262 Mr. J. Miers on Ephedra. 



Iseyibus, internodiis longiusculis, ad nodos subarticulatis ; 

 foliis in axillis oppositis, imo inter se nexis et vaginalis, lobis 

 brevibus, obtusis, membranaceis, serius disruptis et liberis : 

 spicellis d" in quaque axilla 1-2-3 glomerulatis, sphgericis, ca- 

 pituluni globosum simulantibus ; involucellis rotundatis, con- 

 cavis, fusco-rubentibus, subcarnosulis j ramnlis floriferis de- 

 mum elongatis : spicellis fructiferis 1 ad 3 ex quaque axilla, 

 longe pedicellatis ; acheniis semiinclusis. — In Provincia Uru- 

 guay ; V. s, in herb. Hook., Banda Oriental (Tvveedie, Baird), 

 Parana et Entre Rios (Gibert, Nos. 9 et 75). 



Tweedie describes this species as climbing to the tops of the 

 loftiest trees of the forest; and Baird says it is used by the natives 

 for dyeing a fine scarlet colour. The branchlets are slender, of 

 a pallid green, not more than i to | line diameter, with inter- 

 nodes 1^ to 2 inches apart. The leaves are very small and 

 membranaceous, not exceeding 1 line in length. The male 

 spikelets, generally about six, are crowded together in a capitate 

 form around each node ; the spikelets are subglobose, 1 to 1| line 

 diam., composed of about five pairs of closely imbricated invo- 

 lucels, which are rounded above, and concave, somewhat fleshy, 

 of a dark ruddy colour, and opake ; the perigonium, of the same 

 size, is of a reddish hue, beyond which six to eight bright yellow 

 sessile anthers are exserted. The fructiferous spikelets, on 

 distinct specimens, are usually solitary in each axil ; each 

 spikelet is supported on a very slender pedicel, 2 to 3 lines in 

 length, which is deflected; it is acutely elliptic, 3 lines long, 

 including the two terminal achenia, which are half-enclosed 

 within the last pair of involucels ; the involucels are in three 

 imbricating pairs, with two pairs of bracts at base ; they are ob- 

 long, rather obtuse, of a greenish-brown colour, becoming some- 

 what reddish, with a very narrow white margin : the achenia are 

 acuminately oblong, trigonous, 3 lines long, Ji line broad, 

 granularly striated, of a dark ruddy brown, with a somewhat 

 3-lobed white gland in the apex, which is perforated for the 

 passage of the tubillus, this being scarcely exserted and lace- 

 rated at its apex*. 



11. Ephedra frustillata, n. sp. ; — nana, ramosissima; ramis 

 ramulisque iterum ramosis, brevissimis, oppositis, vel ssepe 

 4-natim verticillatis, sulcatis, granuloso-asperatis, rufo-auran- 

 tiacis, singulis imo vaginatis; foliis axillaribus, oppositis, 

 parvis, ovatis, concavis, rubescentibus, crassiusculis, margine 

 vix marginatis, primum usque ad medium in vaginam 2-den- 

 tatam connexis, serius disruptis : spicellis 6 in apice ramu- 

 lorum ultimorum solitariis, sessilibus, subovatis; involucellis 

 * This species will be shown in Plate 79 a. 



