Orygia.] lxvii. ficoideje (oliver). 589 



7. ORYGIA, Forsk. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant, i. 856. 



Calyx 5-sepalous, sepals ovate cuspidate with narrow pale mem- 

 branous margins. Petals 0. Staminodia oo, subhypogynous, very 

 narrow, deliquescent. Stamens 12 or more, subhypogynous, free or 

 obscurely coherent at base. Ovary free, globose, 5-sulcate, 5-celled ; 

 styles 5 ; ovules oo, axile. Capsule dehiscing loculicidally in 5 valves, 

 each remaining attached below to its septum ; seeds oo, reniform, con- 

 centrically granular-striate, minutely strophiolate. — Rigid or some- 

 what wiry herb, woody at the crown; wholly glabrous; branches 

 diffuse, angular. Leaves alternate, obovate- or rotundate-cuneate, api- 

 culate, entire, rather fleshy, pale or glaucous, petiolate, exstipulate. 

 Flowers in terminal or lateral and leaf-opposed racemose lax cymes ; 

 pedicels equalling or shorter than the calyx. 

 A monotypic genus of the Old World Tropics. 



1. O. decumbens, Forsk. ; DC. Prod. iii. 455. Decumbent, diffuse, 

 from a few inches to 1-2 ft. in height. Leaves J-l in. in breadth, 

 occasionally smaller ; radical leaves sometimes l-l| m. Flowers about 

 ^ in. diameter. — 0. mucronata, Klotzsch in Peters' Mossamb. Bot. 140 

 t. (Glinus) 25. Schweinf. Fl. ^Ethiop. 61. 



Nile Land. Abyssinia, Schimper! Nubia, Schweinfurth ! Dissee, Courbon. 

 Lower Guinea. Mossamedes, Dr. Welwitsch! 

 Mozamb. Distr. On the Zambesi, Dr. Kirk! Dr. Peters. 

 Also at the Cape, and Eastward to India. 



8. MOLLUGO, Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant, i. 857. 



Sepals 5, nearly equal, persistent. Petals 0. Stamens hypogynous 

 or nearly so, 3-5— oo , with or without linear or filiform staminodes. 

 Ovary free, 3— 5-celled; stigmas as many, sessile or style very short; 

 ovules oo, axile. Capsule loculicidally 3-5-valved, oo-spermous ; seeds 

 subreniform, compressed, usually minutely tubercled, with or without 

 strophiole and funicle. — Erect or diffuse, glabrous or tomentose, often 

 annual herbs. Radical leaves rosulate, cauline pseudo-verticillate, 

 unequal. Stipules or fugacious. Flowers axillary, fascicled or in 

 diffuse or umbelliform cymes. 



A small Tropical and subtropical genus. But one of the following is endemic. M. 

 Pauli-Wilhelmi, Schweinfurth, Fl. iEthiop. (Aufzahl.), 267, 1 have not seeu any de- 

 scription of. 

 Seeds appendaged. Flowers fascicled at the nodes (Glinus). 



Tomentose (rarely glabrate). Pedicels shorter than flowers or 1. M. Glinus. 

 Glabrous or glabrescent. Pedicels 1-5 times calyx. 



Flowers \ in. Stamens 20-30 2. M. Bainesii. 



Flowers £ in. or less. Stamens 5-10 3. M. Spergula. 



Seeds wholly unappendaged. Flowers in sessile or pedunculate 

 lateral umbels or in forked or umbelliform cymes (Eumollugo). 

 Leaves all radical, oblanceolate. Scapes 2-3-chotomous ... 4. if. nudicaulis. 



