280 CONSPECTUS POLYG ALARUM EUROP.EARUM. 



western of the countries bordering the Mediterranean on the north, 

 and chiefly from Spain and the South of France ; its only known 

 Itahan locahty is in the neighbourhood of Venice. 



Although usually placed near P. monsjteliara, I cannot discern 

 the resemblance to that species. The axillary racemes and map- 

 pendiculate arillode seem, on the contrary, to show an unmistakeable 

 affinity with this section, to which it appears to bear the same 

 relationship as P. inompelinca does to the first section ; a view 

 confirmed by the fact that P. rupestris, the species to which it is in 

 many respects nearest, extends also to Western Europe. 



Sectio III. CHAMiEBuxus, Dill., Spach (gen.), DC. 



Flores axillares,solitarii, vel racemis cymosis valde paucifloris 

 dispositi ; bracteas ante anthesim deciduae. Cal^^x deciduus ; sepala 

 exteriora in^equalia, membranacea, superius concavum ; alag peta- 

 loideag. Carina galeata, cucullata, subtriloba, dorso cristam cal- 

 losam hand fimbriatam gerens. Filamenta apice libera, basi 

 tantum coalita ; antherae per rimas duas laterales dehiscentes. 

 Stylus subcylindricus. Capsula alata, nuda. Semina albuminosa ; 

 ardlodium carnosum, appendicibus tribus munitum. 



This section, as above defined, is very limited m distribution 

 and in the number of species. In Europe it is represented only by 

 P. Chaiiuf'biu'us, and in Northern Africa by P. Munhyana, and 

 Boissier and Cosson's P. Wehhiana and Balanscp, which species 

 seem to me all to have a decided affinity with one another. I am 

 more doubtful about another species usually placed in this section, 

 Z^ paucifolia of North America, widely separated by geographical 

 distribution, and differing in the fimbriated crest to the corolla 

 and the scanty albumen. The handsome large-flowered South 

 American shrubs included under this head in DeCandolle's ' Pro- 

 dromus ' have still less claim of affinity ; and the same remark 

 applies to the East Indian species referred to the genus by Hass- 

 karl in Miquel's ' Annales Musaei Botanici Lugduni-Batavi,' and 

 (as I now think, erroneously) by myself in Hooker's ' Flora of 

 British India.' These shrubs have exalbuminous seeds and a con- 

 spicuous crest to the corolla, the only obvious resemblance to the 

 European t^'pe being in the deciduous calyx. 



19. P. Cham.ebuxus, Linn., Sp., 989 ; DC, Prodr., i., 331 ; 

 Reich., Ic, xvih., 92 ; Koch, Fl. Germ., 100 ; Gr. et God., 

 Fl. Fr., i., 199 : Bert., Fl. It., vh., 324 ; Woods, Tour. Flor., 

 43 ; Dmrt. in Bull. Bot. Soc. Belg., 1868. P. caule lignoso, 

 suffruticoso, decumbente ; foliis coriaceis, lanceolatis vel 

 ellipticis, mucronatis, inferioribus minoribus, obovatis, 

 retusis : floribus solitariis vol binis in foliorum axillis dis- 

 positis, insignibus, flavis ; bracteis parvis, ovatis, deciduis ; 

 sepalis exterioribus ovalibus, inaequalibus, membranaceis, 

 intus glandulosis, superiore valde concavo ; alls obovatis, 

 quam sepala exteriora triplo longioribus, carinam aequanti- 

 bus : petalis lateralibus cum carina per f coalitis, et ea 



