622 



Hastings : Flora of central Chile 



covering that after being put in press fruits were matured from 

 flowers that had just opened when they were put between the 



driers. 



While several of the plants collected are not described in Gay's 



Historia de Chile, nearly all were found in the volumes so far pub- 



Fjgure I. Hexaptera purpurea sp. nov. a^ flower; *, flower, with one petal 

 and two sepals removed ; r, fruit, dorsal view ; dy fruit, lateral view ; f, fruit, trans- 

 erse section ; /*, embryos. 



vers 



lished of Reiche's Flora de Chile, that belonged to the orders 

 therein described. Therefore, no attempt has been made to de- 

 scribe new species, with the exception of a Hexaptera (a small 

 genus of the Crticiferae occurring only in Chile) found in the 

 mountains near Laguna Negra. 



Hexaptera purpurea sp. nov. 



Perennial; stems r-5, simple, smooth, green or purphsh, 25- 

 35 cm. high : leaves crowded at base of stem, narrowly spatulate, 

 5-7 cm. long, 2-5 mm. broad near the apex, tapering to the base, 

 entire or with i or 2 sharp teeth near the apex, smooth, sHghtly 

 fleshy ; upper leaves few, smaller, 2-3 cm. long, 1-2 mm. broad : 

 raceme terminal, simple or with 1-5 branches: flowers crowded: 

 branches and stems elongating shghtly after flowering so that the 

 fruits are nearly separated except at the ends of the branches : 

 peduncles 1-2 mm. long: sepals oblong. 4 mm. long, violet or 

 black, erect : petals twice as long as the sepals, yellowish, violet 

 on outer sides near tips : stamens free : fruit purple, the narrow 

 wings white or slightly tinted. 



Among rocks, near Laguna Negra, 3,500 m., province of San- 

 tiago, Hastings 4S0, February 6, 1902. 



Distinguished from H. linearis Barn, by the numerous leaves 



