794 DIOECIA HEXANDRIA. SmiluX, 



herbaceous, sometimes biennial or even perennial, round, 

 armed with short sharp prickles, but void of every thing- like 

 pubescence, scandent, and ramous toward the root, as thick 

 as a walking cane; the general length several fathoms; some 

 seasons they perish down to the root at the approach of winter, 

 and appear about the beginning of the hot season in February 

 and March, at other times they are biennial or more. Leaves 

 alternate, short-petioled, round, entire, five-nerved, glossy, 

 six or eight inches each way. Petioles short, keeled, with the 

 margins of the channel winged. Tendrils petiolary, undivid- 

 ed. Female. Peduncles axillary, solitary, divided into two 

 or three branches, each supporting* a single, globular umbel- 

 let of large, greenish yellow, pedicelled flowers, inserted on a 

 round scrobiculate receptacle. Calyx six-leaved ; the inner 

 series narroAver. Filaments six, slender, and abortive. Germ 

 globular, three-celled, with one ovulum in each, attached to 

 the upper end of the axis. Styles recurved. Berries the size 

 of a pea, red, smooth, generally one, or two-seeded. Seed^ 

 perisperm, and embryo as in the genus. 



7. S. ovalijolia. R. 



Stems cylindric, armed. Leaves unarmed, oval, smooth, 

 from five to seven-nerved. Petioles tendril-bearing. Umbels 

 compound. 



Beng. Koomwrki. 



Teling. K?aida gwrvatiga. 



A native of hedges, forests, and wild places. 



Root tuberous. Stems cylindric, climbing, woody ; the lar- 

 ger woody parts armed with sharp, strong, incurved prickles. 

 Tendrils paired, from the wings of the petioles, one on each 

 side, simple. Leaves alternate, short-petioled, unarmed, oval, 

 from five to seven-nerved, smooth on both sides, entire ; from 

 five to seven inches long. Petioles short, winged, channelled, 

 bearing a simple tendril on each side of their base. Jointed 

 just above the tendrils, and there, though the leaf drops, leav- 

 ing the base with the tendrila for the support of the plant. 



