164 MK. J. BALL ON THE BOTANY 



It is remarkable that Grisebach, who, in his memoir on the 



collections made by Philippi and Lechlcr in Southern Chili, has 



described a new species of this genus under the name Becodea 

 ^oJ^V^//(>/^V/('Bemerkungen^ p. 34) 5 should not havebecn acquainted 



with the present species, w^hich appears to have been twice dis- 

 tributed by Lechler (under numbers 1481 and 32G9). There 

 can, I think, be no second opinion as to the propriety of uniting 

 Decostea of Kuiz and Pavon with Griselinia, as first proposed by 

 Baillon ; but there may remain room for discussion as to the 

 true place of the genus iu the natural arrangement. In the 

 memoir above cited (pp. 18 et seq,) Griscbach has discussed tlie 

 affinities of Decostea at some lengtli, and has shown that in many 

 important respects it approaches more nearly to lUcinece than to 

 Coimecd, amongst which it is placed in the ' Grenera Plautarum. 

 It adds one more example of a group of vegetable foxnns inter- 

 mediate in structure betw^een families which in tlie course ot 

 development have diverged from the ancestral type in difterent 

 directions. 



The geographical distribution of all the known species points 

 to the probable origin of Griseliniam the lands of high southern 

 latitudes. With the exception of one species found in the Organ 

 Mountains in Brazil, the genus is known only in New Zealand 

 and on the west side of South America. 



ScAEiosA aiAEiTiMA, i. Certainly introduced from Europe, 

 now naturalized. 



EtTPATOKiL'M GLEcnoNOPnYLLUM, Lcss. This spccics ai)pears 

 to be common in Central Chili, not extending far to the north 



of Valparaiso, while Lota is near to its southern limit. 



BACcnAEis EuPATOHioiDES, Hooh.etAm. A native of Southern 

 Chili whose northern limit is apparently about Lota. There is 

 a specimen in Kew Herbarium, collected by Dr. Eights who 

 accompanied a United States surveying expedition, labelled 

 *'La Moche Island, S. Pac. Ocn." This name was doubtless taken 

 from a French chart, and indicates the small island of Mocha, 

 about 20 miles from the coast, and about a degree S. of Lota. 

 Dr. Eights collected plants in several other islands on the Chilian 

 coast, to which on the labels has been added the descriptive phrase, 

 "South Pacihc Ocean.'* Thouj^h not incorrect this is certaiuly 



misleading. 



