This fragrant plant was named by Forster after Commerson, the celebrated botanist, who accompanied Bougainville in his Voyage round the World, and explored the coasts of Brazil and Buenos Ayres, the Streights of Magellan, and the Islands of Otaheite, New Britain, Bouro, Java, and the Mauritius, for the space of seven years, and returned to France with a herbarium of above 3000 species, amongst which were many new genera; all which, together with his manuscripts, are preserved in the Museum of Natural History at Paris. Duplicates of them were by him sent to Linnæus, and are now in the possession of Dr. Smith, President of the Linnæan Society. Our drawing was made from a plant (the only one at present in the kingdom) in the hot-house of A. B. Lambert, esq. Boyton House, who informs me that it flowered with him the second year from seed, in great abundance, and continued in flower all the summer, during the warmer part of which it was extremely fragrant; which renders it a valuable addition to our collection of stove plants. The flowers for several weeks proved abortive, owing to their very singular construction; in which the short stamina are completely excluded from the pistillum. As a remedy for this, Mr. Lambert introduced a hive of bees into the hot-house, which soon produced the desired effect, as in three or four days after the germens began to swell. The form of the leaves varies exceedingly, particularly whilst the plant is young, coming sometimes much broader and with two side lobes; which has been mistaken by some for a different species. Almost every part of the plant is villous. Rumphius informs us (in his Herbarium Amboynense) that the Commersonia grows to a tree in the Moluccas, and is so plentiful that its wood is in common use as _deal_; that the bark is manufactured into matches; and that the bruised leaves smell like the flowers of the _Sampacca_, which is considered by the natives as one of the sweetest flowers in India. It is a native of Amboyna, New Caledonia, and other Islands in the South Seas. [Illustration] PLATE DXX. EUOSMA ALBIFLORA. _White-flowered Euosma._ CLASS V. ORDER I. _PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA._ Five Chives. One Pointal. GENERIC CHARACTER. CALYX persistens, basi bracteatus, quinque-partitus, laciniis subrotundis appressis. COROLLA campanulata, limbo patente 5-lobo. STAMINA quinque tubo inserta, inclusa, divisurisque corollæ alterna: Filamenta brevia: Antheræ subrotundæ, compressæ. GERMEN superum, subovatum: Stylus crassus, brevis: Stigma capitatum. CAPSULA glabra cuneato-ovata, stylo persistente coronata, bisulca, dicocca: Cocculi bivalves polyspermi, intus ad apices dehiscentes: Receptacula in singulo cocculo singulum, subtrigonum, longum, erectum, marginibus valvarum annexum. SEMINA ovata, hinc convexa, inde depressa papillis minutissimis undique scabra, duplici serie receptaculo imposita.