NORTH AMERICAN . EUPHORBIACE.^. 225 



74). Involucres solitary in the upper axils and terminal on 

 the branchlets of the season; turbinate, raised upon a fili- 

 form peduncle about twice the length of the involucre; lobes 

 triangular, ciliate; glands subreniform entire; appendages 

 white or pinkish; styles bipartite. Pod smooth, carpels 

 carinate; seeds obscurely quadrangular, whitish, very nearly 

 or quite smooth between the angles. 



There is a peculiarity about this species that we have 

 never noticed in other species of this genus : many of the 

 involucres (in one specimen ten) become aborted and pro- 

 longed into pod-like bodies from 1-1 1 cm. long and about 

 2 mm. in diameter, bearing rudimentary or aborted flowers 

 at the base, and the four glands at the apex. This pecu- 

 liarity would seem to be a constant factor, as Bentham 

 noted the same sort of " growth" upon the original speci- 

 mens, and Watson writes us that they are also upon Dr. 

 Palmer's specimens, collected on Carmen Island. — Magda- 

 lena Bay, January 18th. 



Euphorbia tcmentulosa Watson (Proc. Am. Acad., xxii, 

 p. 476). — San Gregorio, February 1st, with fruit i^artially 

 developed. 



Euphorbia Purisimana, sp. nov. Stems terete, sparsely 

 and minutely villous, spreading from the base and dichoto- 

 mously branching, branches numerous, filiform, leaves short- 

 petioled, entire, ovate-acute, obliquely tapering at the base, 

 the largest 6 mm. long, 4 mm. wide, stipules absent. Inflores- 

 cence solitary at the bifurcations and in the upper axils; 

 involucre pedunculate, nearly glabrous, the lobes large, tri- 

 angular and entire; glands transversely ovate, dark maroon, 

 on thick stipes about twice their length; appendages mostly 

 wanting, when present (in about 1 in 30 in our specimen) 

 they are minute w^iite or rose, and vary in shape from tri- 

 angular-obtuse to obcordate, or transversely ovate, with 2-3 

 sharp teeth on the margin. Capsules slightly hairy, the 



2d See., Vol. II. { 16 ) December 17, 1889. 



