ihe West- American Scientist. 



San Diego, California, February, 1885. 



Vol. I. 



Xo. 3. 



popular review and record £ J, A/r p t? A^^rrrnrr, 5 Entered as second-class mat. 



for the Pacific Coast. J PUBLISHED MONTHIA BY U K. ORCUTT. j t er at San Diego Post-office 



[Written for the Scientist.] 

 Seekers from age to age, have found, 



In nature's ways, delight, 

 And doubtless now, in depths profound, 



Awaits some wondrous light. 

 Or better still, just close at hand, 



Unseen, because unsought, 

 Rewards, in patient waiting stand, 



For careful, loving thought. 

 And nature has so many gifts, 



Her students to repay, 

 With something that the mind uplifts 



None empty go away. 



NEW GENUS OF EUPHORBIACEiE 



From Lower California. 



BY C. C. PARRY. 



Among the manuscript notes 

 left by Dr. Engelmann at his de- 

 cease, is an incomplete description 

 of a new genus of Euphorbiacese 

 for which he proposed the name 

 of Tetracoccus. The material 

 then being imperfect, the notes 

 remained unfinished. Since then 

 complete specimens having been 

 collected by C. E. Orcutt of San 

 Diego the following detailed de- 

 scription is herewith submitted. 



TETRACOCCUS, Engel., ined.. 



Tetracoccus dioicus, n. sp. 



Shrubby, dioecius; staminate 

 flowers involucrate on slender 

 pedicels in the axils of the upper 

 leaves of recent shoots; inflores- 

 cense with a prolonged central 

 axis a little shorter than the 

 leaves, and usually two or more 



unequally developed opposite 

 branches, bracteate at base; invo- 

 lucre in a double series, persistent, 

 with 7 — 9 short, rounded seg- 

 ments; stamens 7 — 9, long exsert, 

 inserted at the base of the invo- 

 lucral scales, encircling an irreg- 

 ular lobed, central disk; filaments 

 densely ciliate-pubescent at base, 

 anthers extrorse, broadly two- 

 celled. Pistillate flowers in the 

 axils of lower leaves on recent 

 shoots, single pedicellate, pedicels 

 thickening upwards, and bibract- 

 eate near the middle; involucre 

 of 7—9 oblong, unequal segments 

 in two series with 4 glandular 

 scales on the inner surface, seg- 

 ments fragile at maturity. 



_ Ovary 4 lobed, densely tawny- 

 hispid, with 4 long, recurved stig- 

 mas. Capsule orbicular, broadly 

 4 lobed and 4 celled, the thin ep- 

 icarp separating in valves from 

 rigid cocci which part at maturity, 

 the separate cells dehiscing at 

 both sutures. 



Ovules 2 to each cell, pendant 

 from the upper placental column 

 which persists as a rigid central 

 axis after the rupture of the cells. 

 Seeds by abortion one to each 

 cell, smooth, oblong, conspicuous- 

 ly carunculate. Embryo with 

 broad cotyledons and short, 

 straight radicle immersed in 

 copius albumen. 



Leaves narrowly lanceolate, 

 nearly sessile with a somewhat 

 decurrent midrib, smooth, rather 



