The plant from which our figure has been prepared had 
been in cultivation in a warm-house at Glasnevin for over 
thirty years, and had developed into a tall lanky shrub with 
terminal leaf-tufts. Mr. Moore, to whom we are indebted 
for the material used, and for this information, has been 
unable to trace the history of the plant or to find any clue 
to its native country, but from the fact that the more nearly | 
allied forms are all natives of Central America, where they 
occur on the slopes of voleanic mountains in Guatemala and 
Costa Rica at altitudes of from 8,000 to 12,000 ft., it is possible 
that MM. arguta may also have originally been obtained from 
this region. In 1906 the plant was removed to a cool airy 
house, and during the summer was placed out of doors, 
being again brought under glass in October. It responded _ 
to the new treatment by flowering in May, 1907, and again 
in 1908 as a result of a repetition of the treatment of 
wintering in a cool airy house and plunging in the open — 
air during summer. Potted in good heavy loam y 
little sand the plant is now healthy in apy a 
making vigorous growth. It is, indeed, 
milder parts of Ireland and in the south-we 
the species may prove to be hardy. | 
Descoription.—Shrub, branches glabrous. Leaves 4—6- 
jugate, shorter than the inflorescence; leaf-rachis sulcate, 
3-8 in. long; stipules subulate, about 2 lin. long; leaflets 
lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, subsessile or shortly stalked, 
1-3 in, long, $-3 in. wide, coriaceous, spine-tipped, entire 
or with 1-5 spinescent teeth, shining on both surfaces and 
with conspicuous secondary nerves and veins.  Panicles 
clustered at the tips of the branches, suberect, lax, 12-16 in. 
long, with elongated 3—4-flowered, rigid, compressed branch- 
lets 1-1} in. long; bracts ovate-lanceolate, acute, 1-2 lin. 
long. Sepals, three outer small, elliptic, 3-nerved, 14 lin. 
long, three intermediate and three inner oblong-elliptic, 
3 lin. long, 13 lin. wide. Petals 6, oblong, with 2-lobed tips, 
2-glandular at base, 2 lin. long, 14 lin. wide. Stamens 63; 
filaments 1 lin. long ; anthers rather shorter. Ovary oblong, 
1 lin, long. Berry globose, 3-1 in. across, dark blue. = 
Fig. 1, flower; 2, petal and stamen; 3, petal; 4, stamen; 5, pistil:— — 
all enlarged. 
