CHAP. CXII.
2065
* 4. E. fra'gilis Dcsf. The fragile Ephedra.
Identification. Desf . FI. Alt., 2. p. 372.; N. Du Ham., 3. p. 19.
Synonymes. E. cretica Tour. Cor.. 53., Vail . Her .; fiquis^tum montitnum creticum Alp. Ex. 141.
The Sexes . The female is figured in Alp. Exot., t. Ml.
Engraving. Alp. Exot., 141.
Spec. Char., %c. Catkins sessile; the male ones aggregate. Articulations of the branches separable.{Desf .) A shrub, between 2 ft. and 3 ft. high, with cylindrical branches, slightly striated ; a nativeof Spain, and of the sea coast of the south of France, but not yet introduced into Britain .
m 5. E. america'na Willd. The American Ephedra.
Identification. Willd. Sp. PI., 4. p. 860.;
Kunth.in Humb. et Bonpl. Nov. Gen. 2.p. 2.; Rich. M6ra. Conif., p. 21.
The Sexes. Both are on the same plant, asdescribed and figured by Richard.
Engravings. Rich, Mem. Conif., t. 29. f. 2.;and o\xxfig. 1980.
Spec. Char. Stems erect. Branches andbranchlets crowded, erect, round, slender.
Leaves consisting of a sheath, or 2 semi-oval acuminate scales, spreading or relaxed,and in the fertile branches somewhat dis-tinct ; in the sterile ones adhering, so as toform a short tube. Flowers monoecious:male and female on the same branchlets,but from different joints; those of the maleinferior and fewer in number; heads offlowers crowded round one joint, aggregate, subsessile, on short stalks. {Rich.) Found by Hum-boldt and Bonpland in Quito , at an elevation of almost 7000 ft.; flowering in January. Not yetintroduced, though probably quite hardy.
CHAP. CXII.
OF THE HARDY LIGNEOUS PLANTS OF THE ORDER TAXA'CE ®.
TVxus Tourn. Flowers unisexual, axillary ; those of the two sexes upondistinct plants..— Male flower. It consists of anthers upon short pedicels,at the top of a column that has imbricate scales at the base: these had en-veloped the column and anthers before they were protracted. The antherconsists of 4,5,6, or rarely more, 1-celled lobes, attached to a connectivum,whose tip is a horizontal shield, lobed at the edge; its lobes correspondingin number and place with those of the anther, and covering them: the cellsopen longitudinally. —Female flower. An erect ovule, perforate at the tip;and an unobvious annular disk at its base; and, exterior to this, thereare investing imbricate scales. — Fruit. The disk, at the base of the ovule,becomes a fleshy open cup, that surrounds the lower part of the seed, whichis exposed in the remaining part; the scales are at the base of the cup,outside: the seed is like a nut.—Leaves evergreen, linear-acute, rigid, moreor less 2-rowed in direction. ( Nees ah Esenb.; and J. D.’s observation.)
Salisbu'rm Smith. Flowers unisexual; those of the two sexes upon dis-tinct plants.—Male. Flowers in tapering, decurved, bractless catkins, whichare borne several from one bud; and situated outwardly to a tuft of leavesborne from the centre of the same bud. Flowers many in a catkin, eachappearing as a stamen only, and consisting of a short filament-like stalk;and two cases of pollen attached very near to its tip, and a scale that ter-minates it. — Female. Flowers borne from a bud, from which leaves areproduced also; and on peduncles, either singly, or several on the pedicelsof a branched peduncle. Flower seated in a shallow cup, formed of thedilated tip of the peduncle or pedicel, and consisting of a rather globosecalyx, contracted to a point, and then expanded into a narrow limb, andincluding an ovary. The calyx is fleshy and persistent, and becomes adrupaceous covering to a nut, which is rather egg-shaped, and very slightlycompressed. Embryo straight, cylindrical. Cotyledons two, very long.—Species 1; a native of Japan ; a large tree, with a lofty straight stem.Leaves with long petioles; and disks tranversely rhomboidal, divided part ofthe way down into 2 or more lobes; and coriaceous and striated ; in groups,or alternately. ( Richard, Smith, Watson, Jacquin, and observation.)
6 s 2