CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY. 
173 
together in each axil ; these are oblong, somewhat tapered, 
formed of about five pairs of decussately opposite involucels, 
each pair united at base into a short vaginant tube ; the invo- 
lucels are ovoid, slightly acute or obtuse, glaucescent, subfleshy, 
with a narrow membranaceous margin, each enclosing a petaloid 
perigonium of about their own length, which is campanulately 
tubular, compressed, and expanded into two broad rounded erect 
lobes, as long as the tube, imbricated in aestivation ; the stami- 
niferous column, scarcely exceeding the length of the perigonium, 
bears on its apex three to five crowded, erect, sessile anthers, 
which are 2-celled and open by two pores in the apex. In the 
specimen from Patagones, the number of anthers is constantly 
three, which number occurs in the other localities, but only oc- 
casionally. The fructiferous spikelets are on different specimens, 
and vary only from those of the male flowers in being generally 
solitary upon a very short pedicel in each axil, and are about 
double their size, being 3 lines long, 2 lines broad, gradually 
narrowing upwards, with about six pairs of involucels, the three 
upper pairs being the largest, and all barren except the last pair, 
which embraces | of the length of the two terminal achenia ; 
these involucels are greenish, and ultimately brown, 2 lines long, 
1^ line broad, and pointed : the achenia are fuscous brown, 
opake, broadest at base, gradually attenuated upwards, flat in- 
side, with a somewhat sharp margin, rounded and cariuated on 
the opposite face, their section being somewhat trigonous, 3 lines 
long, line broad, the small obtuse apex being glandular and 
perforated ; the tubillus is exserted, and irregularly lacerated, 
not disciform as Meyer has stated, although he figures it as I 
have described it*. 
10. Ephedra scandens, n. sp. ; — scandens, vage ramosa ; ramis 
strictis, ramulis junioribus floriferis ssepe 4-12 verticillatis ex 
quoque nodo, gracilibus, subflexuosis, pallidis, striatellis, fere 
laevibus, internodiis longiuscidis, ad nodos subarticulatis ; 
foliis in axillis oppositis, imo inter se nexis et vaginatis, lobis 
brevibus, obtusis, membranaceis, serius disruptis et liberis : 
spicellis <S in quaque axilla 1-2-3 glomerulatis, sphaericis, ca- 
pitulum globosum simulantibus ; involucellis rotundatis, con- 
cavis, fusco-rubentibus, subcarnosulis ; ramulis floriferis de- 
mum elongatis : spicellis fructiferis 1 ad 3 ex quaque axilla, 
longe pedicellatis ; acheniis semiinclusis. — In Provincia Uru- 
guay; v.s. in herb. Hook., Banda Oriental (Tweedie, Baird), 
Parana et Entre Rios (Gibert, Nos. 9 et 75). 
Tweedie describes this species as climbing to the tops of the 
* A representation of this species, with structural details, will be seen in 
Plate 78 B. 
