poetulacacejE. 135 



ORDER XIIL— PORTULACACEiE. 



Herbs, rarely underslirubs, often glabrous and more or less 

 succulent. Leaves opposite or alternate, entire. Stipules scarious, 

 sometimes lacerated, or represented by tufts of bair, frequently 

 entirely absent. Flowers perfect and nearly or quite regular, gene- 

 rally terminal (occasionally lateral), solitary, racemose, panicu- 

 late, or cymose. Sepals commonly 2 (more rarely 3 to 5), free or 

 united to the base of tbe ovary, imbricated, persistent or deciduous. 

 Corolla commonly of 5 (more rarely 4, or very numerous) petals, 

 whicb are commonly bypogynous, generally united at tbe base 

 (more rarely free), imbricated, entire. Stamens inserted witb the 

 petals, and often adhering to their base, equal in number to the 

 petals or more numerous ; sometimes fewer, and then opposite to 

 the petals. Ovary free or adhering to the calyx at the base, 1-celled. 

 Style 3-cleft (or more rarely 2-cleft) at tbe apex, with the inside of 

 the branches stigmatiferous. Placentae at the base of the ovary 

 or on a central columella. Ovules 3 or numerous (rarely only 2), 

 amphitropous. Capsule membranaceous or crustaceous, opening by 

 as many valves as there are styles, splitting transversely, rarely 

 indehiscent. Seeds 3 or numerous, reniform, globose, obovate or 

 lenticular, generally with a hard testa. Albumen farinaceous. 

 Embryo generally more or less curved, with the radicle near the 

 hilum. 



GENUS I.—M O N T I A. Zimi. 



Sepals 2 (rarely 3), free, persistent, broadly ovate. Petals 5, 

 unequal, the two exterior ones larger, the whole united into a 

 monopetalous corolla split down one side. Stamens 3 (rarely 4 

 or 5), inserted into tbe tube of the corolla. Ovary free. Style 

 short, 3-cleft. Capsule turbinate-globose, trigynous, concealed in 

 the calyx, 1-celled and 3-seeded, with the valves rolling inwards 

 at the edges after flowering. Seeds sub-orbicular, compressed. 



A small succulent plant with opposite oblanceolate or obovate 

 leaves and small white . flowers in few-flowered terminal and 

 axillary cymes. 



This genus was named in honour of Joseph Monti, a physician of Bologna, who 

 flourished iu the eighteenth century. 



