354 PATAGONIAN EXPEDITIONS I BOTANY. 



I. MUEHLENBECKIA CHILENSIS Meis. 



Branches twining, angulate. Leaves triangular to hastate-cordate, 

 ovate or narrower, entire, without side-nerves. Fascicles racemed. 

 Achenes globose, triangular upwards. 



N. Patagon. ; Valley of Limay ; also in Chili; "called Sarsaparilla, and 

 used medicinally." (J. Ball.) 



2. M. ROTUND ATA PHIL. 



Suffruticose? Branches short, erect. Leaves veinless, ovate, apically 

 rounded, basieordate, rarely truncate. Flowers axillary, very shortly pedi- 

 celed (not racemed), also a terminal leafless spike. Achene, included, 

 subglobose, dull. 



(Araucania); Chubut, in shrubberies near Lago Nahuel-huapi, and by 

 Rio Carren-leofu. Branches about 18 cm. long. 



Family 32. CHENOPODIACE.E. Goosefoot Family. 



Mostly herbs, with exstipulate, often lobed, or thickish, or fleshy leaves, 

 and perfect or diclinous, apetalous flowers, with small greenish, 2-5-lobed 

 calyx, and with or without bracts. Stamens equal and opposite to the 

 calyx-lobes, filaments rarely united ; anthers 2-celled. Ovary superior, 

 i-celled; styles 1-3. Ovule i. Utricle indehiscent, rarely circumscissile, 

 often enclosed in the persisting perianth. Embryo ring-like or spiral in 

 mealy endosperm. 



Species 550, widely distributed. 



KEY TO THE GENERA. 



A. Embryo ring-shaped or horse-shoe-shaped. (Cyclolobece^) 



b. Roots and seeds normal. Hermaphrodites ; stamens 2-5, basiconnate. Leaves opposite, 



linear. Bracts exceeding the perianth. i. Nitrophila, p. 355. 



b2. Roots, and mostly also the stem abnormal. 



c. Fruit becoming indurated below, dehiscing by a lid. Hermaphrodite, with cymose 

 flowers. Stamens 5, proterandrous, basiconnate on a fleshy ring. Root fleshy. 

 Seed horizontal. 2. Beta, p. 356. 



c2. Fruit normally indehiscent. 



d. Flowers glomerulate, rarely spicate. Leaves mostly alternate, often hastate, and 



often with glandular hairs. 



e. Flowers hermaphrodite, proterogynous, bractless. Perianth coriaceous, divided 

 at least halfway. 



