Mr. J. Miers on Ephedra. 253 



libus, inclusis. — Chile, Prov. Valparaiso, v. v. in variis locis; 

 v. s. in herb. Hook, et Mus. Brit. (Cuming, n. 372 ; Bridges). 



A low shrub, with numerous virgate constantly dividing 

 branchlets, which are opposite in most of the nodes, more rarely 

 4, verticillate, from 1 to 1£ line in thickness, the internodes 

 being 1^ to 2 inches apart; the opposite leaflets, 2 to 3 lines 

 long, are at first united for nearly their entire length into a 

 membranaceous vaginant sheath, which afterwards becomes torn, 

 by the swelling of the node, into two acute segments, coriaceous 

 at base. The male inflorescence consists of one to four crowded 

 spikelcts upon a very short pedicel, thus forming almost glo- 

 merated heads on each side of every node : each spikelet is 3 lines 

 long, 2-o- lines broad; the petaloid perigonium in each involucel 

 is turbinately tubular, compressed, delicately membranaceous, of 

 an orange-yellow colour, 1 line long (thus somewhat exceeding 

 the length of its involucel), its border consisting of two rounded 

 concave, erect lobes, which are imbricated in aestivation in the 

 manner before described; the exserted anthers are subglobose, 

 of a bright yellow colour, opening by two pores in the apex. 

 The female peduncle is 10 lines long, bearing spikelets in which 

 the achenia were destroyed by insects*. 



2. Ephedra bracteata, nob. Trav. ii. 531 ; — ramis erectis, ramulis 

 ternatim verticillatis aut oppositis, tenuioribus, divaricatis, 

 fusco-viridibus, minutissime granuloso-striatellis, intern odiis 

 longiusculis ; foliis oppositis, rarius ternis, imo in vaginam 

 submembranaceam connatis, apicibus longissime et anguste 

 linearibus; inflorescentia 6 et $ interdum in eadem planta; 

 spicellis 6 2-3 in quaque axilla subsessilibus, imo bracteatis, 

 involucellis 1-floris, per paria 6-8 imo connatis decussatim 

 imbricatis, perigonio involucello paulo longiore, flavido, peta- 

 loideo, antheris 6 sessilibus longe exsertis ; spicellse $ involu- 

 cellis imbricatis, majoribus, coriaceis, marginellatis, achenia 

 2 collateraliter terminalia ultra medium velantibus. — Chile, 

 Prov. Valparaiso et Coquimbo, v. v. ad Concon; v. s. in herb. 

 Hook., Vina de la Mar ( d & ? Bridges, No. 178), Vina de la 

 Mar (Anderson, anno 1830), Coquimbo (Harvey <S). 



A shrub growing to the height of 2 to 5 feet, with the habit 

 of the preceding, from which it differs by several marked cha- 

 racters. The branches are more slender, darker, with internodes 

 11 inch apart; the leaflets are opposite, sometimes ternate, 3 to 

 4 lines long, united at base into a vaginant tube 1 line in length, 

 the segments being somewhat erect and linearly setaceous. The 



* A drawing of this species, with analytical details, will be given in the 

 ' Contributions to Botany,' vol. ii. Plate lb a. 



