374 . Mr. J. Miers on the Tribe Colletiese. 



connexis ; floribus proximitate axillarum, hinc ssepc densiter 

 congestis ; pedunculo calyci sequilongo ; calyce late urceolato, 

 limbi laciniis 4, erectis, petalis 4, ovalibus, utrinque acutis, 

 subconcavis, laciniis subsequilongis ; staminibus petalis vix 

 brevioribus, ovario in fundo disci crateriformis adnati margine 

 liberi insidente, depresse globoso, 3-sulcato, glabro; stylo 

 incluso, fructu subgloboso, calycis cupula crassa suffulto, 

 coccis 3 secedentibus, epicarpio persistente 3-valvatim dehis- 

 cente. In Provinciis Argentinis. v. s. in herb. Mus. Paris, 

 in herb. Jussieu (Commerson) ; Monte Video (Gay) ; Rio 

 Grande (Gaudichaud, 1617) : in herb. Hook., Buenos Ayres 

 (Tweedie, 1378) ; Puerto Bravo (Tweedie) ;" Bahia Blanca 

 (Darwin) ; Maldonado (Capt. King) ; Banda Oriental (Baird). 



This differs from the preceding species in its longer and more 

 vimineous branches, its more distant nodes, and the much greater 

 length of its spines ; its flowers also are smaller, more lobular, 

 pnd paler. The floriferous gemmae are lengthened into more 

 -distinct branchlets, with more remote decussating axils : the 

 spines generally attain a length of 1J inch, sometimes, as in 

 Commerson's specimen, they are shorter ; while in that from the 

 Banda Oriental they are 2J inches long : the leaves are usually 

 3 lines long and 1 line broad, but occasionally they attain a 

 length of 5 lines : the floral peduncle is 1 or 2 lines long ; the 

 calyx, including its border, is 2 lines long, 1^ line in diameter ; it 

 is thin in texture, and of a pale yellow colour, probably white in 

 the living state ; the fruit and peduncle are of the size of those 

 of D. Lydoides, but the persistent portion of the calyx is dark 

 red and smooth*. 



4. Discaria spiculata, n. sp. ; suffruticosa, glaberrima, ramulis 

 teretibus, subcompressis, decussatim spinosis, substriatulis, 

 fusco-viridibus, fere aphyllis; spinis subulatis, validioribus, 

 apice calloso-pungentibus ; foliis parvulis, e gemmis elongatis 

 per paria enatis, mox caducis, oblongis, utrinque acutis, car- 

 nosulis, fere integris, enerviis, glaberrimis ; stipulis oppositis, 

 rudimentariis, acutis, sub spinis non inter se connexis ; floribus 

 solitariis, glabris, pedunculis calyce sub-brevioribus, calyce 

 campanulato-cylindrico, subbrevi, limbi laciniis 4, dentifor- 

 mibus, erectis, apice callo carnoso incrassatis, petalis minimis, 

 laciniis 4-plo brevioribus, ovatis, utrinque acutis, subconcavis, 

 erectis; staminibus 4, petalis sequilongis, filamentis brevis- 

 simis, antheris ovatis; disco adnato, patelliformi ; ovario gla- 

 bro, oblongo, stylo medium tubi attingente ; fructu immature 



* A drawing of this species will be given in Plate 38 D of the ' Contri- 

 butions.' 



