Mr. J. Miers on the History of the ' Mate ' Plant. 399 



Prodr. ii. 7; — ramulis 4-angulatis, rubescentibus ; foliis sub- 

 oppositis, ellipticisj, imo subacutis, versus apicem rotundiori- 

 bus, hinc acumine brevi repente coarctato, recurvatirn canali- 

 formibus, irregulariter serratis, dentibus acutis, glanduliferis, 

 supra lucidis, subtus pallidioribus, epunctatis, nervis utrinque 

 paulo prominulis ; petiolo brevi, canaliculato ; racemis axilla- 

 ribus, paniculatis; pedicellis plurimis, subuuibellatis ; calyce 

 pubescente ; drupis siccis, sub-8-sulcatis. — Brasilia, v. v. in 

 hort. Kevv. cult, sub nom. "Ilex Paraguayensis" 



This is the species described by Sir Wm. Hooker as the 

 Paraguay Tea-tree, which he figured in the 'Botanical Magazine/ 

 as then growing in Glasgow, where it first flowered in June 1842, 

 having been introduced into this country by Messrs. Lucconib 

 and Pince of Exeter ; he again mentioned it in his interesting 

 account of the Mate plant (Lond. Journ. Bot. i. 31). It is 

 distinguished from all the preceding species by its quadrangular 

 stems, its opposite serrated leaves (a character of frequent occur- 

 rence in the preceding species), the teeth being very close and 

 regular, and furnished with glandular points which are almost 

 spinous : the recurved and suddenly contracted apex of the leaves 

 affords an additional character. In all its essential features it 

 corresponds with the species above quoted and described in 

 Prince Maximilian Neuwied's ' Travels/ It is certainly allied to 

 the true Ilex Paraguayensis, which it resembles in the size of its 

 leaves ; but it differs widely in its specific characters : its leaves 

 are less rigid and coriaceous, differently nerved, their margins 

 being closely serrated, the petiole is more terete, and the in- 

 florescence is very different. Both species, having epunctate 

 leaves, belong to the first section of Beisseck's distribution. 

 The leaves are 3^ inches long, 2 inches broad, on a petiole 

 3 lines in length ; their short sharp serratures are 1 or 2 lines 

 distant from one another. I have not seen it in flower, the 

 above floral characters being taken from the figure in the ' Bo- 

 tanical Magazine/ The raceme, as there shown, differs from 

 that of the many preceding species in its primary branches 

 bearing several umbellate pedicels and a cluster of flowers. 



The Ilex truncata of Prince Neuwied, recorded at the same 

 time, appears to be a closely allied plant : it is the Celastrus 

 ilicifolius of Schrader, mentioned in DeCandolle's ( Prodromus/ 



ii. p. 7. 



Allied to these plants is the following species, which I found 

 in the Organ Mountains, and which has been described by Dr. 

 Reisseck under the name of 



Ilex ebenacea, Reiss. in Mart, Flor. Bras. fasc. 28. p. 44. 



