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 bettiloid.es at 500 meters elevation (Dusen) ; Chubut, mountain 

 shrubberies near Carren-leofu. 



Family 64. RHAMNACE^:. 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. 



&2. 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- 



