284 



dular; capsule glabrous, 4 lines long, chartaceous, dehiscing dorsally 

 and yentrally; seed not seen. — In rocky gulches at San Jose Pass, 

 San Luis Potosi; July 1890 (n. 3136, distributed as Gymnanthes 

 Pringle!). An evident closely related species, but with much larger 

 leaves, recently collected by Dr. Palmer near Alamos in Sonora, 

 has nearly globose seeds with a very minute caruncle. The pre- 

 sence of this caruncle has determined the reference of the present 

 species to the genus Sebastiania, with which in other respects the 

 characters accord very satisfactorily. Some specimens that were 

 received from Prof. A. Duges, as collected by Prof. Jose Ramirez 

 on the banks of the Alamos River in Sonora, closely resemble Mr. 

 Pringle's specimens excepting that the spikes are all bisexual, the 

 staminate bracts 4 — 5-flowered, and the stamens 2 to 3. The few 

 loose seeds which accompanied these specimens show, however, no- 

 caruncle, though otherwise like those of Dr. Palmer. It is probable 

 that this is a third species of the same genus, and that too much 

 weight has been given to the presence of a caruncle as a generic 

 character. The fruit of the Sonora plant is said by Ramirez to be 

 that in which the Carpocapsa saltitans is foand; and this is 

 certainly true of Dr. Palmers species. Doubtless the „jumping beans'' 

 are the product of more than one of these nearly allied shrubs. 

 The fruit of Sebastiania bilocularis*) is found to be attacked 

 by a similar insect, though of a different genus, which has been 

 named by Mr. C. V. Riley Grapholitha Sebastian! ae. The cap- 

 sules which Dr. Palmer collected, like those of the other collections, 

 have the cocci dehiscing nearly to the base, and the rather thin 

 valves become more or less conto rted. In fruit occupied by the 

 Carpocapsa, such as I have seen, the cocci remain closed, but the 

 walls are chartaceous and complete dehiscence is readily effected. 



Besonders beachtenswert ist aus dem Mitgeteilten zunächst die 

 Angabe, dass die Samen der Palmerschen Pflanze aus Alamos „a very 

 minute caruncle'', besitzen, welche also Rose („seeds .... without stro- 

 phiole") übersehen haben muss. An den Samen der Ramirezschen 

 Pflanze fand dagegen Watson keine Carunkel. Er betont überdies, 

 dass auf den Besitz oder die Abwesenheit der Carunkel ein zu grosser 

 Wert für die generische Abgrenzung von Sebastiania gelegt worden 

 ist, eine Ansicht, welche um so mehr Beachtung verdient, als sie 

 von einem der hervorragendsten Kenner der nordamerikanischen Flora 

 ausgesprochen wird. — Die von Watson und Riley vertretene An- 

 sicht, dass mehrere nahe verwandte Arten von Sebastiania die 

 „springenden Bohnen" entwickeln, erscheint auch mir sehr annehmbar. 

 Um zu ihrer Lösung nach Kräften beizutragen, habe ich daher im 

 Februar 1892 ein paar Proben meiner (von Müller-Argov. beschrie- 

 benen) Pflanze an Herrn Professor Watson überschickt, — Sollten 



*) Der Speciesname „bilocularis" ist für eine Euphorbiacee beachtens- 

 wert. Reifen bei derselben in der Regel nur zwei Fruchtteile oder besitzt 

 sie überhaupt nur zwei Carpelle? — Auch diese Art stammt wohl von Alamos, 

 wenngleich Watson nichts darüber sagt fvergl. oben pag 281 Riley's „restricted 

 locality"). 



