12. R. DISCOLOR. 101 



R. discolor — Tnacroacanthus Bell Salt. ! in A. N. H. xvi. 

 3GG. 



R. rusticanus Merc. ! in Rent. Cat. Genev. 279. 



R. Bastardianus Genev. in Obs. Rub. Herb. Bastard, 10. 



Stem nearly prostrate unless supported, nearly round at 

 the base with a few patent unequal prickles and scattered 

 hairs, often covered with a fine glaucous bloom, soon be- 

 coming angular, furrowed near the top, bearing many minute 

 stellate hairs. Prickles large, strong, patent, compressed, 

 from a dilated base, seated on the angles of the stem. Leaves 

 quinate and ternate on the same })lant. Leaflets hairy 

 beneath towards the base of the stem, others closely white- 

 felted beneath, all stalked, rather finely and often doubly 

 dentate-serrate, very variable in form, usually the lower 

 leaflets ovate-lanceolate; intermediate and terminal obovate, 

 acute, but sometimes [R. abruptus Lindl. !) cuneate-oblong 

 abruptly truncate and cuspidate; edges often curved down- 

 wards ; petioles and midribs beneath with rather strong 

 hooked prickles; stipules filiform. 



Flowering slwot from fuscous ashy scales. Prickles often 

 very strong, deflexed or declining and as well as the shoot 

 white-felted, sometimes also with rather many patent haii-s. 

 Leaves quinate or ternate, like those of the stem. Panicle 

 long, narrow, leafy below, felted, hairy, (very rarely a short 

 seta may be found on the panicle or even calyx); lower 

 axillary branches few, many-flowered, corymbose, short, 

 ascending; upper forming a raceme, patent. Sepals white- 

 felted, ovate-attenuate, leaf-pointed. Petals pink, obovate, 

 clawed, blunt, jagged. Filaments whitish. Anthers greenisli. 

 Styles purple. Primordial fruitstulk longer than the calyx. 

 Fruit of many small acid illflavoured drupes. 



The leaflets of this plant are usually deflexed and rather 

 wavy at their edges; sometimes folded at the midrib so as to 

 be channelled above, but even then usually having ulti- 



9—3 



