Fayojiia.'] xxxi. zygophylle.i: (olive r). 287 



spinose herbs. Leaves opposite, 1-3-foliolate. Stipules usually spiucsccMit. 

 Peduncles solitary, l-flowered, appart'utiy axillary. 



A small genus of few variable species. 



1. F. cretica, Linn.; DC. Prod. i. 704. An erect'or nsccndin^'. 

 diffuse or densely-branched spinose annual, from a few inches to a foot or 

 more in height, glandular-puberulous, scabrid or glabrescent. Leaves 1-3- 

 foliolate ; leaflets sessile or subsessile, oval lanceolate or oblanctoiate, mu- 

 cronate, often rather fleshy, puberulous or glabratc ; petiole various, often 

 very short. Stipular spines slender, straight, shorter or longer than the 

 leaves. Flowers rose or lilac, " fragrant." Peduncles at length dcfltxcd. 

 Pruit apiculate, pubescent or glabrous. — F. arahica, Linn. ; DC. Prod. i. 

 704. F. glutinosa and F. latifolia, Delile, Fl. iEgypt. 86. t. 28. F. parri- 

 flora, F. Kahirana, and F. ihebaica, Boiss. Diag. PI. Or. Ser. i. fasc. viii. 

 121-124. F. armata, R. Br. in Salt, Abyss. App. 64. — For more extended 

 synonymy of this variable plant, see Anderson in Journ. Linn. Soc. v. Suppl. 

 i. 11. 



North Central. Aghadem, Dr. Ondney ! E. Vogel ! 



Nile Iiand. Nubia, Ehrenberg, Speke and Grant! aud others; Abyssinia, Salt! 

 Schimper ! Red Sea, Nimmo ! 



Occurs on both shores of the Mediterranean, in S. extratropical Africa, throughout the 

 warmer dry parts of Asia, and again in Western N. and S. America. 



The more important forms, recorded from Nubia or adjacent provinces, of this variable 

 species, and which by many botanists are regarded as of specific rank, are (the characters 

 briefly given in abstract from M. Boissier's ' Flora Orieutalis,' i. 904-908) : — 



a. Glabrous, green. Extremities sulcate. Spines shorter than petiole. Leaflets 3, linear- 

 lanceolate, acute. — (F. cretica, Linn.) 



b. Erect, green, shortly glandular. Extremities striate. Spines exceeding the acute 

 linear leaves. — {F. arabica, Linn.) 



c Green, glabrous; twigs striate. Upper spines equalling the fleshy 1-3-foliolate leaves. 

 Leaflets oblong-cylindrical, obtuse, mucrouate. — {F. thebaica, Boiss.) 



d. Glabrous, except the minutely mealy, terete, striate extremities. Spines exceeding the 

 1-foliolate leaves. Leaflets liuear-lanceolate. — {F. parviflora, Boiss.) 



e. Viscid with sessile glands. Spines short. Leaflets minute, obovatc to oblanceolate, 

 obtuse or mucronate. — {F. glutinosa, Delile.) 



f. DifiFuse, glandular-pilose. Spines short. Leaflets 1-3 ; median rotundate-cuneatc. — 

 {P. latifolia, Delile.) 



4. SEETZENIA, K. Br. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PI. i. 266. 



Sepals 5, oblanceolate, acute, valvate, deciduous. Petals 0. Stamenr.'i ; 

 filaments filiform, naked. Ovary oblong-clavnte, 5-sulcate. Styles 5, short, 

 radiating or recurved ; stigmas capitellate. Ovules solitary, pendulous. Friiit 

 of five 1-seeded crustaceous cocci, separating septicidally. — Prostrate herb 

 from a shrubby base or thick woody rootstock. Leaves opposite, 3-foliolatc, 

 with interpetiolar stipules. Flowers small, axillary, solitary. 



Based upon a single wide-spread species, occurring at the Cape and from N. Africa ca»t- 

 ward to N.W. India. I have not seen intcrtrojjical specimens but cannot doubt its occur- 

 ring within our limits, although Willdenow's quotation of Sierra Ixrone as a station (under 

 Zygophyllum lanatum) is disputed by R. Brown (Denham and Clapp. .\pp. 2G). 



1. S. africana, Br. in Denh. et Clapp. App. 26. Papillose or smooth. 



