86O FLORA. 



ovary and a long-exserted filiform style. Fruit an indehiscent I -seeded nutlet. 

 [Latin, shore.] A monotypic genus of Europe and N. Am. 



i. Littorella uniflora (L.) Rusby. PLANTAIN SHORE-WEED. SHORE-GRASS. 

 (I. F. f. 3392.) Tufted, usually growing in mats; leaves bright green, 2-8 cm. 

 long, 1-2 mm. wide, spreading or ascending, mostly longer than the scapes of the 

 staminate flowers, which bear a small bract at about the middle; sepals lanceolate, 

 mostly obtuse, sometimes only 3 in the fertile flowers; stamens conspicuous, 8-12 

 mm. long; corolla-lobes ovate, subacute; pistillate flowers very small; nutlet about 

 2 mm. long. Borders of lakes and ponds, Me. and Vt. to N. S. and Ont. July- 

 Aug. 



Order 7. RUBIALES. 



Corolla gamopetalous. Anthers separate, the stamens as many as 

 the corolla-lobes and alternate with them (one fewer in Linncea of the 

 Capri foliaceae) or twice as many. Ovary compound, inferior, adnate to 

 the calyx-tube. Ovules i or more in each cavity of the ovary. Leaves 

 opposite or verticillate. 



Stamens as many as the corolla-lobes. 



Leaves always stipulate, usually blackening in drying. Fam. i. Rubiaceae. 



Leaves usually estipulate, not blackening in drying. Fam. 2. Caprifoliaceae. 



Stamens twice as many as the corolla-lobes; low herb with ternately divided leaves. 



Fam. 3. Adoxaceae. 



Family i. RUBIACEAE B. Juss. 

 Madder Family. 



Herbs, shrubs, or trees, with simple, opposite or sometimes verticil- 

 late, mostly stipulate leaves, and perfect, often dimorphous or trimor- 

 phous, regular and nearly symmetrical flowers. Calyx-tube adnate to the 

 ovary, its limb various. Corolla funnelform, club-shaped, campanulate, 

 or rotate, 4-5 lobed. Stamens as many as the lobes of the corolla and 

 alternate with them, inserted on its tube or throat. Ovary i-io-celled ; 

 style simple or lobed ; ovules i-oo in each cavity. Fruit a capsule, berry, 

 or drupe. Seeds various; seed-coat membranous or crustaceous ; endo- 

 sperm fleshy or horny (wanting in some exotic genera) ; cotyledons ovate, 

 cordate, or foliaceous. 



About 355 genera and 5500 species of wide distribution. 



* Leaves opposite, stipulate (sometimes verticillate in No. 3), 

 Ovules numerous in each cavity of the ovary ; herbs. 



Top of the capsule free from the ovary; seeds few, peltate. i. Houstonia. 



Capsule wholly adnate to the ovary; seeds minute, angular. 2. Oldenlandia. 

 Ovules i in each cavity of the ovary. 



Shrubs or small trees ; flowers in dense globular heads. 3. Cephalanthus. 



Low evergreen herbs; flowers 2 together, their ovaries united. 4. Mitchella. 

 Herbs; flowers axillary, nearly sessile, distinct. 



Capsule separating into 2 dehiscent carpels. 5. Spermacocc. 



Capsule separating into 2 (or 3) indehiscent carpels. 6. Diodia. 

 ** Leaves appearing verticillate; herbs (some of the leaves rarely opposite in No. 7. 



Corolla rotate; calyx-teeth minute or none. 7. Galiutn. 

 Corolla funnelform. 



Flowers in involucrate heads. 8. Sherardia. 



Flowers in panicles. 9. Asperula. 



i. HOUSTONIA L. 



Usually tufted herbs, with opposite entire often ciliate leaves, and small blue 

 purple or white, mostly dimorphous flowers. Calyx-tube globose or ovoid, 4-lobed, 

 the lobes distant. Corolla funnelform or salverform, 4-lobed, the lobes valvate. 

 Stamens 4, inserted on the tube or throat of the corolla. Ovary 2-celled. Style 

 slender ; ovules numerous; stigmas 2, linear. Capsule partly inferior, its summit 



