Frankenia.~\ xvi. frankeniace^e (oliver). 137 



bent, much-forking herb, a few inches in height, with opposite, obovate oval 

 or rotundate, often fascicled leaves, usually mealy-ptiberulous or setulose- 

 pubescent beneath, flattish or with the margins more or less recurved, nar- 

 rowed into short ciliolate or nearly glabrous petioles, less than J in. in length. 

 Calyx tubular, with short acute teeth, equalling the leaves. Filaments mem- 

 branous, dilated, tapering above and below. 



Upper Guinea. Senegal, Sieber I and others. 



A wide spread species of shores and salt-deserts, occurring in S. Europe, India, and at the 

 Cape. 



Order XVII. CABTOPHYLLACEJE (by Prof. Oliver). 



Flowers regular, hermaphrodite or rarely diclinous by abortion. Calyx 

 polysepalous ; sepals 4 or 5, imbricate, or gamosepalous, toothed. Petals as 

 many as sepals or calyx-teeth, entire 2-fid or toothed, sessile or clawed, some- 

 times minute or 0. Stamens 8-10 or fewer, free or alternately adnate to the 

 claw of the opposed petal. Ovary free, sessile or shortly stipitate, 1-celled or 

 imperfectly divided at the base, with a free central or basal placenta ; styles 

 2-5, free or connate, stigmatose above on the inner side ; ovules indefinite 

 or rarely definite. Fruit usually a dry capsule, dehiscing by teeth or valves. 

 Seeds usually indefinite, with a mealy' albumen and more or less curved peri- 

 pherical or excentric embryo.— Annual or perennial herbs, often woody below. 

 Leaves opposite, entire, exstipulate or stipules membranous. Flowers solitary 

 or m forking or fascicled cymes. 



A numerous Order in the north temperate zone aud in arctic regions , very rare between 

 tbe tropics, and generally confined to mountainous countries. But one genus, Uebelmia, is 

 wafiued to tropical Africa. 



Calyx gamosepalous. 



Styles 2 . 1- T)ianthus. 



Styles 3 '. .... 2. Silene. 



%les 5. Stamens 5 .'.'!.' '.'.'.'. • 3 - Uubklwu. 



Calyx polysepalous. 

 Styles free. 

 Stipules 0. 

 Styles 5. Capsule tubular or ovoid-oblong, dehiscing by 10 teeth, 



exserted . 4 - ^erastium. 



Styles 3. Petals 2-fi'd '. '. \ Stellaria. 



Styles 3. Petals entire ■ • • ■ J. Arenaria. 



Styles 4-6. Capsule dehiscing by as many valves as styles ; . . 7- Vagina. 

 Stipules minute, scarious. 



Styles and valves of capsule 3 8. Spebovlaria. 



, Styles and valves -• -■— '- c Spergula, p. 143. 



at yles connate below. 



Styles and valves of capsule 5 Spergula, p. 



ea couna ' 

 °vul e3 5- 



Petak divided. Stipules minute •• ? RYMABI *' 



petals entire. Sepals keeled .• • 10. Polycabpok. 



Petals entire or nearly so. Sepals not keeled. Stipules scarious, 



liaimll., • .11- PoI.YCARPiEA. 



