122 CARL SKOTTSBERG 



et terminalibus non paniculatis sed ob folia magis approximata confertioribus», 

 thus a form with a contracted, leafy inflorescence. But BERTERO's material 

 includes, under the same number (Herb. Kew!) another form with long, rather 

 lax, terminal cymes, and there are numerous transitions between these two 

 types. A similar form was described by Philitpi as Arenaria rubra var. poly '• 

 phylla (Masafuera, Germain!). ROHRBACH, Linnaea XXXVII. 232 considered this 

 to be a good species and called it Spergidaria polyphylla (Phil.) Rohrb.: »hab. in 

 insulis Juan Fernandez et Masafuera (PlllLIlTl)», but the specimens from Masa- 

 fuera were certainly not collected by Philippi, who never visited this island, 

 so the statement probably refers to Germain's plant. In Herb. Santiago are 

 specimens collected in Masatierra by Philippi (1861) and by Reed (1872), but 

 I do not know which of these were considered by ROHRBACH to belong to 

 6". polyphylla. The species was characterized by the structure of the seed 

 test, the papillae were described as one-sided, flattened, often slightly curved. 

 Reiche, Flora I. 197 retained this as Tissa polyphylla (»Syn. S. confertiflora 

 Steud.»), but quoted plants from Masafuera only. 



Another species to be considered here is S. rcmotiflora Steud. 1. c. 424 

 from Chile. According to the description this must be exactly like the lax form 

 of confertiflora. REICHE, however, brought it to Tissa media, without having 

 seen the type. As I have no means to revise the whole genus, I have retained 

 the island species as .S. confertiflora. This is a correct name, given to a Juan 

 Fernandez plant collected by BERTERO; I have seen the type material and my 

 plants as well as those collected by PHILIPPI, JOHOW etc. belong to the same 

 species. HEMSLEY and Johow were of the opinion that all the forms found on 

 Juan Fernandez were varieties of 5. rubra Presl (S. campestris [I..] Aschers.), 

 which has become introduced into South America. But S. confertiflora is a 

 perennial, stout, lignified, almost shrubby species; in the axils are dense glomerules 

 of small leaves, giving to the stem the appearance of being clothed with leaves; 

 the stipules of two opposite leaves are entirely united into one interpetiolar 

 stipule on each side; the pedicels are never reflexed. I find it impossible to 

 regard the island species as only a form of 5. campestris, but believe that it is 

 indigenous in Central Chile. 



Habitually, 5. confertiflora varies a great deal. It is contracted or lax, 

 nearly glabrous or glandulose, the leaves long and narrow or short and broad, 

 the petals white or rosa. Undoubtedly it includes an aggregation of forms, 

 that ought to be cultivated in order to get an idea of their systematic value. 

 Two will be listed here under separate names, var. polyphylla in the sense of 

 ROHRBACH, with oblique seed papillae, and var. glaberrima, a perfectly glabrous, 

 yellowish green form from Masafuera. I have sown seeds of one form from 

 Masatierra, and of polyphylla and glaberrima from Masafuera. The plants are 

 young and have not flowered (August, 1921); they are perfectly distinguishable 

 from each other. 



KlNDBERG, in his monograph, does not mention S. confertiflora or poly- 

 phylla, and Reiche does not quote the monograph, where several Chilean spe- 

 cies were described and figured. 



Masatierra: lava beds of the sea coast, one of the very few plants thriving 

 on the dry, barren cliffs. Pta San Carlos (fl.-fr. 12 /u> 16, 9 /i 17, no. 123; also 



