CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY. 
277 
connexis; floribus proximitate axillarum, bine ssepe densiter 
congestis; pedunculo calyci sequilongo; calyce late urceolato, 
limbi laciniis 4, erectis, petalis 4, ovalibus, utrinque acutis, 
subconcavis, laciniis subsequilongis ; staminibus petalis vix 
brevioribus, ovario in fundo disci crateriformis adnati margine 
liberi insidente, depresse globoso, 3-sulcato, glabro ; stylo 
incluso, fructu subgloboso, calycis cupula crassa suffulto, 
coccis 3 secedentibus, epicarpio persistente 3-valvatim dehis- 
cente. — In Provinciis Argentinis. — v. s. in herb. Mus. Paris, 
in herb. Jussieu (Commerson) ; Monte Video (Gay) ; Rio 
Grande (Gaudichaud, 1617) : in herb. Hook., Buenos Ayres 
(Tweedie, 1378) ; Puerto Bravo (Tweedie) ; Bahia Blanca 
(Darwin); Maldonado (Capt. King) ; Banda Oriental (Baird). 
This differs from the preceding species in its longer and more 
vimineous branches, its more distant nodes, and the much greater 
length of its spines; its flowers also are smaller, paler, and 
more lobular. The floriferous gemmae are lengthened into more 
distinct branchlets, with more remote decussating axils : the 
spines generally attain a length of IJ inch, — sometimes, as in 
Commerson^s specimen, they are shorter ; while in that from the 
Banda Oriental they are inches long : the leaves are usually 
3 lines long and 1 line broad, but occasionally they attain a length 
of 5 lines ; the floral peduncle is 1 or 2 lines long ; the calyx, 
including its border, is 2^ lines long and 1^ line in diameter; it 
is thin in texture, and of a pale yellow colour, probably white in 
the living state ; the fruit and peduncle are of the size of those 
of D. Lycioides, but the persistent portion of the calyx is dark 
red and smooth*. 
4. Discaria spiculata, n. sp. ; — suffruticosa, glaberrima, ramulis 
teretibus, subcompressis, decussatim spinosis, substriatulis, 
fusco-viridibus, fere aphyllis; spinis subulatis, validioribus, 
apice calloso-pungentibus ; folds parvulis, e gemmis elongatis 
per paria enatis, mox caducis, oblongis, utrinque acutis, car- 
nosulis, fere integris, enerviis, glaberrimis ; stipulis oppositis, 
r^dimentariis, acutis, sub spinis non inter se connexis ; floribus 
solitariis, glabris, pedunculis calyce sub-brevioribus, calyce 
campanulato-cylindrico, subbrevi, limbi laciniis 4, dentifor- 
mibus, erectis, apice callo carnoso incrassatis, petalis minimis, 
laciniis 4-plo brevioribus, ovatis, utrinque acutis, subconcavis, 
erectis; staminibus 4, petalis sequilongis, filamentis brevis- 
simis, antheris ovatis ; disco adnato, patelliformi ; ovario gla- 
bro, oblongo, stylo medium tubi attingente; fructu immature 
* A drawing of this species is given in Plate 38 n. 
