Plate 2581. 



ERYNGIUM NASTURTIIFOLIUM, Ju$$. 



Umbellifer.e. 

 E. nasturtiifo'ium, Juss. ex Dehir. Eryng. Monogr. p. 46 t. 11; 



species ex affinitate £. spiculosi, Hemsl. et E. Cervantesii, Delar., a 

 priore squamis carpellorum dimorphis, a posteriore foliis magis dis- 

 sectis aculeatis paleis multo longioribus differt. 



Herba biennis vel annua, undique glabra, a basi multiramosa, pro- 

 strata vel suberecta, caulibus a basi usque ad extremitates floriferis. 

 Folia vix coriacea, radicalia pinnatifida vel lyrato-pinnatifida, H-3 

 poll, longa, lobis aculeatis vel subinermibus ; caulina pinnatim vel sub- 

 palmatim lobata. Capitula numerosissima, in axiilis foliorum solitaria, 

 breyissime pedunculata, oblonga, 4-6 lin. longa. Involucri braetea* 

 circiter 7, rigidae, anguste lanceolate, 3-5 lin. longge, apice pungentes. 

 Palece bracteis similes sed minores, flores longe superantes. Calycis 

 lobi oblongi, apice subpungentes. Petala apice minute 5-dentata. 

 Carpella minuta, infra apicem appendicibus hyalinis spiculiformibus 

 ornata, circa apicem appendicibus oblongis cavis apiculatis uniseriatis 

 instructa, columna centralis (rostrum) intra has appendices elongata, 

 calycem gerens ; vittse 5, minute, intrajugales. 



Mexico : Acaponeta, Territory of Tepic, J. N. Rose, 1425. 



When the drawing for this plate was made, the plant represented 

 was believed to be specifically distinct from E. nastiirtiifolium, Juss., 

 as all the other specimens I had seen were of decidedly prostrate 

 habit, and the leaves more herbaceous (almost fleshy), and almost 

 unarmed. But the dissections of the flowers and fruit present no 

 differences whatever, and specimens were found intermediate in habit 

 and foliage. This species and E. Cervantesii have an exceedingly 

 elegant fruit, bearing two kinds of soft cellular appendages, °as 

 described above. The following numbers in the Kew Herbarium 

 belong to this species : Kerber, 388 ; Rovirosa, 381 ; Palmer, 302, 

 384and 1112 ; Bourgeau, 2070 ; Berlandier, 2196 and 2323. The plant 

 doubtingly referred by Hooker and Arnott (Bot. Beech. Toy. p. 293) 

 to E. Cervantesii, Delar., also belongs here.— W. Botting Hemsley. 



Fig. 1, dorsal view of a bract ; 2, ventral view of a bract ; 3, a flower • 4, a petal • 

 5, a young meriearp ; 6, a scale from the upper part of the fruit ; 7, a scale from 

 the lower part of the fruit ; 8, cross section of a meriearp, All enlarged. 



