378 Rubiaceae 



tube ovoid or globose, the limb minutely toothed or 

 wanting. Corolla rotate, 4-lobed. Stamens 4, alternate 

 with the corolla-lobes ; filaments short. Ovary 2-celled ; 

 ovules 1 in each cavity. Styles 2, short ; stigmas capi- 

 tate. Fruit biglobular, dry or fleshy, smooth, tubercu- 

 late or hispid, separating into 2 indehiscent carpels. 



* Annuals. 



1. G. Aparine L. Diffuse, weak, climbing over herbaceous 

 plants, setulose or hispidulous-roughened ; leaves in whorls of 

 7-8, oblong-lanceolate, obtuse or the upper acute, mucronate, 

 tapering to a rather narrow base, 15-45 mm. long ; flowers white 

 or whitish ; fruit thickly beset with whitish hooked hairs. 



Frequent on grassy hillsides in shady places. March-April. 



** Perennials. 



*- Fruit dry, smooth; flowers perfect. 



2. G. trifidum subbiflorum Wiegand. Perennial with slender 

 rootstock and slender weak wholly herbaceous ascending stems, 

 4 dm. high or less, much branched and intermangled, sharply 

 4-angled, somewhat scabrous ; leaves in 4's, linear-spatulate, very 

 unequal, 8-10 mm. long, obtuse, cuneate at the base, flaccid and 

 nearly smooth; pedicels capillary, equaling the leaves, nearly 

 glabrous, rarely 2-3-flowered ; corolla minute, white, its lobes 

 trifid, very obtuse; fruit glabrdus. 



Occasional in shady places, mostly in the interior valleys. 



*-*- Fruit dry, hispid. 



3. G. angustifolium Nutt. Suffrutescent at base, 3-8 dm. 

 high, with rigid virgate branches, glabrous or minutely scabrous; 

 leaves narrowly linear, 1-nerved, 12-20 mm. long ; dioecious ; 

 cymes small, in narrow panicles, the fertile ones more or less 

 condensed ; corolla dull white, about 3 mm. broad ; bristles of the 

 fruit about the length of the body. 



Frequent on sand-dunes along the seashore, and in the foothills, often 

 ascending to 4000 feet altitude. 



4. G. siccatum Wight. Somewhat suffrutescent below, 

 branched and bushy, sometimes reclining, the whole plant ciner- 

 eous-puberulent ; leaves linear, 8-16 mm. long, not rigid, barely 



