11 



MUTISIA LINEARIFOLIA. 



Mutisia lincarifolia ; scandens ( ? ) caule tereti, foliis linearibus aplce 



acutis rigidis subspinosis vectis vel uncinatis, marginibus revolutis. 



(Tab. VIII.) 

 Mutisia linearifolia. Cav. Ic. 5. p. 66. t. 500. Willd. Sp. PL v. 3. 



p. 2071. Pers. Syn. PL v. 2. |j. 453. Spreiig, Si/st. Veget. v. 3. 



p. 505. 



Hab. Apud " Alto de la Laguna " et " Los Ojos de Agua," in de- 

 scensu Cordillerae versus regnum Chilense. Fl. Martio. D. Gillies. 



Caulis flexuosus, scandens ? fruticosus, ut et tota planta, glaberrimus, 

 vix angulatus, pallide fuscus. Folia conferta, undique inserta, 

 non raro subsecunda, sesquiunciam longa, pallide viridia, linearia, 

 sessilia, margine revoluta, apice acutissima, subspinosa, recta, 

 saepe uncinata, sed non omnino cirrhosa. Flos magnus pulcher- 

 rimus. Involucri squamcB infimae acuminatae, reflextc, reliquae ob- 

 tusas. Flosculi disci, ut videtur, lutei, longi, apice tridentati, labio 

 interiore distincto bipartite. Pappus albus. 



It is evident that in this and probably in all the other species, 

 the florets of the disk are at first tubular, bursting at the ex- 

 tremity into five teeth. Generally, two of these teeth, sepa- 

 rating still lower down, become revolute, while the portion 

 having the three terminal teeth is bent back ; hence the bila- 

 biate corolla is formed, such as is represented at Tab. IV.y*. 2. 

 It must be allowed that this species (which I think is the 

 same as the M. linearifolia of Cavanilles, notwithstanding the 

 disposition of the foliage to become cirrhose) approaches very 

 nearly to the M. inflexa Tab. VI. Here, however, the leaves 

 are shorter and broader, and never terminated by an actual 

 tendril. The stems, too, are more robust ; less, if at all, 

 scandent ; the leaves more crowded ; and the flowers larger. 



