370 PATAGONIAN EXPEDITIONS I BOTANY. 



6. SALICORNIA MAGELLANICA Phil. 



Herbaceous, prostrate, rooting. Joints of the branches moderately 

 long, thick towards the apex; their sheaths 2-lobed. Spikes sessile, 

 thick, short, ovate. 



Magellan. 



ii. LERCHEA Hall (1751, non Linn.). (Dondia Adans, 1763; 



Snceda Forsk., 1775.) 



Saline herbs or shrubs, with alternate, narrowly linear or subterete, fleshy 

 leaves ; and axillary, bracteolate, very small flowers, solitary or clustered 

 in the axils. Calyx 5-parted, thickish, in fruit keeled and enclosing the 

 ovoid utricle. Stamens 5, short. Styles mostly 2. Embryo piano-spiral. 



Species 50, on seashores and saline steppes. Rich in soda. 



i. L. DIVARICATA (Moq.-Tand. sub Sucedd] O. Ktze. 



Stem fruticose, procumbent, branching, the branches very divaricate, 

 obsoletely puberulous. Leaves semiterete, basally attenuate, acutish, 

 rigid, scarcely puberulous. Flowers axillary, sessile, solitary, hermaph- 

 rodite. Fruiting calyx when dry subglobose. Seed with an obtuse 

 margin, smooth, rather shining. Perennial shrub, 2-6 meters high ; 

 wood hard. 



(S. Amer.); N. Patagon. ; Chubut. 



2. L. FRUTICOSA (L.) O. Ktze. (L. maritima v. fmticosa.] 



L. FRUTICOSA BRACHYPHYLLA Speg. 



Stems short, robust, subtrigonal, angulate, with slender, short branches. 

 Leaves fleshy, thick, ovate, terete. Flowers in I's or 3's, sessile at the 

 axils. Seeds subglobose, shining black, 2-3 mm. diameter. 



S. Patagon., by Rio Chico. 



L. FRUTICOSA MEGALOSPERMA Speg. 



Robust, erect, fastigiately branching ; branchlets appressed, terete, densely 

 leafy. Leaves elliptic-linear, semiterete; flowers 1-3 in the axils ; sessile. 

 Seeds vertical in the closed, fleshy perigonium, 4 by 3 mm., shining black. 



S. Patagon., on Isla de Los Leones, at mouth of Rio Sta. Cruz. 



