74 ELATINE. [Hlatine. 
Nort anp SoutH Isntanps, Stewart Istanp: Muddy places and margins 
of still waters, not uncommon. 
The New Zealand plant, which is also found in Australia, differs from the 
typical form of the species, which is North American, in the flowers being 
always trimerous, while in America they are usually dimerous. 
Orper IX. HYPERICINEA. 
Herbs or shrubs, rarely trees. Leaves opposite or occasionally 
whorled, generally furnished with pellucid glands or dark glandular 
dots, simple, entire or with glandular teeth; stipules wanting. 
Flowers regular, hermaphrodite, solitary or in cymes, terminal or 
rarely axillary. Sepals 5, rarely 4, imbricate. Petals the same 
number, hypogynous, imbricate and usually contorted. Stamens. 
numerous, rarely few, hypogynous, usually united into 3 or 6 
bundles. Ovary either 1-celled with 3-6 parietal placentas, or 
3-5-celled from the union of the placentas in the axis; styles 
3-5; ovules few or many, anatropous. Fruit capsular, rarely 
succulent. Seeds without albumen; embryo straight or curved, 
radicle next the hilum. 
A rather small but widely dispersed order, comprising 8 or 9 genera and 
about 220 species. Most of the species secrete an abundant resinous juice. 
The single New Zealand genus is widely spread in both temperate and tropical 
regions. 
1. HYPHRICUM, Linn. 
Herbs or shrubs. Leaves opposite or rarely whorled, thin, 
usually sessile, entire or rarely minutely toothed. Flowers gene- 
rally yellow, solitary or cymose, terminal or axillary. Sepals 5. 
Petals 5, smooth within. Ovary either 1-celled with 3-5 parietal 
placentas, or 3-5-celled through the placentas meeting in the axis ; 
styles distinct or united at the base; ovules usually numerous. 
Capsule septicidal or dehiscing at the placentas. Seeds not winged. 
A rather large genus comprising over 160 species, widely dispersed, but par- 
ticularly abundant in south Europe, western Asia, and North America. 
Erect or nearly so. Leaves subcordate at the base, with 
revolute margins .. e6 ss we .. 1. H. gramineum. 
Procumbent. Leaves oblong or obovate, margins flat .. 2. H. japonicum. 
1. H. gramineum, Porst. Prodr. n. 281.—A perfectly glabrous 
strict and wiry perennial 4-12in. high or more. Stems branched 
from the base, erect or ascending, 4-angled, sparingly leafy. Leaves 
4-3in. long, rarely more, oblong or oblong-lanceolate, cordate at 
the base and stem-clasping, obtuse, quite entire, marked with 
numerous pellucid dots; margins more or less revolute. Flowers. 
4-4 in. diam., sometimes solitary in small specimens, but usually in 
terminal trichotomous cymes, with a pair of bracts at the base of 
each fork ; pedicels strict, erect. Sepals oblong-lanceolate, acute or 
obtuse. Petals longer than the sepals, golden-yellow. Capsule 
ovoid, acute, 1-celled, 3-valved, usually longer than the sepals.— 
