318 CT. AMARANTACE.T3. 



filaments subulate ; Btaminodia toothed or subulate-trianj^ular ; 

 anthers 2-celled. Ovary 1-ovuled ; style short ; stifjjmas 2, 

 minute, rarely elongate. Fruit roundish, valveless, 1-seeded, 

 enclosed in the calyx.— DC. Prod, xiilpt. 2. p. 299. 



More or less white-tomentose herbs or lialfslirubs, with alternate or op- 

 posite leaves, and minnte flowers in terminal and axillai-y, dense, short 

 spikes. — 2 South Afriean species, besides the common jE. lanala. 



7. SERICOCOMA, Fenzl. 



Flowers bisexual, solitary or 2-3 together, the solitary or 

 medial flowers 3-bracted, the others 2-bractcd. Calyx 5-parted ; 

 segments equal or unequal, mostly pointless, villous exter- 

 nally ; the two outer ones sometimes longer and spinous. 

 Stamens 5, united in a cup ; filaments filiform ; staminodia 

 small, scale-like, flat, entire or ciliolate. Ovary 1-ovuled ; 

 style simple, straight or oblique ; stigmas capitate. Fruit 

 ovoid or obovoid, valveless, 1-seeded, enclosed in the calyx. 

 —DC. Frod. xiii. pt. 2. p. 306. 



Annual or perennial herbs. Leaves alternate, the lowest sometimes op- 

 posite. Flowers in cyhndrical or capitate, terminal spikes, spreading after 

 flowering. — 6 species, dispersed. 



8. ACHYRANTHES, Linn. 



Flowers bisexual, 3-bracted. Calyx 5-4-parted ; segments 

 subequal, erect, mostly glabrous, at length hardened. Sta- 

 mens 5-4, united in a cup ; filaments narrow ; staminodia 5, 

 flat or concave, toothed or lacerate at apex, rarely entire, some- 

 times produced into a dorsal, erect, toothed or fringed appen- 

 dix ; anthers 2-celled. Ovary 1-ovuled ; style longish ; stigmas 

 capitate. Fruit 1-seeded, valveless, enclosed in the calyx. — 

 DC. Frod. xiii. pt. 2. p. 309. 



Herbs or undershrubs, of warm countries. Leaves opposite. Flowers 

 spreading, glabrous, in slender or ovate spikes, rarely in heads. Bracts 

 subulate, very acute, mostly glabrous. — i Cape species. 



9. CYATHULA, Lour. 



Flowers bisexual, 3-bracted, subternate ; the medial fertile, 

 the lateral sterile and changing into hooked bristles. Calyx 

 5-parted ; segments subequal, erect, hispid. Stamens 5, united 

 in a cup ; filaments subulate-linear ; staminodia 5, flat, toothed 

 or lacerate at apex, sometimes 2-fid, and sometimes produced 

 at back into an erect, slender, 2-fid appendage ; anthers 2- 

 celled. Ovary 1-ovuled ; style longish ; stigma capitate. Fruit 

 oblong, valveless, 1-seeded, enclosed in the calyx. — DC. Frod. 

 xiii. p. 2. p. 325. 



