The Geographical Distribution of the Frankeniaceae ete, 411 
Basigonia. 
Section Basigonia is not represented in South America so far as known 
by any species of Frankenia, but the genus Niederleinia should be considered 
in connection with this section, of which it is in reality only an extreme 
form. Niederleinia juniperioides Hieron. appears to stand in very much the 
same relation to the salt-steppes of Argentine that F. triandra does to the 
high Puna region farther north. Each has an extensive distribution in its 
region, each is the only member of the family in its region, besides, also, 
these are the two most distinct forms of Frankeniaceae, which fact stands 
in relation with their isolation from other species. But the two forms 
would seem to have developed entirely independent of each other. The 
occurence of N. juniperoides is described by M. F. Kurtz!) as follows: 
»Die bemerkenswerteste Pflanze dieser salzigen Striche ist jedoch N. 
Juniperioides Hieron., ein kleiner, zerbrechlicher, graugrüner Strauch, der 
im Aussehen ein Diminutivum der in den Gärten als Juniperus prostrata 
Pers. cultivierten Pflanze darstellt. Diese Art, von G. NigpERLEIN auf den 
Ufern der Salzsümpfe »Narraco« (nördlich vom Rio Colorado) während der 
Expedition Rocas zum Rio Negro zuerst gefunden, bedeckt hier eine be- 
deutende Flüche: von Pendrica am FuB des Cerro Nevado und der Laguna 
Llauganelo im Osten, bis zur Junta del Atuel und Agua Nueva im Westen 
und Norden; sie findet sich in niedrigen, kreisfórmigen Gruppen, die bis 
zu ein Meter Durchmesser besitzen.« 
This growing in compact clusters occurs in other species of Fran- 
keniaceae as well, e. g., F. farinosa Remy, F. Palmeri Wats. and others, 
and one need only imagine it sufficiently reduced and compaeted to have 
the polsters of F. triandra. 
The vegetation and floral morphology have been well discussed by 
Prof. Hırronymus?), and it need only be mentioned here that the leaves are 
a distinct type with exceedingly thick epidermis, possessing a very promi- 
nent quelling cellulose layer; the salt glands are at the bottom of a very 
deep depression, and the stomata occur only at the bottom of the fold on 
the dorsal side of the leaf and not at the bottom of the above mentioned 
depressions as suggested in the description »Spaltóffnungen sehr tief ein- 
gesenkt «. 
Niederleinia is the only member of the Frankeniaceae in which uni- 
staminate flowers are found. The genus appears rightly characterized by 
NIEDENZU as polygamo-monoecious. In specimens recently received 
from Dr. F. Kurtz, Cordoba, the stamens have the normal Frankenia-arran- 
gement with extrorse-lateral dehiscence of the anthers. In such flowers 
1) Bericht über zwei Reisen zum Gebiet des oberen Rio Salado, aus Abh. Bot, 
Ver. Prov. Brandenb. XXXV. 
2) Botanical Report of the Roca »Expedicion al Rio Negro« 1881. 
