398 Mr. J. Miers on the History of the ' Mate' Plant. 



lato; racemis axillaribus, multifloris, ternatim compositis, 

 petiolo 2-4-plo longioribus ; floribus 4-meris pedicellisque 

 pilosulis ; ovario in c? depresso, radiatim sulcato, in $ ovato ; 

 stigmate pulvinato, 4-lobo. — Brasilia, ad Campos de Goita- 

 cazes, versus ostium fluv. Parahyba, prov. Rio de Janeiro. — 

 V. V. ad Eio de Janeiro, in hort. bot. Imp. cult. ( c? et $ ), et 

 in hort. Kew. Lond. introduct. (cJ). — v. s. in herb. Delessert 

 (Guillerain, no. 95 $). 



This has always appeared to me a perfectly distinct species, differ- 

 ing widely in all respects from Ilex Paraguayensis, of which it was 

 considered to be a mere variety by Sir Wm. Hooker. I find no 

 species in Reisseck^s enumeration of the genus that corresponds 

 with it : he appears, however, to have known this plant only 

 from Sir Wm. Hooker's drawing of it, and he makes it identical 

 with Ilex affinis, Gardn. (no. 3086). It is clear to me that, if 

 he had been able to compare these plants with one another, he 

 would have come to a very different conclusion. In the male 

 plant under consideration, the leaves, sometimes alternate, fre- 

 quently opposite, are lanceolately oblong, pointed towards both 

 extremities, pale on both faces, very reticulated, toothed on the 

 margin at nearly equal distances, the teeth being rounded ex- 

 ternally, with an acute gland near the sinus ; the under surface 

 of the leaves is spotted all over with very distinct black dots. 

 They are 3| inches long, 1^ inch broad, on a petiole nearly 

 4 lines in length. The inflorescence is a simple panicle, |-1| inch 

 long, with alternate secondary pedicels 1^ line long, each sur- 

 mounted by three pedicellets 1 line long, bearing flowers which 

 before bursting are globulai', and 1 line diam. ; the flowers are 

 4-merous, the calyx pubescent, the petals have ciliated margins, 

 the ovary is depressed and radiately sulcate, with a small 4-lobed 

 stigma. In the female plant the leaves are of similar form, but 

 somewhat smaller, fuscous and enervose above, more rigid in 

 texture, the margins more reflexed, and the under surface opake 

 and of a dull yellow colour : the inflorescence is more racemose, 

 bearing 3-5 or 7 flowers, which are somewhat larger and 4- 

 merous ; the sepals are small, orbicular, and ciliated, the petals 

 obovate and smooth, the ovary globular, with a small mammi- 

 form 4-grooved stigma. Padre Velloz, who has figured the 

 female plant, says it is called Congonha, and is used as Mate; 

 but it is more bitter than the ordinary Herva de Curitiba*. 



8, Ilex acutangula, Neuw. ex Nees in Flor. 1821, p. 329; — Ilex 

 Paraguayensis, Hook, {non St.-Hil.) Bot. Mag. 3992 ; — Celas- 

 trus 4-anguIatus, Schrad. Gott. Anz. 1821, p. 716; DC. 



* The male plant is shown in Plate SG a, the female plant in Plate GG b 

 of the ' Contributions.' 



