FLORA OF THE CAPE REGION. I39 



few-flowered: common peduncle 3-6 mm. long; pedicels 

 capillary: calyx-teeth obsolete: corolla rotate, 2-3 mm. 

 broad, equaling the ? -flower. Calyx-teeth of ? -flower 

 very short: peduncle stout, equaling the petiole: fruit 

 compressed, strongly gibbous, 12-15 ^^^'^^- long, shortly 

 rostrate, strongly aculeate with numerous stout flattened 

 spines 2-4 mm. long: sides thin, membranaceous; ventral 

 segment linear, thick and elastic; placenta thick, % as 

 long as the capsule, three lobed at the free end and bear- 

 ing 2-3 seeds, in as many cells, recurved with respect to 

 the placenta, but erect in the capsule: seeds brown, 

 scurfy and muricate, oblong, strongly compressed, 5 mm. 

 long, with two marginal projections on each side — bear- 

 ing a strong likeness to some species of turtle. 



Sierra de San Francisquito, high mountain tops, Oct., 

 1891. 



The dehiscence in this species is strongly elastic and 

 quite regular, the placental column is attached near the 

 center of the straight margin — and to the apex of the 

 strong border which extends around the curved side. In 

 dehiscence this thick broad band straightens itself and 

 curves the contrary way separating from the thin sides, 

 and drawing the seeds completely out of the cell. 



234. SiCYOS Deppei G. Don. — Very abundant in the 

 region about Miraflores, often completelv covering the 

 hedges and small trees about the fields. 



235. Melothria pendulaL.? — Miraflores. 



236. Vaseyanthus Rosei Cogn., Zoe, i, 368, PL 

 xi. — La Paz. 



237. Maximowiczia Songr.^ Watson. — San Jose del 

 Cabo. 



This is apparently the same as the Guaymas plant, but 

 the leaves are less dissected. The specimens from Magda- 



