NORTH AMERICAN EUPHORBIACE.^. 217 



CONTRIBUTIONS TO NORTH AMERICAN EUPHORBIACE^. 



by c. f. millspaugh, m. d. 



1. Upon a Collection of Euphorbiaceous Plants made by 

 Mr. T. S. Brandegee, in 1889, on the Mainland of 

 Lower California and the Adjacent Islands of 

 ^ Magdalena and Santa Margarita. 



The peninsula of Lower California and the adjacent 

 islands have proven a rich field to botanical explorers, and 

 great interest is always taken in the collections returned 

 therefrom. The soil being mostly what is usually termed 

 sterile, is especially suited to the majority of Euphorbia- 

 ceous species. 



Although not working over the exact district represented 

 by the collection of H. M. S. Sulphur, Mr. Brandegee has 

 succeeded in duplicating all but two of the species of that 

 collection, while he has added thirty more — twelve of which 

 are new to science. He has also duj)licated seven of the 

 ten species collected by Dr. Edward Palmer in 1887, and re- 

 established the only new species of that collection. 



The fact that Euioliorhla macnlata, E. alhomarginata and 

 E. misera are not found in this collection is not without 

 meaning; they cannot occur, unless with exceeding rarity, 

 in the districts so completely searched over. The discov- 

 ery of two new species of Phyllanthus upon the northern 

 confines of that vast genus is also noteworthy. 



It will be noticed that only one locality is mentioned for 

 each species of the collection; Jhis is due to the difiiculty 

 of transporting any considerable number of specimens on 

 such a tiresome overland journey. Having once collected 

 a species Mr. Brandegee usually passed it by thereafter, 

 thus the station given is substantially the most southerly 

 one upon the route. 



2d Ser., Vol. II. December 11, 1889. 



