6 FLOllULA ADENEKSIS. 



Orclo III. EESEDACE^E. 



1. Reseda, Linn. 



1. R. amblyocarpa (Fresen.). Subpruinosa; foliis integris, superio- 

 ribus rarissime ternatim ineisis, ovato-lanceolatis, basi attenuatis; 

 floribus spicatis ; bracteis deciduis, longe subulatis ; pedicellis calycem 

 icquantibus vel longioribus ; sepalis 6, ingequalibus, linearibus, deci- 

 duis; petalis 5, duobua majoribus 5-10-partitis, tribus brevioribus bi- 

 partitis vel integris ; capsulis obovatis, obtuse tridentatis ; serainibus 

 ininutis, reniforaibus, nigris, asperulis. 

 Hub. Aden, juxta mare (Edgew., Hook.fil. et T. ! Madden ! Schomburgk ! 



Harvey ! T. Anders.). 

 Distr. In Abyssinia ! 



Herba ramosa, subpruinosa. Caulis pereimis, striatus, angulosus. Folia 



plernmque integva, utvinque acuta, in petiolum attenuata, 2 une. longa, 



'.i lin.-i | unc. lata. Flores par\i, bracteis deciduis. Capsula triden- 



tata, truncata. Semina pauca, nigra, asperula, punctata. 



After a careful examination of the species of Reseda in the Hookerian 



Herbarium, and the study of Mueller's elaborate monograph of the order, 



I can find no character, except the nature of the seeds, to separate this 



species from R. pruinosa, Del., or R. Aucheri and R. bracteata, Boiss., 



which seem to be merely varieties of R. pruinosa. 



Having made numerous dissections of all the species allied to R. pruinosa, 

 Del., I am convinced that no specific character of the slightest value can 

 be obtained from the number of the divisions or the shape of the petals. I 

 consider R. ambhjocarpa, Fresen., to be probably distinct from R. pruinosa, 

 Del., and its varieties, — from its having a perennial stock, almost always 

 entire leaves, a larger and denser spike, smaller flowers, and a slightly 

 different capsule containing much smaller, black and punctate seeds. 

 Reseda pruinosa is evidently an annual, with generally trifid leaves ; it 

 has shorter spikes, larger flow ers, and seeds nearly as large again as those 

 of R. amblyocarpa, of a dark olive colour, and with an almost perfectly 

 smooth testa. Both, however, are pruinose. The seeds of R. pruinosa 

 arc also sometimes slightly punctate, and R. Aucheri, Boiss., which ranks 

 only as a variety of R. pruinosa, has often leaves as entire as those of 

 R. amblyocarpa. In Resedacece the duration of the stock is probably an 

 uncertain character, subject to the influence of climate, and especially to 

 the amount of moisture. 



Ordo 1V\ POLY GAL ACE.E. 

 1. Poly/gala, Linn. 



1. P. THi flora {Linn. Fl. Zel. p. 269). Cauie erecto, pubescente pilis 

 adpressis; foliis subsessilibus, ovato-oblongis,apice rotundatis,utrinque 

 incano-tomentosis ; floribus breviter racemosis ; racemis pedunculatis. 



