384 I/i- LYTHRACEAE 



Partitions of the ovary complete ; placentas continuing into the style. 

 Flowers regular. [Tribe NESAEEAE.l 9 



2. Flowers distinctly irregular. Sepals 6. Petals 6 — 7, unequal. Stamens 



10 — 14, usually II. Disc present. Placenta finally protruding from 

 the bursting ovary and calyx-tube. Leaves opposite or whorled. — 

 Species i. Naturalized in the Mascarene Islands. Ornamental plant. 



Cuphea P. Browne 

 Flowers regular or almost so 3 



3. Stem herbaceous or woody at the base only. Leaves not dotted. Seeds 



not winged 4 



Stem woody. Leaves opposite, marked witli black dots, rarely witliout 

 dots, but then seeds with a thick wing. Style long 7 



4. Fruit indehiscent, membranous, not striate. Seeds very mmierous. 



Flowers 6-merous. Calyx-tube hemispherical or broad-campanulate, 

 with appendages at the apex. vSepals herbaceous. Stamens as many 

 as the sepals. Ovary 2-celled. Style very short. Flowers solitary, 

 axillary, with whitish bracteoles. — Species i. North Africa. LTsed asü 



vegetable. Peplis L. 



Fruit dehiscing by 2 — 4 valves or bursting transversely or irregularly ; 

 in the latter cases flowers 4-merous and cymose 5 



5. Fruit bursting transversely or irregularly, membranous, not striate. 



Seeds very numerous. Flowers 4-merous. Sepals herbaceous. Sta- 

 mens as many or twice as many as the sepals. Flowers in axillary c\-mes, 

 with whitish bracteoles. — Species 15. Tropical and South Africa and 



Egypt. Some are used medicinally Ammania L. 



Fruit dehiscing longitudinally in 2 — 4 valves 6 



6. Fruit marked with dense, sometimes very faint, tran verse veins. Sepals 



usually membranous. Stamens as many as the sepals or fewer. Gla- 

 brous plants. Flowers solitary or umbellate and axillary, or in terminal 

 spikes or racemes, bracteolate. — Species 20. Tropical and South 

 Africa. (Including Qiiarti'nia Endl., Rhyacophila Höchst., and Siif- 



ffcnia Bellardi) Rotala L. 



Fruit without transverse veins. Calyx-tube tubular, rarely campanulate, 

 with appendages at the top. Flowers solitary or paired in the leaf- 

 axils, rarely in spikes or racemes of cymes (false whorls). — Species 8. 

 North, East, and South Africa. Some are used as ornamental or 

 medicinal plants Lythrum L. 



7. Stamens 6. Calyx-tube top-shaped. Sepals membranous. 0\ary nearly 



completely 2-celled. Flowers in panicles. — Species i. South-east 



Africa Galpinia N. E. Brown 



Stamens 12 — 18. Flowers solitary or in racemes 8 



8. Calyx-tube tubular. Petals small. Stamens 12. Ovary nearly completely 



2-celled. Fruit bursting irregularly or remaining closed. Seeds 

 not winged. Flowers in racemes. — Species 2. East Africa and 



