10 CV. ILLECEBRACE.E (bAKER AND WRIGHT). [PolUchia. 



pendulous from a basal funicle ; embryo annular or straight, radicle 

 inferior; endosperm copious or scanty —Annual or perennial herbs, 

 rarely shrubs. Leaves entire, usually opposite and stipulate. Inflor- 

 escence usually a congested cyme. Flowers minute, usually green, 

 subtended by large or small scarious bracts and bracteoles. 

 Species about 90, (osiuoj olilan. 

 Flowers all perfect. 



Embryo straigbt. Ovary 2-ovuled . . . .1. Pollichia. 



Embryo annular. Ovary 1-ovuled. 

 Leaves stipulate. 



Bracts large, scarious. . . • • .2. Paroktchia. 



Bracts small. 



Fruit a membranous utricle . . . -3. Hermaria. 



Fruit indeliiscent 4. Cobrigiola. 



Leaves exstipulate, connate at tbe base . . .5. Scleranthl-S. 

 Flowers in tbrees, tbe two outer imperfect. Bracts com- 

 pound . 6. COMETES. 



1. POLLICHIA, Soland. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PI. iii. 14. 



Perianth becoming slightly thickened when mature ; tube campanu- 

 late ; lobes 5, ovate, spreading. Stamens 1-2, inserted on the disk ; fila- 

 ments short, subulate ; staminodes ovate. Ovary ovoid ; ovules 2, basal ; 

 style bifid. Fruit a 1-2-seeded membranous utricle enclosed in the 

 persistent perianth, subtended by fleshy bracteoles. Seeds oblong or 

 ovoid ; embryo dorsal, slightly curved ; endosperm faiinaceous. 



Monotypic 



1. P. campestris, Soland. in Ait. Hwt. Kew. ed. i. 5. A peren- 

 nial. Stems much- branched, pubescent, woody, ^-1 ft. long. Leaves 

 fascicled, linear, acute, sessile, ^-1 in. long ; stipules ovate, white, 

 scarious, persistent. Flowers in dense axillary clusters ; bracts minute. 

 Perianth green, ^ lin. long ; lobes ovate, green edged with white, as 

 long as the campanulate tube. Stamens as long as the perianth. Disk 

 large, lobed, filling up the throat of the perianth. — Smith, Spicil. 1, t. 1 ; 

 DC. Prodr. iii. 377 ; A. Rich. Tent. Fl. Abyss, i. 304 ; Schweinf. Beitr. 

 Fl. Aethiop. 59 ; Engl. Hochgebirgsfl. Trop. Afr. 215 ; Hiern in Cat. 

 Afr. PI. Welw. i. 883. Xeckeria campestris, Gmelin, Syst. Veg. i. IG. 

 Meerhurgia glomerata, Moench, Meth. Suppl. 11 G. Bergia abf/ssinica, 

 A. Rich. Tent. Fl. Abyss, i. 41). 



If lie :Land. Dabik l8land.'in tbe Red Sea, Ehrenherff. Eritrea : near Ailct 

 and Arkiko, JEhrenherg ; near Acrur, 6200 ft., Schweinfvrth^- Hiva, 76S ! Aidereso, 

 4000 ft., Hchtceinfurth ^ Miva, 1452 ! Abyssinia : Tigie ; Jaja, Schimper, 371 ! 

 near Adowa, Schimper, 1106! Britisb East Africa; Sani, A'ae^^wer, 743 ! Naivasba, 

 Johnston ! 



Xiower Guinea. Angola : Mossamcdes, Welicitsch, 1088 ! 1088d ! 

 Mozamb. I>lst« Britisb Central Africa : Ngamiland, Baines ! 

 Also in Arabia and South Africa. 



