) 



282 EuniOEBiACE^E (Brown). \_Un2^horUa. 



branchlets forming a raceme, with the central involucre sessile and 

 the lateral on short branchlets; involucres l^-H lin. in cliam. in 

 the male and 1-1^ lin. in diam. in the female plant, obconic- 

 cup-shaped, glabrous outsidej pubescent within, with 5 glands and 

 5 subqua(h'ate toothed lobes ; glands contiguous or nearly so in the 

 male, distinctly separated in the female, ^-| lin. in their greater 

 diam.^ transversely oblong, with a slight depression in front of the 

 inner margin, entire; capsule '2^- lin. in diam., with 3 rounded 

 lobes, glal)rou3j with its base exserted just above the involucre and 

 provided with a small disc-like 3-angled calyx ; styles free to the 

 base and spreading on the top of the ovary, ^- lin. long, bifid to 

 nearly half-way down with diverging tips; seeds 1-1 4- lin. long, 

 ovoid, truncate at the base, acute at the apex, obscurely 4-angled, 

 rugose, dark ^rev. 



Western Rkoiox : Little Natna^iualand ; hills near Steinkopf, Schlechter, 11381 ! 

 near Kasteel Poort, Bohis, 9443 ! Klip Kalk, Pearson, 6521 ! Van Rhynsdorp 

 Div. ; Zout River, Schlechler, S14-(] ! 



Aldo in Tropical Africa. 



E. spartaria is closely allied to E. ephedroides, but the much more divergent 

 branches give it a distinct appeararice, and the involucres are somewhat larger, 

 whilst it also seems to be a more slender plant. The female plant of E. ephedroid^'S 



is unknown. 



54. E. ephedroides (E. Meyer in Dr«We, Zwei Pfl. Documente, 

 184, ex Boiss. m DC. Prodr. xv. ii. 75) ; a leafless and spineless 

 succulent slirub or shrublet, trichotomously or dichotomously 

 branched, dioecious, only the male plant seen ; branches opposite, 

 erect and subparallelj somewhat bunched together^ with internodes 

 |-2| in. long, terete or slightly compressed, the stouter of those 

 seen about 1 lin. thick, arising from stems or main branches 2 lin. 

 thick, not asperate or tuberculate ; leaves rudimentary, opposite, 

 soon deciduous, only present in the specimens seen as bracts 

 under and as long as or longer than the involucre, 1-1^- lin. long, 

 spathulate, with a rather narrow linear petiole, very abruptly 

 dilated into a transversely elliptic bhide, very obtusely rounded or 

 subtruncate and dorsally sul>apiculate at tlie apex, channelled down 

 the face, glabrous, green ; in^'olucres sessile, solitary at the apex of 

 the ultimate branchlets or sometimes 3 in small cyme, with the 

 central one in the fork between the 2-3 lin.-long branchlets bearing 

 the lateral involucres, 1-1-^ lin. in diam. and f^ lin. deep, cup- 

 shaped, glabrous outside, densely pubescent within, with 5 glands 

 and 5 subquadrate toothed lobes; glands subeontiguous or slightly 

 separated, ^-^ lin, in their greater diam., transversely oblong, with 

 the inner margin nearly straight and turned up, forming a slight 

 lip and the outer margin very broadly rounded, entire ; feuiale 

 involucres and fruit not seen. 



Westebx Regeox : Little Xumaqualand ; between Koper Berg aud Kookfontein 

 (Goodemans Kraal ex Boissier), JJieyel and without precise locality, Ahton in 

 ITrrh. Marloth. 4S7!3 ! 



