MK. A. W. BEXNETT ON" THE GEXUS nTDROLEA. * 271 



The inflorescence is simple, the flowers almost hidden in the leaves 

 or foliaceous bracts. I liave only seen specimens from Brazil 

 (where it would appear to be rare), and refer to it those marked 

 ''Brazil, T^^ do Pinhai;' Sello, no. 703, in the Berlin, and "Ad 

 Joao d' El Eoy, rnrissime," Poltl, 351, and *' in uliginosis propo 

 villam S. Salvador," Fold, 5358, in the Vienna collection. 



4. H. QUADRIVALVIS, Walt, 



Caulis herbaceus, ascendens, infra decumbens, tenuis, geniculatus, sub- 

 simplex, pilis longis paucis patulis albis vestitus, vel subglaber, 

 spinosus; spinae axillares, 2-3-lineares, recta?, glabrae. Folia ob- 

 ovata, breviter petiolata^ subcuneata, acuminata, 2-2^ poll, longa, 

 6-8 liii. lata, glabra, in petiolum 2-3-linearem attenuata. Flores 

 in racemos densos, paucifloros (2-(>-fl.) axillares aggregati; pedicelH 

 brevissimi, hirsuti. Sepala triangulari-lanceolata, extus hirsuta. Co- 

 rolla cserulea, calyce sublongior, profuude r)-partita; lobi ovato- 

 rotundi, obtusi. Ovarium biloculare. Styli duo vel rarius tres, fili- 

 ormes, persistentes. Stigmata capitata. Capsula bilocularis, glo- 

 bosa, glabra, calyce persistente brevior. 



var. ^. iNERMis. Flores saepe trigyni; spina? nulla?. 



Hydrolea quadrivalvis,, Walt. Car. vol. i. p. 110; Elliot, Car. vol.). 



p. 356; Chois. Descr. Hydrol.) DC. Prod.—'H. caroliniaua, Michx. 



Fl. Bor, Amer. vol. i. p. 177. 

 ^. inermis. Hydrolea Bartramii, kerb. Brit. Mns. 1/5.— II. pahis- 



tris (?), Rausch, — Sagonea palustris, AubL Giiian. vol. i. p. 285. t. 111. 

 Reichelea palustris (?), Schreb. Gen. 5^2; Willd. Sp. vol. i. p. 1502. 



This plant has received the misnomer from Walter, in his 

 'Flora Caroliuiana,' from the idea that the capsule was quadri- 

 locular. It gro^vs in wet hoggy places and by ponds in South 

 Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. The variety inermis, whicli 

 bas received a good number of synonyms, is only known from a 

 siugle specimen in the Herbarium of the British Museum, from 

 the banks of a stream in G-uiana; I am very doubtful whether it 

 18 rightly included under this species. 



5. 11. ELEGANS, nobis. (Tab. I. figs. 5, 6.) 

 Caulis ascendens, erectus, l|-2-pedalis, elegans, purpurascens, glaber, 

 spinis numerosis armatus; spina; axillares, horizontales, S-lO-li- 

 Qeares, teretes, glabrae. Folia lineari-lanceolata, 12-15 lin. longa, 

 4-5 lin. lata, Jntegra, subsinuata, glaberrima, utrinque attenuata, bre- 

 viter petiolata, vena media subtus promineute. Flores in cyraas densas 

 foliosas terminales ct axillares dispositi, pedunculati : pedicelli et 

 braeteaj glabnc. Sepala lineari-lanceolata, circa 3 hn. longa, acuta, 

 glabra, basi vix coalita, nervo medio prominente. Corolla ca;rulou. 

 calycem dupjo superans. Ovarium ovatum. hi- vel triloculare, gla- 



V 2 



