THE VERBENA FAMILY, 203 



VerbenacecB. 



The Veebexa Family. 



There are three families, according to some botanists, 

 agreeing very closely in many respects, which others 

 group together as sub-orders, or tribes, of the above- 

 named. As this is so in Dr. Harvey's " Genera of 

 South African Plants," I will follow his arrangement. 



The first sub-order is Verlenece, containing the long- 

 cultivated Verhe'na, from South America, as well as 

 Cleroden'dron, Lanta'na, Vi'tex, etc., of which there are 

 species in South Africa. 



The second sub -order is Stilhece, from the genus 

 Stil'he, in South Africa, with one other genus. 



The third sub-order is Selaginece, containiDg eight 

 genera, of which five are entirely in South Africa.^ 



Verhe'na is chiefly South American, but V. 

 Bonarie7i'sis, with dense clusters of small purple 

 flowers, and V. officinalis, a tall, wiry, branching herb, 

 of European origin, are naturalized at the Cape. 



The calyx is five-parted, the corolla being tubular 

 with an irregular border; the stamens are four, didy- 

 namous. The pistil is composed of two carpels, the 

 ovary being four-celled (by the two carpels being 



• Bentbam and Hooker, in their " Genera Plantarum," regard 

 Verhenex and Stilbex as 2 out of 8 tribes of Verhenaoeoe, Selaginese 

 being a separate order. Verhenacex has 700 species of 59 genera ; 

 Selaginess has HO species of 8 genera. 



