432 LXI. RUBIACER. [Nertera. 
i ious.— hrubs or rarely 
Fruit capsular, 2-valved. |. Albumen eopious.— Herbs unders ; 
small inbe. ` Flowers in dense heads, the calyxes connate or in one species 
free. 
23. OPERCULARIA, Gærtn. 
i ly simple 
Flowers connate by the calyx-tubes in a globular compound or rarely 
and solitary head. Chive Soles S 10.5. Cotolladahe short; lobes ge 5 
valvate. Stamens inserted at the base of the corolla-tube ; filaments long ; 
copious.— Herbs undershrubs or rarely twiners, often very fætid "€ — 
Stipules usually forming with the base of the petioles a short veier , "lin 
or 2 entire or ciliate-toothed points on each side. Flower-heads usually 
polygamo-dicecious a e 
The genus is confined to Australia. The species are very difficult to payor ieee ` 
trasted characters, differing chiefly in the very variable points of foliage an 
e 3, as far as known, ap r! d their 
only in a small portion of the specimens that I have been able to observe them, an 
constancy in the same species remains to be proved. 
Peduncles erect, terminal or in the forks. Leaves linear. Seed ovoid- 
oblong, obtusely 3- or 4-augled. Western species, except 
i Glabrous or nearly so. Leaves acute. 
Herb or undershrub. Upper leaves long. Peduncles usuall 
long. ds half enclosed on each side in a concave valve- Ve 
like appendage, . . , , EES E GEERT d Cid 1. 0, pagina 
Small shrub. Leaves short, clustered in the axils. Peduncles coeca. 
short. Seeds without appendage "Ee FU 
Herb or undershrub. Leaves short or long. Peduncles usually "-—À 
Ong. Seeds without appendage . . . dg O. hirsuta. 
Hirsute, with long soft hairs bt 
s S obtuse . . . . . + * 
Peduncles recurved, all very short, or those of the primary forks only 
elongated. à 
tern species. 
Usually large, glabrous or scabrous-pubescent. Leaves ovate 
or lanceolate, often above lin. long. Heads many-flowered. 0 : 
Seeds wi sa gla a 
ute. Le usually under 1 in. Seeds very rugose, the ispida. 
inner face with a prominent centre, without smooth ribs . - 6. 0. à 
Glabrous. e ceolate. Flower-heads small, sessile O. diphylla. 
or nearly so. WONNMEE.... .;.. ^ TM j 
Small procumbent plant, usually glabrous, - Leaves ovate. Seeds Qi dea 
very broad, smooth, with 3 prominent ribs on the inner face . 8. €. 
