:i[ 



Order XXV. LINE^. 



Flowers bisexual, regular. Sepals 5, rarely 4, free or united 

 at base, imbricate. Petals as many, mostly twisted. Stamens 

 as many (or twice or thrice as many) as petals, connate in a ring 

 at base ; anthers 2-celled. Grlands 5, entire or 2-fid, adnate 

 to the staminal tube, sometimes obsolete. Ovary free, 3-5- 

 celled ; ovules 1-2 in each cell, pendulous ; styles 3-5, distinct 

 or more or less united ; stigma terminal. Fruit capsular or 

 fleshy. Seeds with or without albumen. — Herbs shrubs or 

 trees, mostly glabrous. Leaves alternate or rarely opposite, 

 simple, entire or crenato-serrulate. Stipules present or ab- 

 sent. Flowers racemose or cymose, or clustered or solitary, 

 axillary. Petals blue yellow or white, rarely red, mostly very 

 fugitive. 



Tribe 1. Line^. Petals twisted, fugitive. Stamens as many as petals. 

 Capsule opening through the septa. No stipules. 

 Herbs or undershrubs 1. Linum. 



Tribe 2. EeythkoxtlejE. Petals imbricate, each with a plaited scale 

 at base inside. Stamens twice as many as the petals. Drupe fleshy, in- 

 dehiscent. 

 Slu'ubs 2. Ertthroxtlon. 



1. LINUM, Linn. 



Sepals 5, entire. Petals 5, twisted, fugitive. Stamens 5, 

 perfect, alternating with as many tooth-like abortive filaments. 

 Styles 5, rarely 3, separate or connate below ; stigmas capitel- 

 late or linear. Capsules spuriously 10-celled, 10-seeded ; 

 seeds without albumen. — Fl. Cap. i. j^- 308. 



Small undershrubs or herbs, found throughout the temperate zone. Leaves 

 alternate, quite entire, sessile, without stipules. Flowers yellow. — 4 Cape 

 species, dispersed. 



2. EHYTHROXYLON, Linn. 



Sepals 5-6, connate at base or free. Petals as many, im- 

 bricate, deciduous, furnished at base on the inside with a 

 plaited, mostly 2-lobed scale. Stamens 10-12, united at base 

 into a short glandless or 10-glanded tube, often a little pro- 

 longed beyond the insertion of the filaments. Ovary 3-, rarely 

 4-celled ; ovules 1-2 ; styles 3-4, distinct or more or less 

 united at the apex, capitate or clavate. Drupe 1-celled, 1- 

 seeded ; seed albuminous. — Fl. Cap. i. ;9. 233. 



Shrubs or small trees, mostly glabrous. Leaves alternate, entire, pe- 

 tioled. Stipules within the petiole. Flowers small, whitish, axillary. 

 — 3 species, found near Natal. 



