Mr. J. Miers on the Tribe Colletieae. 201 



lopmcnt of the stipules. Brongniart, who enters fully into detail 

 respecting the several parts of the plant in the Rhamnacea, in 

 describing their stipules, does not allude to it ; he even states 

 that these organs are entirely wanting in Retanilla, where I find 

 this development to be a very characteristic feature. Beneath 

 each spine and at the base of each petiole, a dark red-coloured 

 broad scale is seen, which somewhat embraces the stem ; it is 

 concave, and terminates at the apex in two short teeth, or 

 lengthened erect linear segments, the petiole appearing to spring 

 from between them : in some instances, as in Colletia, Talguenea, 

 Trevoa, Adolphia, and Scypharia, these stipular scales are simply 

 amplexicaul ; but in other cases, as in Notophoena, Retanilla, 

 Ochefophila, and Discaria, those of the opposite axils unite in a 

 short vaginal sheath, forming a dark transverse line around the 

 stem, making each node seem to be articulated, as in Ephedra, 

 Between each scale and its corresponding spine, a tubercular 

 swelling originates, upon which both leaves and flowers appear, 

 when, as frequently occurs, they are fasciculated : this tubercle 

 is, in fact, a suppressed or undeveloped branchlet; the scales 

 are the opposite stipules of the approximated decussating axils, 

 some of which are sterile, while others produce both leaves and 

 flowers, or each separately. This feature afl'ords a very good 

 discriminating character in some of the genera. 



After these prefatory remarks, I proceed to the consideration, 

 in succession, of the several genera of the Colletiea, separating 

 the tribe into three divisions : — 1, where the petals are wanting, 

 and the fruit is separable into distinct cocci j 2, where petals are 

 present, with a similar fruit ; 3, where petals are also present, 

 but where the fruit is indehiscent. 



Division 1. Eucolletieae. Flores apetali; fructus capsularis, 

 dehiscens. 



1. Colletia. 



A very good history of this genus is given by Sir W. Hooker 

 in his 'Botanical Miscellany' (i.p. 150), but some confusion has 

 existed among its species, which I have endeavoured to clear 

 away. The species are mostly confined within the extratropical 

 regions of South America, on both coasts ; some few have been 

 found within the tropics, one of them by Humboldt, at Huanca- 

 bamba, in Upper Peru, at an elevation of more than 10,300 feet 

 above the sea. The greater portion are met with near the base 

 of the Andes, both on the western and eastern sides, at an eleva- 

 tion of from 2500 to 6000 feet, while others are seen only on 

 the maritime sandhills along the coasts of Chile and in the 

 low grounds bordering the river Plate. Commerson's plant, 

 said by Jussieu to be from Brazil, is from the province of 



Ann. i^Mau.N. Hist. Ser.3. Volw. 14 



