FohjcarpcEa:] xvii. caryopuyllackJ' (olivkk). 14 7 



Nile Iiand. Abyssinia [Scliweinf. et Asch. Enitm.). 

 Also in Egypt, Arabia, and India. 



7. P. prostrata, Decais)ie in Ann. Sc. Nat. Ser. 2. ill. 203. A dif- 

 fuse, glabrous, rather "laucous herb of 3-8 in., tlie Literal branches spreading 

 or prostrate, repeatedly and rather laxly forking from tlie base. Leaves nar"^ 

 rowly linear-spathulate or the upper linear, subacute or ratlier obtuse Sti- 

 pular scales inconspicuous, very minute. Flowers singly from the forks or 

 subfastigiate towards the extremities; lower pedicels usually exceeding or 

 equalling the tlower. Sepals ovate-lanceolate, herbaceous, with a broad mumh- 

 branous margin, the inner slightly longer. Petals nearly ecpudling the se|):ds, 

 ovate-elliptical, obtuse, entire, very shortly unguiculate.— //7-e;/rty//7 ? prostialn, 

 Ser., DC. Prod. i. 400. liobbairea proslrata, Boiss. Fl. Orient, i. 13.'i. 



Nile Iiand. Xubia {Sckicevif. et Asch. Enum.). 



I have not myself seen specimens collected south of the tropic. 



Also in Egypt and Arabia. 



12. SPH^ROCOMA, T. Anderson; Benth. et Hook. f. Cien. PI. i. 1 .", k 



Sepals 5, strongly mucronate, serrulate. Petals 5, entire, shorter than 

 sepals. Stamens 5, inserted on a small annular disk. Ovary 1-celled, biovu- 

 hite ; style bifid. Utricle indehiscent, l-seeded. — A much-branched, gla- 

 brous, glaucous shrub of 1-2 ft. Leaves fleshy, terete, fascicled. Flowers 

 in pedunculate globose glomerules, densely setigerous from the accrescent se- 

 pals of the abortive Howers. 



Based upon Arabian specimens of tlii> following spccies>: — 



1. S. Hookeri, T. Anders, in Journ. Linn. Soc. v. Ifi. t. 3. 



Nile Land. Nubia {ScJiweinf. et Asch. Eninn.). 



Oeder XVIII. PORTULACE^ (by Prof. Oliver) 



Flowers regular, hermaphrodite. Sepals fewer than the petals, 2 in tro- 

 pical African species, free or aduate to the base of the ovary, ind)ricate, de- 

 ciduous or persisti^nt. Petals 4-5, rarely more, hypogyuous or perigynotis, 

 free or connate at the base, imbricate, usually fugacious. Stamens inserted 

 with the petals, definite or indefinite. Filaments filiform ; anthers 2-celled. 

 Ovary free or half-inferior, unilocular. Style 2-S-fid, the divisions longi- 

 tudinally stigmatose; ovules 2 or indefinite, from the base of the cavity or 

 from a free central column. Capsule membranous or crustaceous, dehiscing in 

 as many valves as styles or transversely, rarely indehiscent. Seeds 1 or more, 

 usually with a curved embryo surrounding a mealy albmuen. — Herbs (u- 

 shrubs, usually more or less succulent and glabrous. Leaves alternate or 

 opposite, entire, often succulent, with scarious or setose stii)ular appendices. 

 Flowers solitary or capitate and terniiiud, racemose or cymosely panicled, oc- 

 casionally axillary. 



A rather small Natural Order, chiefly Anu-rican, with several cm* ra r.prcscntod ia the 

 Old World and two peculiar to the Cape Flora. 



Ovary half-inferior. Flowers terminal solitary or fni^cicled 1. PoRTri.ACv. 



Ovary free. Flowers racemose or panicled -' 1 ^^'^eM. 



