New Genera of American Plants

RUELLIA.

Plate 2.

Ruellia this genus is part of the Acanthaceae family, commonly called Wild Petunias is a genus of plant with a single-petaled monopetalous flower (A), which is funnel-shaped and divided into many parts. From its calyx the outer protective envelope of a flower (C) rises a pistil the seed-bearing organ which is fixed to the lowest part of the flower (B) like a nail. This later develops into a conical, membranous fruit (D), which splits open at the tip in many different ways (E), and is filled with seeds that are generally small and round (G).

I have discovered only one species of Ruellia.
Humble Ruellia, with a blue flower and a root like an Asphodel.

a Fuchs Letters, no. chapter b Paolo Giovio in Eulogies

a Jean Ruel, a Frenchman from Soissons and Doctor of Medicine, was endowed with an uncommon knowledge of things beyond his mastery of languages. b Having set aside the art of healing, he earned a priesthood in the Church of the Virgin Mother of God referring to the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris in Paris through the generosity of Bishop Poncher; he spent all that leisure time on the best literature, as was fitting for one of increased fortune. The purity of his Latin prose is clearly shown in his translation of Dioscorides from Greek into Latin, which he corrected. He died as a Canon of Paris in the year 1537.

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BRUNSFELSIA.

Plate 22.

Brunsfelsia a genus of shrubs in the nightshade family, often called "Yesterday-Today-and-Tomorrow" due to their changing flower colors is a genus of plant with a single-petaled monopetalous flower (A) that is funnel-shaped, tubular, and divided into many parts. From its calyx (C) rises a pistil fixed to the lowest part of the flower (B) like a nail. This later develops into a globe-shaped fruit (D) that is soft and fleshy, filled with seeds (F) that are somewhat round and nestled between the skin and the flesh (E).

I have recognized only one species of Brunsfelsia.
Brunsfelsia with a white flower and soft, saffron-colored fruit.

Otto Brunfels of Mainz was a physician. His father was a cooper, but a serious and honest man. Otto practiced medicine in Bern, Switzerland, with great success, and he passed away there on November 23, 1534. He was the first in Germany who attempted to rescue the study of medicinal herbs—which had been nearly extinguished—from the thickest darkness. He wrote an "Herbal" comprised of three volumes. It was published in Strasbourg by Johann Schott in the year 1537, in folio format.