+ 



Drummondiance. N. O. Amaraiuliacese. 



TAB. CCLL 



GOSSYPIANTHUS RIGIDIFLOUUS. 



Gen. Char. Perianthium profunde 5-partitum densissinie 

 lanuginosum ; laciniis lanceolato-acuminatis. Stamina 5. 

 Filamenta dilatata, omnino libera. Anthera terminalis, 

 oblonga, unilocularis, Germen ovatum, 1-ovulatum. Stglus 

 brevis. Stigma bifidum' Utriculus stjlo stigmate coronatus, 

 raonospermus, pendens, ex apice funiculo filiformi. — Radix 



perenms, 



/< 



cipue apicem versus. Folia radicalia^ elongata^ spathulata ; 

 caulina multo minora, subsessilia, opposita^ ovata^ omnia inte^ 

 gerrima^ magis minisve sericeo Janata* Fiores in axillis folio- 

 rum caidinorum dense aggregati sessihs, lana copiosissima tecti, 

 basi trihracteati ; bracteis late ovatis memhranaceis scariosis 

 glaberrimis. 



Gossypianthus rigidijlorus ; perianthii laciniis profunde striatis 



rigidis. 



Hab. Texas. Drummond (Coll. 11. m 262). 



I have in vain endeavoured to refer this plant, and a nearly 

 allied species from the same country, to any of the genera of 

 AmaranthacecB which have been established or confirmed by 

 Martius. Its nearest ^affinity is with Iresine and Rosea, but 

 there are differences in the flowers, and still more in the habit, 

 which would make me very unwilling to unite them. As in 

 Oplotheca of Nutall, the flowers are most curiously enveloped in, 

 and concealed by, a dense mass of fine wavy silky cotton; after- 

 wards it becomes more lax, but always completely hiding the 

 dense axillary clusters of flowers. The lower leaves, too, are 

 remarkable for being much larger and longer than those of 

 the stem. The same characters now mentioned are equally 

 apparent in the other species to which I have alluded, and which 

 may be thus defined : 

 Gossypianthusfeww2^om5; perianthii laciniis tenui-membranaceis 



estriatis. 



Hab. Texas. Drummond (2d Collection; and 3d Coll. where 

 it has been mixed with w. 262, G. rigidijlorus). 

 In this species the habit is exactly that of G. rigidijlorus, nor 



can I point out any other character, save that of the difference 



in the perianth. 



