488 CAPPAKIDACEAE 



usually numerous, conduplicately bent, with a membranous leathery or crus- 

 taceous testa. Endosperm wanting. Embryo bent, with flat or convolute 

 cotyledons. 



Herbs or herbaceous plants : fruit a 2-valved capsule. 



Receptacle neither elevated nor elongated, with or without an appendage. 

 Appendage present : filaments distinct. 



Appendage tubular : petals with laciniate or dissected blades. 1. CRISTATELLA. 



Appendage solid : petals entire or notched at the apex. 



Petals very unequal, barely clawed : capsules with deciduous valves. 2. ALDENELLA. 

 Petals nearly equal, long-clawed : capsules opening near the apex. 3. POLANISIA. 



Appendage wanting: filaments united below and adnate to the stalk of the ovary. 4. PEDICELLARI A . 

 Receptacle elevated or elongated. 



Appendage wanting : petals sessile : capsule thicker than broad. 5. CLEOMELLA. 



Appendage present : petals short-clawed : capsule broader than thick. 6. CLEOME. 



Shrubs or trees : fruit baccate, or a pulpy capsule, sometimes opening irregularly. 7. CAPPARIS. 



1. CRISTATELLA Nutt. 



Slender viscid-glandular herbs. Leaves alternate, without stipules : blades palmately 

 3-foliolate : leaflets narrow, entire. Flowers small, irregular, white or yellow, in terminal 

 leafy-bracted racemes. Sepals 4, united at the base, deciduous. Receptacle developed 

 between the posterior petal and ovary into a tubular appendage (gland) as long as the 

 anterior petals. Petals 4, hypogynous : blades strikingly unequal, more or less fan-shaped 

 and cuneately narrowed into slender claws, of 2 forms, the anterior small, dissected into 

 5-9 narrow lobes which are 2-3-cleft at the apex, the posterior larger, toothed or laciniate 

 at the apex. Stamens 6-14, declined: filaments filiform, unequal (when more than 6), 

 distinct : anthers sagittate. Ovary elongated, somewhat declined, short-stalked : style 

 slender, short : stigma blunt. Capsule elongated, silique-like, slightly flattened, with 2 

 reticulated valves. Seeds numerous, conduplicate. 



Blades of large petals about 3 mm. long : mature stipe only slightlv longer than the gland. 1. C. Jam< ,-//. 

 Blades of large petals about 6 mm. long : mature stipe twice as long as the gland. 2. C. erosa. 



1. Cristatella Jamesii T. & G. Foliage glandular-pilose. Stems 1-4 dm. tall, 

 simple, or branching above : leaf-blades 3-foliolate ; petioles much shorter than the leaflets ; 

 leaflets 1-2.5 cm. long, with linear obtuse entire, more or less revolute, nearly sessile 

 blades : racemes 3-8 cm. long : bracts mostly like the leaves but smaller : sepals oblong, 

 about 2 mm. long, obtuse : petals 4 ; claws shorter than the blades ; blades various, the 2 

 upper with incised, the 2 lower laciniate at the apex: capsules linear, 1.5-2.5 cm. long, 

 densely glandular, much longer than the pedicels. 



In sandy soil, Nebraska to Louisiana and Texas. Spring to fall. 



2. Cristatella erosa Nutt. Foliage glandular-pubescent. Stems 2-6 dm. tall, 

 simple below, branching above : leaf -blades 3-foliolate ; petioles shorter than the leaflets, 

 swollen at the base ; leaflets 1-2 cm. long, with linear obtuse or acutish, entire, often short- 

 petioluled blades : racemes 2-10 cm. long : bracts like the leaves but smaller : sepals 

 oblong, 3-3.5 mm. long, obtuse : petals 4, the 2 upper with claws, longer than the many- 

 parted blades : capsules linear, 2.5-3 mm. long, about twice as long as the pedicels. 



In dry or sandy soil, Arkansas to the Indian Territory and Texas. Spring and summer. 



2. ALDENELLA Greene. 



Annual caulescent herbs, with somewhat glandular foliage. Leaves alternate, without 

 stipules : blades 3-foliolate : leaflets with very narrow blades. Flowers irregular, in termi- 

 nal racemes. Sepals 4, imbricated, reflexed. Receptacle developed into a solid gland on 

 the upper side. Petals 4, very unequal, those of the smaller pair scarcely i as large as 

 those of the larger pair, entire, spreading, barely clawed. Stamens 9-11 ; filaments un- 

 equal, slightly declined : anthers introrse. Ovary elongated, short-stipitate : style de- 

 clined and curved : stigma capitate. Capsule elongated, very narrow, silique-like, the two 

 valves readily deciduous. Seeds numerous, conduplicate. 



1. Aldenella tenuif olia (T. & G. ) Greene. Foliage glandular. Stems 2-8 dm. tall, 

 branching, often diffusely so : leaf-blades 3-foliolate ; petioles filiform ; leaflets with linear- 

 filiform entire blades somewhat longer than the petioles : racemes 0.5-2.5 dm. long : bracts 

 like the leaves, or the upper ones 1-foliolate : sepals oblong to oblong-ovate, 2-2.5 mm. 

 long, acute : petals white, oval to ovate, 6-8 mm. long, entire, unequal, the claws very 

 short : stamens usually 9-11 ; filaments filiform-clavate : capsules linear, 4-6 cm. long, 

 sharp-pointed, short-stipitate, several times longer than the pedicels : seeds 0.6 mm. broad, 

 minutely wrinkled. [Polanisia tenuif olia T. & G.] 



In sandy soil, Georgia and Florida. Spring to fall. 



