6. R. AFFINIS. 69 



purple, often slightly hairy. Prickles on the angles of the 

 stem strong, a little deflexed or declining, conical, from a 

 dilated compressed base ; at the bottom of the stem they are 

 many, small, and patent. Leaves digitate-quinate, nearly 

 flat or slightly concave. Leaflets thin, dull green and dis- 

 tantly pilose above, rather paler with silky hairs or some- 

 times loosely felted beneath, flat at the base, wavy and a 

 little turned up at the rather irregularly or even doubly 

 serrate edges, especially towards the tip ; basal leaflets 

 stalked, oblong, .usually not over-lapping the intermediate 

 pair; intermediate broadly obovate-acuminate or nearly 

 round and cusjiidate ; terminal leaflet cordate-oval or cor- 

 date-orbicular, cuspidate ; petioles (of which the common 

 are flat above but the partial furrowed) and midribs with 

 strong hooked prickles beneath ; stipules linear-lanceolate. 



Flowering shoot from whitely silky scales, angular, with 

 scattered hairs below. Prickles strong, deflexed from large 

 long compressed bases. Leaves nearly always ternate ; floral 

 often simple. Leaflets broad, pilose above, more hairy and 

 paler beneath, irregularly and coarsely serrate, usually lobed 

 towards the tip ; basal subsessile. Panicle hairy, branches 

 corymbose, erect-patent, hairy, branching only in their upper 

 part ; or two or three of the lower axillary bi-anches form 

 secondary racemose panicles ; prickles strong, deflexed or 

 declining, the uppermost more slender. Sepals ovate, acu- 

 minate, greenish, aciculate, felted, hairy, with a strong edg- 

 ing of white felt, usually all patent with the fruit. Petals 

 rather broadly ovate, clawed, at first pinkish afterwards 

 white, slightly notched (Arrhenius and Metscli say that 

 they are quite entire). Filaments white or pinkish at their 

 base. Antkei's and styles greenish. Primordial fruit-stalk 

 as long as the calyx. Fruit black. 



Boreau says that the sepals are " etales ou appliques sur 

 le fruit a le maturite," Godron "appliques," Metsch "patente 



