285 



Mr. Babington meets these objections by observing that he cannot 

 but think he has done Avell in keeping distinct all the species here de- 

 scribed ; for, however anomalous may be their fonns, he can always 

 refer the living plants to their respective species : and that if they are 

 not to be separated by the characters employed in this paper, they 

 must be reduced to fewer species than the author conceives would be 

 recommended by " the most energetic 'lumper of species.' " 



In Meyer's ' Flora Altaica ' the European species of Chenopodia- 

 cese are divided into four tribes, which may be thus characterized. 



1. Salsolece. Seeds with little or no albumen; embryo spiral. British genera, 



Salsola and Schoberia. 



2. ChenopodiacecB. Seeds albuminous ; embryo forming a ring round the albumen ; 



(in these points agreeing with the two following tribes): flowers hermaphrodite : 

 stems not jointed. British genera, Chenopodiujn and Blitum. 



3. Salicornece. Flowers hermaphrodite : stem jointed. British genus, Salicornia. 



4. Atriplicea. Flowers dioecious or monoecious, sometimes with a few hei-maphro- 



dite flowers intennixed : stems not jointed. British genera, Atnplex and Ha- 

 timus. 



Mr. Babington remarks — " These tribes are well marked by their 

 very different habit, although in description their characters may not 

 appear to be peculiarly strong : " and then proceeds to describe the 

 genera and species to which the paper refers. 



I. Atriplex, Linn. Flowers polygamous : female perigone compressed, formed of 

 two distinct or more or less connate leaves : stigmas two : pericarp membranaceous, 

 free : seed vertical, either attached near the base by a lateral hilum, or towards the 

 centre by means of an elongated funiculus ; testa crustaceous ; radicle inferior, as- 

 cending. " Wall): Sched. Crit. 114. Necsab Esenbeck, Gen. PL Germ. Icon. (Mono- 

 chlam.) 63." 



into 



The genus Atriplex, as thus restricted, may be again divided 

 the two following sections. 



1. Eiiatriplex, Meyer, (the true Atriplices). Leaves of the female perigone two, 



distinct to the very base: seed vertical; horizontal in the hermaphrodite flow- 

 ers, which are rarely produced. 



2. Schizotheca, Meyer. Flowers monoecious, (true hermaphrodite flowers never 



appearing) : leaves of the female perigone more or less connected below, the 

 attachment not extending above the lower half. 



"In both of these sections, only the latter of which has as yet been detected amongst 

 the native plants of Britain, the pericarp is quite detached from the perigone, the tes- 

 ta is crustaceous, and the radicle, although always ascending, is never terminal.'' — -3. 



1 . Atriplex littoralis, Linn. Root fibrous. Stem erect, two or three feet high, 

 smooth, angular; branches numerous, alternate, erect. Leaves linear-lanceolate, en- 



