MACLOSKIE: RHAMNACE/E. 561 



Species 14, in trop. Amer.; Central Amer.; Florida; West Indies; Chili 

 (not Brazil). 



RHACOMA (MYGINDA) DISTICHA Hook. f. 



Branches distichous, divaricate. Leaves small (15 mm. long), very 

 numerous, evergreen, glabrous, alternate, distichous, short-petioled, linear- 

 oblong, entire, subacute, margin finely recurved, apiculate. Flowers axil- 

 lary, solitary, short-peduncled. Fruit coriaceous, abortively i -celled, i- 

 seeded, usually with an aril. 



(Chili) ; Magellan ; S. Fuegia, by Hatcher. It forms dense woods 

 about Ushuaia. W. Patagon., forming undergrowth of woods of Notho- 

 fagus betuloides at 500 meters elevation (Dusen) ; Chubut, mountain 

 shrubberies near Carren-leofu. 



Family 64. RHAMNACE^S. Buckthorn Family. 



Erect or climbing shrubs or trees, often thorny, with simple, stipulate 

 leaves; and small, perfect, 4-5 merous flowers, usually in cymes or 

 paniculate ; the petals inserted on the calyx, or none, and the stamens as 

 many as, and opposite to, the petals or their place. Anthers short ; disk 

 fleshy; ovary sessile, i-5-celled; cells i-ovuled. Fruit a drupe, or cap- 

 sule. Endosperm fleshy, rarely none. 



Species nearly 600, in temperate and warm climates. 



KEY TO THE GENERA. 



A. Drupe i-, rarely 2-celled. Leaves alternate, pinnately nerved. Flowers axillary, small, 



petals none. Leafy branches partly ending in spines. i. Condalia. 



A2. Drupe with several pyrenes. Thorny shrubs with opposite, decussating branches, leaves 



small or none. Calyx -tube produced above the disk. 

 b. Pyrenes indehiscent. Leaves 3-nerved, without transverse ridges. Flowers on short 



peduncles, below the axillary spines. 2. Trevoa. 



b2. Drupes 3-coccous, cocci dehiscing elastically. Flowers on nodding pedicels, mostly 



axillary. 



c. Leaves mostly persisting, rarely none ; transverse, stipular ridges. 3. Discaria. 



c2. Leaves mostly deciduous, very small or none, without transverse, stipular ridges. 



4. Colletia. 



i. CONDALIA Cav. 



Glabrous shrubs, with spinescent branches, and alternate, subsessile, pin- 

 nately veined, entire, coriaceous leaves; and axillary, solitary or fascicu- 



