1857.] Notes on the Indian species of Lycium. 53 



supposes the colour of the corolla of L. Edgeworthii to be yellow : 

 in my specimens it is pale rose-coloured as in L. Europaeum. 



Dunal has purposed to change the name of the Linnsean L. 

 Europaeum to L. Mediterranean, a change by no means applicable 

 to a plant widely diifused in India. I therefore retain the Linnsean 

 name and propose the following specific character, which seems 

 applicable to both the Indian and Western plants. 



L. Europaeum, fruticosum, cortice albido, ramis spinescentibus, 

 spinis teretibus, foliis 2 — 5 ad basin spinarura fasciculatis, obovato- 

 oblongis vel oblongo-cuneatis, pedicellis calyce longioribus, interdum 

 geminis, plerumque unifloris, calyce breviter 5 — dentato glabro vel 

 puberulo, corolla calyce duplo longiore anguste infundibuliformi, 



staminibus inclusis. L. Europaeum, Linn, et auct. ; Royle ill. 



L. Mediterraneum Dun. in DC. Prod. xiii. 523 (cum omnibus vari- 

 et.) L. Edgeworthii Dun. in DC. Prod. xiii. 525. L. indicum Wight 

 Icones t. 1403. 



Hab. in India prope Delhi Royle, Guzerat Wight, Sirhind Edge- 

 worthy Panjab ad Umritsir, T. Anderson. 



Folia glabra vel punctulata | — 1 unciam longa. Spinae axillares 

 nudae vel foliosae \ — 1 unciam longae. Elores gemini vel saepius 

 solitarii e fasciculis foliorum. Calyx 5 — dentatus cyathiformis 1 — 2 

 lineas longus, glaber. Corolla calyce longior infundibulifbrmis 4 — 6 

 lineas longa, roseo-alba. Eilamenta filiformia inclusa insequalia, 

 uno cseteris breviore. Antherae parvae ovatae, basi bifidae. Stylus 

 cylindricus, staminibus longior. Stigma orbiculare, capitatum. 

 Pollen in aqua globosum. Ovarium ovatum. Bacca globosa parva. 



In India, special care is required to guard against the undue 

 increase of species, since in this country, besides difficulties arising 

 from want of books of reference, natural causes make the determi- 

 nation of species more difficult than in Europe. One of the most 

 powerful of these is the sudden and complete change of climate 

 in many parts of the Peninsula of India, arising from the periodi- 

 cal recurrence of the rainy season, which often alters the Flora 

 lrom that of an arid plain to one consisting entirely of a large 

 number of tropical annuals. This climatic change also temporarily 

 affects the appearance or " habit" of the perennial plants, causing 

 a wonderful luxuriauce of growth and alteration of the foliage. 



