13. R THYRSOIDEUS. 109 



E. speciosus Mull.! in Flora (1858), 135; in Pollichia, 

 xvi. 93; in Wirtg. Herb. Rub. No. 77 (sp.). Billot, Fl. 

 Gall, et Germ, exsic. No. 3073 (sp.). 



R coarctatus Mull.! in Wirtg. Herb. Rub. No. 120 (sp.). 



Stem arching highly or nearly suberect with a descending 

 autumnal shoot from its end, angular, furrowed, with a few 

 hairs; "somewhat hairy and roundish and with short straight 

 conical prickles at the base." Prickles strong declining or 

 a little deflexed, from very large compressed bases. Leaves 

 quinate, concave as a whole. Leaflets nearly flat, wavy and 

 a little turned up at the edges, doubly dentate-serrate, pilose 

 above, greenish- white hairy and softly (but often very finely) 

 felted beneath, not overlapping ; basal and intermediate 

 lanceolate; terminal long-stalked, ovate or obovate-acumi- 

 nate, subcordate at the base ; under side of midribs and 

 unfuiTowed, petioles with hooked prickles ; stipules linear or 

 linear-lanceolate. 



Flowering shoot from ashy scales. Prickles strong, de- 

 flexed. Hairs spreading. Leaves quinate, like those of the 

 stem. Panicle long, narrow, hairy, felted; branches short, 

 rather distant, mostly axillary, patent, corymbose ; floral 

 leaves ternate, basal leaflets usually with a large lobe and 

 lobate-serrate externally, or leaves simple and more or less 

 3-lobed. Sepals ovate-acuminate, hairy, felted, reflexed, with 

 a slightly flattened point. Petals rather distant, broadly 

 ovate, entire, or finely toothed, blunt, narrowed to the base, 

 white. 



Filaments white. Anthers faintly fuscous. Styles green. 

 Primordial fruitstalk as long as the sepals. Fruit of rather 

 few subacid drupes. Seeds |-ovate, rather gibbous on the 

 upper part of the inner edge; sides convex. 



This species varies considerably and is doubtless often 

 mistaken for R. discolor, under which head some remarks 

 upon their differences wiU be found. 



10 



