TETRANDRIA. MONOGTNIA. 105 



thickly covered with minute linear leaves; flowers axil- 

 laiy 



Species. 1. C glabra? Said to have been found on 

 the \merican sea-coast. — \. genus ot'4 species, (Pcrsoon) 

 inhabitiiig- arid soils in Spain, Tartary, Italy, Hel'.etia? 

 and the CapQ of Good fiope. 



157. SYMPLOCARPUS. Salisbury. PoTHos/ie- 

 tida, Micii. (Skunk-cabbage.) 



Spatha ventricose-ovate, acuminata. Spadix 

 roundisii, covcrt'd with hermaphrodite flowers. 

 Calix d.'Oply 4-i)aited, persis'ent, sei^metits cu- 

 cuilitc, truncate, hi^cominir thick and spon.^y. 

 Petals fK Style pyramidal, 4-sided; .s/,f^^7na sim- 

 ple, minute. Seeds solitary, immersed in the 

 spongy receptacle, 



Stemless and subaquatic; leaves very large, strongly 

 veined -and entire, preceded by conspicuous slieaiJiing 

 stipules; scapes radical, appearing before the leaves; spa- 

 tha discoloured, calix, siyle, and filaments persistent, en- 

 larging with the spongy receptacle. 



Root verticillately fibrous, vruncate. Leaves smooth, 

 and green, ovate-cordate, enlarging, protected by large 

 glaucous, spathulate-linguiform, veiniess bractes. Spa- 

 tha ovoid, roundish, cucullate, obliquely acuminate, point 

 coarctate, plaited, involutely auriculate at the base, thick 

 and spongy, hvid purple, blotched and spotted with pale 

 green. Spatlix pedunculate, simple, dmost spherical. Brac- 

 tes t\o>je. Flowers tesseilately imbricate, adnate. Calix 4- 

 parted, dividrd ..o tlie base, segments cucullate, compres- 

 sed at tliC apex, emarginatcd, at length becoming very 

 thick. Petals none. Stamina 4, opposite the divisions of 

 the calix; filaments subulate, flat; anthers exserted, short, 

 oblong-oval, 2-celled. St} le thick, quadrangular, acumi- 

 nated; stigma mmute, pubescent, shorter than the sta- 

 mina. Germ immersed, 1-seedt d. Seed naked, large, 

 round, inclosed in the common receptacle. Corculum 

 small, involute, erect, umbilicately attached to a large so- 

 lid, carneous perisperm.f 



t The seed of the Symplocarpiis does not appear to possess 

 any thrng like a proper cotyledon, the embiyo formed in the 

 exact posture of tl^e growing plant, (with the radical down- 

 wards), differs not from it in any particular but that of size. la 



