104 XI. EESEDACEiE (oliver). [Oli(/oweris. 



styles ; placentas 4, multiovulate. Capsule open at the apex. Seeds indefi- 

 nite. — Annual or biennial herbs. Leaves entire, linear, fasciculate or 

 scattered. Flowers small, in terminal spikes. 



A small genus, of which the following is the most widely-distributed species. Three or 

 four species occur at the Cape. 



1. O. glaucescens, Camb. in Jacquem. Toy. Bot. 24. ^. 25. An erect 

 or decumbent, glabrous, more or less glaucous herb ; the stem sometimes 

 with a few minute scattered setae above. Leaves fasciculate, narrow-linear, 

 entire. Flowers small, sessile or subsessile, in rather loose, elongate, termi- 

 nal spikes. Bracts minute, alternating with the two smaller anterior sepals. 

 Stamens 3 (or 2 ?), unilateral. Ovaiy 8-sulcate below, abruptly narrowed 

 into the 4 erect, connate styles. — 0. subulata, Webb, Frag. Fl. Jithiop. 26 

 {Reseda, Delile). 0. dispersa, Muell. Eesed. 214. 



Nile Iiand. Nubia, Bromjield! 



Occurs in the Atlantic islands, and through Egypt to Persia and N.W. India. 



For extended synonymy see Mueller's ' Monographic des Resedacees,' p. 214. 



4. OCHRADENUS, Delile; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PI. i. 112. 



Calyx 5-fid. Petals 0. Stamens 10-20, inserted on an urceolate disk 

 dilated behind. Ovary sessile, ovoid, 3-cuspidate, closed, with 3 oo-ovulate 

 placentas. Fruit baccate. — Much-branched, glabrous shrubs, with divaricate, 

 virgate, often spinescent, at length leafless branches. Flowers small, spicate. 



A small genus, with the foUowiug wide-spread species. 



1. O. baccatus, Del. Fl. Mgypt. 15. t. 31. Branches terete, divari- 

 cate. Leaves narrow-linear. Berries white. 



Nile Iiand. Abyssinia, Ehrenberg ; Nubia [Schweinf. et Asch. Enum.). 



Order XII. VIOLARIE^ (by Prof. Oliver). 



Flowers hermaphrodite, irregular or regular. Sepals 5, equal or unequal, 

 imbricate in aestivation. Petals 5, nearly equal or the lower larger, ungui- 

 culate or sessile. Stamens 5, free or monadelphous ; anthers erect, 2-celled, 

 with the connective produced beyond the cells (except in Sauvagesia,mvi\\\Q\\ 

 staminodia are present outside the fertile stamens). Ovary sessile, 1-celled ; 

 placentas usually 3, each with l-oo anatropous ovules. Style usually simple, 

 sometimes clavate ; stigma terminal or lateral. Fruit a capsule, dehiscing 

 loculicidally (septicidally in Sauvagesia), 1-oo-seeded. Seeds with a fleshy 

 albumen and axile embryo. — Herbs shrubs or small trees. Leaves usually 

 alternate, eniire, serrate or crenate, stipulate. Flowers axillary or terminal, 

 solitai-y, fascicled, racemose or panicled, in the woody species small. 



A considerable Order, widely distributed in both hemispheres, the woody species affecting, 

 the tropics and southern hemisphere. 



Staminodia 0. Capsule dehiscing loculicidally. 

 Lower petal more or less dissimilar. 



Sepals gibbous or slightly produced at the base \ . I.Viola. 



Sepals not produced at the base 2. Ionidium. 



Petals subequal. (Shrubs or tree;^) 3. Alsodkia. 



Staminodia of two kinds. Capsule dehiscmg septicidally 4. SAUVAGfcSiA. 



