30. R. KOEIILERI. 205 



Flowering shoot from fuscous scales, very hairy, setose 

 and aciculate. Prickles slender, large-based, declining. 

 Leaves ternate. Leaflets rather finely toothed ; basal nearly 

 sessile, broadly lanceolate, unequal-sided and often lobed on 

 the outer edge, or roundish and cuspidate ; terminal broadly 

 obovate or roundish, subacuminate. Panicle long, leafy, 

 with short axillary corymbose or racemose few-flowered 

 branches ; ultra-axillary branches few and short. Sepals 

 aciculate, setose, hairy, felted, lanceolate-acuminate, with a 

 slender rather leaflike jjoint. Petals ovate-spathulate, dis- 

 stantly serrate, pink. Filaments pink. Anthers fuscous 

 even in the unopened bud. Styles greenish. Primordial 

 fruit-stalk short ; but the terminal peduncle of the upper 

 branches is usually longer (often considerably) than the 

 lateral ones, which latter are commonly erect-patent. 



The several plants which I have included under the 

 name of it. Koehleri have been considered as distinct species 

 by high botanical authorities; but they seem to be so closely 

 connected by intermediate forms as to constitute one species. 

 It is often difficult to determine under which of the named 

 forms some specimens should range. They are well marked 

 by the numerous strong and very unequal prickles on the 

 barren shoots, of which the smaller so merge in aciculi and 

 stiff aciculiform setse, those in true setse, and these last in 

 hairs, that it is impossil^le to say where one of those forms 

 of armature begins and another ends. Although the prickles 

 are always abundant their number varies considerably : the 

 stem of the typical plant is sometimes completely covered 

 with their enormous bases together with those of the aciculi 

 and setae. When that is the case the tubercles are very 

 much compressed and extended along the stem. In the P. 

 pallidus the tubercles are sometimes considerably separated, 

 and then assume a rather oval form. 



In the typical plant the underside of the leaflets is quite 



18 



