CARYOPHYLLACEjE. 117 



Hab. x\ndes of Peru, at Alpamarca, a little below the snow-line ; 

 also above Obrajillo and Banos. (High Andes of Peru, Matthews, in 

 herb. Hook.) 



Plant dwarf, ccespitose, in pulvinate, perennial tufts, of one or two 

 inches in height, entirely glabrous. Leaves much crowded, and more 

 or less imbricated, but somewhat spreading, ovate-lanceolate or oblong- 

 lanceolate, about 2 or 3 lines long, broadest at the connate base, coria- 

 ceous and rather rigid, tipped with a sharp cusp or mucronation, 

 strongly carinate with a thickened midnerve, and more or less two- 

 grooved on each side of it, the margins thickened, smooth, or very 

 obscurely ciliate near the base, persistent. Peduncle terminal, or by in- 

 novation lateral, not bracteolate, one or 2 lines, or in fruit 3 to 5 lines 

 long, one-fl&wered . Sepals coriaceous, ovate-lanceolate, nearly like the 

 leaves, li to 2 lines long, usually 5, in some flowers 4. Petals none, 

 or not detected. Stamens 5, or 4 in the tetramerous flowers, opposite 

 the sepals and shorter than they are. Capsule rather shorter than the 

 calyx, six-valved (or rarely four-valved) to near the base. Ovules 

 about 20. Seeds 5 or 6, globular, smooth. 



This species is probably to be referred to Fenzl's section Dicranilla, 

 although the ovules are rather numerous, and the leaves are not 

 closely imbricated, as in the following. The specimens are mostly in 

 fruit : but, although the stamens remain, I find no trace of petals. 



6. Arenaria dicranoides, K B. K. 



Arenaria dicranoides, H. B. K. Nov. Gen. & Spec. G, p. 34; DC. Prodr. 1, p. 413. 



A. bryoides, Walp. Rel. Meyen. p. 302 ; an Willd. ? 



Lobelia bryoides, Willd. Herb., ex Schlecht. in Roem. & Schult. Syst. Veg. 5, p. 41. 



Hab. Above Casa Cancha, Culnai, and Alpamarca, in the high 

 Andes of Peru, near the snow-line. 



The plant has much the aspect of Dicranum glaucum, as is men- 

 tioned by Kunth, and grows in similar cushion-like tufts. The leaves 

 vary considerably in shape and size, even on different parts of the 

 same plant : those of the older stems are mostly triangular-lanceolate 

 and more or less acute ; those of the younger branches rather ovate 



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