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BOTANY, 



179 



BASELLACE.E. 



AxREBERA SCAXDEXS; 3Ioq. in DQ. Prodr, 13, pars 2, p, 230* Basella vosicaria. Lam. Did. 1, 

 p. 382, Alluvions of the lower Rio Grande, below Roma^ Sep!eni*ber — October; Schott. A 

 very common vine in the thorny '^ chaj^paral/' twining profusely on every fence and hedge near 

 Corpus Christi ; Dr. Edwards, 



AMARANTACE.E. 



AcANTiiocniTON Wrightii, Tor)\ Dot. Sitgr. Rep. p. 170^ f. 13, Plains among the Burro 

 mountains, September ; Bigeloio. Los Medanos, Chihuahua, August ; Thurber. These specimens 



are very perfect and enable us to amend the character of Acanthochiton given in the work here 

 quoted. There are three somewhat unequal bracts to each male flower. The cells of the 

 anthers are separate at the summit^ and very acute. The female flowers are mostly ternate and 

 are subtended by three bracts, the middle one of which is cordate-falciform and usually much 

 larger than the lateral ones. 



Celosia paniculata, Linn, Sp.p. 298 ; Moq. in DG. Prodr. 13, 2, p. 240. Shady woods near 



Eagle Pass, on the Rio Grande ; also on the San Pedro river, western Texas, August — Novem- 

 ber ; Bigeloiv. (No. 594, Wright.) A common plant in subtropical America. Dr. Edwards 

 found it at Corpus Christi, and Mr, Blodgett at Key West. 



Amarantus hybridus, Linn. Sp.p. 1406; Moq. ?, c. p. 259. On the Rio Grande, and along 

 the Gila. (No. 1048, Wright,) Probably not indigenous* 



Amarantus Blitum, Linn. Z. c. ; 31oq. I. c. Low places, near Camp Bache, July ; Bigelow. 

 Introduced from Europe ? 



Sarratia Berlaxdieri, 3foq. I. c. p. 268. Mountains of the Cibola, a tributary of the Rio 

 Grande, August ; Bigelcio Our specimens are about 18 inches high, which is three times 

 taller than Berlandier's plant, as described by Moquin, 



Sarratia Berlandieri, var. emarginata : foliis oblongo-lanceolatis ; calycis foeminei lacinis 

 lato-cuneatiSj emarginatis. Camp Green, October j Parry. This variety is about a foot high. 

 Except in the lacinise of the perianth, it does not appear to differ from the preceding. 



Sarratia Berlandieri, var. benticulata : foliis lineari-lanceolatis, calycis foeminei laciniis 

 lato-cuneatis margine eroso-denticulatis. Santa Cruz, Sonora, September ; Thurher. 



Sarratia Berlandieri, var. fimbriata : foliis linearibus ; glomerulis subglobosis densifloris, 



inferioribus axillaribus superioribus approximatis subspicatis ; calycis foeminei laciniis eequalibus 

 flabellato-cuneiformibus apicedentato-fimbriatis. On the Gila river ; Schott. (No. 582, Wright.) 

 Stem 2 feet or more in length, smooth, branching ; the branches erect. Leaves I5-2I inches 

 long, 1^-2 lines wide, smooth, tapering at the base. Glomerules of flowers about one-third of 

 an inch in diameter, the upper ones aggregated in a long naked spike. Bracts subulate. Peri- 

 anth parted nearly to the base ; the segments spreading, mostly broader than long, abruptly 

 narrowed to a short claw, the summit cut into irregular acute teeth or lacinic^. Ovary globose 

 ovate ; stigmas 3-4. Utricle tubercular-rugous at the summit. Seed lenticular, acute on the 

 margin, smooth, and shining. This appears to be quite a distinct species. 



Amblogyna polygonoides, Ra/,; Moq. L c. p. 2*70. Amarantus polygonoides, Linn. Western 

 Texas, (No, 1T46, Wright.) We have it also from Dr. Gregg, who collected it at Cerro Alto, 

 Mexico, The genus Scleropus, of Schrader, is founded on an abnormal state of this plant, in 

 which the peduncles and pedicels have become thickened and indurated. We have it in this 





