[Polygalea.
O rd . V I . P O L Y G A L E H Í .
1. KRAMERIA. Loejl.
Sepala 4, i-arius 5, extus sericea, intus colorata. Pétala 3 -5 , quorum 2 suborbicularia
sessilia, cmtera unguiculata. Stam. 3 -4 , 2 inferioribus longioribus, antheris bilocularibus
e t duplici poro dehiscentibus. F rm tu s globosus, indehiscens, setoso-aculeatus, 1-locu-
Inris, 1-spermus. Embryo rectus. Albumen nullum. Badicula supera.—Frútices mtil-
ticanks. Folia alterna. Flores axillares solitarii in supremis ramulorum fo liis , et ita sub-
racemosi, pedicellati.
1. K. cistoidea ; caule fruticoso ramoso, foliis oblongís mucronatis sericeis, pedicellis
folio longioribus bibracteatls racemum brevem effbrmantibus, sepalis p etalisqne 6, stamim-
bus 4. (T a b . V .)
Frutex parvus, ramosus, rigidus; ramis ercctis, adpresse sericeo-puhescentibus. Folia alterna, subsemiun-
dam longa, erecto-patentia, rígida, sericeo-pubescentía, oblonga, basi attendata, sessilia, apice acuto atque
breviter mucronato, enervia. Flores pedunoulnti. solitarii, e foliis scnsim luinoribus in supremam parlcm
i-amulonim, et Ita quasi racemosi atque multibracteati. Pedunculi semiunciam loiigi, curvati, sericei, basi
unibracteati, bracteis 2 medium versus, oppositis, linearibus, sericeis. Sepaki 5, patentia, lato-lanceolata,
concava, extus valde sericea, intus purpurea. CoroUa pentapctala. Pelala 2 inferiora remota, parva,
suborbiculata, apice subrevoluta, torneata, carnosa; 3 superiora arete disposita, sed basi Ubera, longiora,
spathulata, acutissima, submembranacea, purpurea. Stamina 4, didyuama, sursura curvata, 2 lon-
°gicra lateralia; 2 breviora supcriora cnm petalo intermedio (trium superiorum) alternantia. Filamenta
crassa, carnosa. Anthetu ovatm, torminales, supra medium constrictm, biloculares, apice poro duplici dehiscentes.
Pistülum : Germen ovato-globosum, dense sericeo-birsntum, pilis glandiiUs clavatis camosis immix-
tis, uniloculare. Omda 2, 0 sumnio loculo pendentif Stylus subffliformis, crassns, glabcr, sursum cu rv ate.
Stigma obtusum. Pìuctus nobis ignotus.
R ie . Coquimbo.—Of the six species of Krameria described by De Candolle, and the three by St.
Hilaire, not one can be said accurately to correspond with the present; which is, moreover, a native of
Chili ; whereas all the others .are inhabitants of Cumana and St. Domiogo, of Mexico, of Peru, or Brazil.
Assuredly, in general habit, our K. cistoidea comes near to the Peruvian K. fia n d ra : but that has vastly
larger flowers, according to the figure (,Fl. Per. t. 93), and only 4 sepals, 3 stamens, and 4 petals ; whilst
in our plant, (aud we have examined specimens gathered also a t Coquimbo by Mr. Cruckshanks and Mr.
Slncrae,) there are constantly .5 sepals, 4 stamens, and 5 petals ; on which account, and taking the different
countries they respectively inhabit, we have thought it safer to distinguish the Chilian plant specifically
from that of Peru. In the number of the parts of the flower, our species agrees with the K. grandiflora
and K. ruscifolia of St. Hilaire, both of which, from Brazil, have also 5 sepals and petals, and 4 stemma; but
in these the stems are simple, or nearly so, and the flowers almost spicate, having very short pedicels; while
in ours the stem is much branched, and the flowers distinctly racemose. K . cytisoides has also the same
number of parts, but the central of the upper petals appears to be longer than the two others, and nearly
filiform, and the leaves are ternate, K . tomentosa, St. H il, has 4 sepals and stamina, and 5 petals. In K.
Ixina and K. glabra, Spr., 4 sepals, petals, and stamens have been observed, a peculiarity caused by the dis-
appearance of the upper unguiculate petal. K . linearis, Poir. and f l C.,\K.pentapetala, Jt. P .) has 5 sepa,ls,
4 stamina, and 3 petals, of which the upper solitary unguiculate one is 3-lobed, indicating its triple origin.
In K . triandra, as we have already observed, there are only 3 stamens; hut it is probable that the upper ono
is double, or formed by the union of two, or that the anther contains four cells. Of K. paueiflora and
secundiflora, from Mexico, nothing is known of the structure of the flower. But if we are at a loss to
determine satisfactorily the species of this plant, our difllcalty is greater in ascertaining the order lu which
it should bo placed, Jussieu, in the 1st vol. of the Mémoires du Mus. p. 390, has arranged it with the