Mr. J. Miers on Ephedra. 26 L 



longer branches which run along the ground or trail upon 

 others for support. The opposite or verticillately disposed 

 branches are slender, subflexuose, of a pale greenish colour, 

 | to 1 line diameter, with internodes 1 to If inch apart; the 

 nodes are somewhat swollen, often articulate, and embraced by 

 the bases of the leaves, which form opposite cup-shaped cartila- 

 ginous projections at each node, joined together by a transverse 

 line ; the leaflets are 3 lines long, subulate, suberect, with hya- 

 line membranaceous margins, gradually diminishing into a long- 

 curved setaceous point. The male spikelets generally abound in 

 the younger branchlets, where two or three are often crowded 

 together in each axil ; these are oblong, somewhat tapered, 

 formed of about five pairs of decussately opposite involucels, 

 each pair united at base into a short vaginant tube ; the invo- 

 lucels are ovoid, slightly acute or obtuse, glaucescent, subfleshy, 

 with a narrow membranaceous margin, each enclosing a petaloid 

 perigonium of about their own length, which is cainpanulately 

 tubular, compressed, and expanded into two broad rounded erect 

 lobes, as long as the tube, imbricated in aestivation ; the stami- 

 niferous column, scarcely exceeding the length of the perigonium, 

 bears on its apex three to live crowded, erect, sessile anthers, 

 which are 2-celled and open by two pores in the apex. In the 

 specimen from Patagones, the number of anthers is constantly 

 three, which number occurs in the other localities, but only oc- 

 casionally. The fructiferous spikelets are on different specimens, 

 and vary only from those of the male flowers in being generally 

 solitary upon a very short pedicel in each axil, and are about 

 double their size, being 3 lines long, 2 lines broad, gradually 

 narrowing upwards, with about six pairs of involucels, the three 

 upper pairs being the largest, and all barren except the last pair, 

 which embraces f of the length of the two terminal achenia; 

 these involucels are greenish, and ultimately brown, 2 lines long, 

 li line broad, and pointed: the achenia are fuscous brown, 

 opake, broadest at base, gradually attenuated upwards, flat in- 

 side, with a somewhat sharp margin, rounded and carinated on 

 the opposite face, their section being somewhat trigonous, 3 lines 

 long, 1| line broad, the small obtuse apex being glandular and 

 perforated; the tubillus is exserted, and irregularly lacerated, 

 not disciform as Meyer has stated, although he figures it as I 

 have described it*. 



10. Ephedra scandens, n. sp. ; — scandens, vage ramosa ; ramis 

 strictis, ramulis junioribus floriferis ssepe 4-12 verticillatis ex 

 quoque nodo, gracilibus, subflexuosis, pallidis, striatellis, fere 



* A representation of this species, with structural details, will be seen in 

 Plate 7» b. 



