villous tube of the corolla it differs from all the other species I am acquainted with.
5. P. elliptica; caule repente, ramis erectis prostratisve, foliis distichis brevissime petiolatis oblongis obtusis remote repando-dentatis dentibus obtusis, pedunculis folio longioribus fructiferis valde elongatis, capsula membranacea elongato-pyriformi, seminibus parvis, testa lævi pallide brunnea.—P. hederacea, β. elliptica, Alph. DeC. in Prodr. vol. vii. p. 340. Lob. hederacea, β elliptica, Hook. & Arn. Bot. Journ. vol. i. p. 277. L. odorata, β. Graham in Edinb. New Phil. Journ. for 1831.
Hab. Buenos Ayres and mouth of La Plata River, in marshy places; Tweedie.
The authors of 'Contributions to a Flora of South America' remark, that the fruit does not seem to differ from that of a true Lobelia; but the only seed-vessel I have examined seems truly indehiscent, and the corolla is most distinctly unilabiate. It is very different from the true P. hederacea, a plant those authors were not then acquainted with, and in many respects, especially in the distichous leaves, it resembles the P. Cunninghamii.
6. P. angulata; ramis prostratis elongatis basi radicantibus apicibus adscendentibus, foliis petiolatis ovato-oblongis v. ovato-rotundatis obtusis repando-dentatis, pedunculis gracilibus folio multoties longioribus, seminibus testa pallide brunnea minute punctata. — Lobelia angulata, Forst. Prodr. n. 309. A. Richard, Flor. Nov. Zel. p. 227. A. Cunn. Prodr. Flor. Nov. Zel. in Ann. Nat. Hist. vol. ii. p. 50. L. littoralis, R. Cunn. in A. Cunn. Prodr. Flor. Nov. Zel. 1. c.
Hab. New Zealand; Northern and Middle Islands in moist places.
This is a very variable plant in the size of the leaves, corolla and berries.
7. P. ? Boliviensis, Alph. DeC. in Prodr. vol. vii. p. 340.
Hab. Bolivia.
Of this species I know nothing.
