76 7. R. LINDLEIANUS. 



appearing with age. Prickles declining or subpatent, strong, 

 compressed, dilated at their base. Leaves quinate. Leaflets 

 subcoriaceous, flat or the edges turned np, wavy at the edge, 

 irregularly or doubly dentate- serrate or with large coarse 

 unequal-sided teeth which are themselves dentate-serrate, 

 shining and with a few scattered hairs above, often so densely 

 hairy beneath as to seem felted, obovate-lanceolate or even 

 broader, shortly stalked; terminal broadly obovate-lanceolate, 

 acuminate; basal pair of leaflets much directed backwards 

 in the plane of the leaf; furrowed petioles with many strong 

 hooked prickles, especially at their upper ends; midribs 

 slightly prickly; stipules slender. 



Flowering shoot from ashy scales, hairy (the hairs usually 

 adpressed), shining. Prickles slender, subpatent or much 

 declining in the panicle. Leaves ternate. Leaflets obovate- 

 lanceolate; lower divaricate, shortly stalked. Panicle leafy, 

 compound, usually long, with a blunt convex end ; branches 

 many, short, patent, corymbose, dividing once or twice near 

 to their toj), few flowered; lateral peduncles longer than 

 that of the terminal flower in each division of tbe panicle ; 

 rachis and peduncles very prickly at about their middle, but 

 nearly unarmed at the base, hairy, with a very few sunken 

 setse or minute subsessile glands. Sepals ovate-acuminate, leaf- 

 pointed, hairy, felted, with a very few sunken setse and rarely 

 an aciculus, reflexed. Petals not contiguous, oblong, clawed, 

 slightly notched, white. Filaments white. Anthers and styles 

 greenish. Primordial yr2<i^5^otZ^ usually short. Fruit ^\ndM. 



In the earlier part of the summer the stems often appear 

 to be suberect, but as the season advances they extend so as 

 to arch and usually reach the ground and root. The var- 

 nished surface of the stem and the polished cuticle of the 

 rachis of the flowering shoot (which is seen notwithstanding 

 its clothing of patent hairs) are very characteristic of this 

 species, which has very many and very prickly divaricate 



