12 



FLORULA ADENENSIS. 



Misc. iii. p. 165; F. virens, Coss in Kralik. PI, Alger.; F.fruticans, 



Coss, I. c. ; F. diversifolia, Boiss. in PL Or. nov. ser. vol. ii. p. 113. 

 Flab. Aden, in locis arenosis convalliura (Edgew., Hook. fil. et T. ! T. 



Anders.). 

 Distr. In Europa Mediterraneana ! Africa ab Algeria usque ad caput 



Bonae Spei ! Asia tropica et calidiore tota ! Chili ! California ! 



I have devoted several days on two occasions to the examination of a 

 most extensive suite of authentic specimens of the many described species 

 of this genus, and both times I arrived at the same conclusion — that there 

 is but one species. The Kew Herbarium contains about 400 specimens of 

 Fagonia ; and these I attempted to divide into De Candolle's two sections, 

 of leaves simple and leaves trifoliolate. The result of this first apportioning 

 was, that the one-leaved section contained only ten specimens, while 390 

 remained hi the section with trifoliolate leaves. The ten simple-leaved 

 specimens belonged to the following species : 2 of F. cretica, Linn. ; 1 of 

 F. Oliveri, DC. ; 2 of F. myriacantha, Boiss. ; 1 of F. parvijlora, Boiss., and 

 4 of F. subinermis, Boiss. The remaining 390 specimens, all of which 

 were more or less trifoliolate, included all the described species of Fagonia. 

 The next step was the selection from the 390 specimens of all the indivi- 

 duals in which trifoliolate leaves alone occurred. These amounted to 123 

 specimens, leaving 267 as intermediate with the simple-leaved and trifoliolate 

 sections. These 123 specimens, in which every leaf was trifoliolate, com- 

 prised the following species entirely : — jP. latifolia, Delil. ; F. mollis, Delil. ; 

 F. cistoides, Delil. ; F. glutinosa, Delil. ; F. Kahriana, Boiss. ; F. gran- 

 dijlora ; Boiss. ; F. virens, Coss ; F. Chilensis, Hook, et Arn. ; F. Calif or- 

 nica, Benth., and in part F. cretica, Linn. ; F. Arabica, Linn., and F. 

 Sinaica, Boiss. Only one specimen, however, of F. Arabica, Linn., and a 

 few of F. cretica, Linn., had wholly trifoliolate leaves. The remaining sec- 

 tion, of 267 specimens having both simple and compound leaves, consisted 

 almost entirely of F. cretica, Linn. ; and of F. Arabica, Linn., with F. Si- 

 naica, Boiss., and F. parvijlora, Boiss., with the exception of one specimen 

 of each, and included the whole of F. Bruguieri, DC, F. Thebaica, Boiss., 

 and F. echinella, Boiss., F. diversifolia, Boiss., F.fruticans, Coss, and F. 

 Mysorensis, Roth. The form and size of the leaves and stipules are also 

 most variable ; in some specimens the leaves are nearly absent, and their 

 place is supplied by the long and hard spiny stipules ; in others, such as 

 F. subinermis, Boiss., and in the plant from Aden, the leaves are for the 

 most part simple with inconspicuous stipules, but in some states of this 

 variety, as well as the other so-called species, the leaves are nearly elliptical, 

 and the spines exceed the leaves in length. The shape and relation of the 

 parts of the flower and fruit vary but little, though in a few cases there is 

 some variation, of the extremes of which, Boissier has constituted two 

 species under the names F. grandiflora and F. parvijlora. There is also 

 great difference in the amount of general pubescence ; it varies from 

 nearl) perfect smoothness to viscosity, as in the states /''. glutinosa, Delil., 

 and /''. mollis, Delil., and some specimens of b '. latifolia, Delil. The species 



