8 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



is more tinged witli reddish lliwii colour, often growing in enormous 

 tufts -wliicli arc conspicuous from a distance. This is particularly 

 observable near AVhitstaljle, where this plant forms nearly the sole 

 vegetation which borders low water-mark. 



I am unable to see any difference between the seeds of this and 

 S. hcrbacea, so that Moquin-Tandon is clearly mistaken in referring it 

 to his Arthrocnenium fruticosum, the seeds of which have a crustaceous 

 testa: Grenier and Godron have fallen into a similar mistake, so that 

 probably Smith's plant is very rare or unknown on the Continent. 



Creeping Marsh Samphire. 

 French, Salicorne radicante. 



Tribe III.— CIIENOPODIEiE. 



Flowers all alike, and. commonly all perfect. Seeds copiously albu- 

 minous ; embryo curved round the outside of the albumen. 



Stem continuous, leafy. Flowers not buried in excavations of the 

 racliis. 



GENUS IV.— B E T A.- Toumef. 



Flowers perfect. Calyx with the tube adhering to the ovary at 

 the base, angular; limb 5-partite. Stamens 5, inserted on a fleshy 

 disk which unites the calyx and ovary. Styles short, 2 to 3, rarely 

 4 or 5. Fruit depressed, adherent to the calyx, the tube of which is 

 enlarged and becomes woody in fruit. Seeds horizontal ; testa mem- 

 branous; albumen mealy ; embryo periplierical, enclosing the albumen. 



Herbs with alternate, undulated, often fleshy leaves; and flowers 

 in axillary glomerules arranged in long termmal spikes, often grouped 

 into panicles. 



The name of this genus of plants comes from Bactis, a river of Andakisia, in which 

 it grew ; or, as Dr. Mayne says, from the letter /3, which the seed-vessel is said to 

 resemble. 



SPECIES I.-BET A MARITIMA. Urm. 



Plate MCLXXXIV. 



Billot, Fl. Gall, et Germ. Exsicc. No. 3191. 



B. vulgaris, ft. maritima, Moq.-Tancl in B.C. Prod. Vol. XIII. Part II. p. 5G. 



Perennial. Root rather thick, tapering, somewhat fleshy, many- 

 headed. Stems numerous, almost always decumbent. Radical leaves 

 on long stalks, rhomboidal-ovate or rliomboidal ; lower stem leaves on 

 short stalks, similar to the radical leaves, the upper ones becpming" 

 narrower, until the uppermost are narrowly rhomboidal-lanceolate. 



