706 



CERATOPHYLLEyE. I. CERATOPHYLLUM. LYTHRARIE.&. 



Submersed Hornwort. Fl. Sept. Britain. PI. fl. 



;j C. PLATYCA'NTHUM (Cham, in Linnaea. 4. p. 504. t. 5. f. 

 (i. a.) fruit obovatc, winged, armed with 3 spines, with a few 

 teeth between the spines ; spines elongated, lateral ones flat. 

 I/. W. H. Native of California. C. demersum, Schlecht. fl. 

 berol. 1. p. 486. 



Broad-spmed Hornwort. PI. fl. 



4 C. OXYACA'NTHUM (Cham, in Linnaea. 4. p. 504. t. 5. f. 6. b.) 

 fruit elliptic, compressed, armed with 3 spines ; spines terete, 

 elongated. 1. W. H. Native of California ? 



Sharp-spined Hornwort. PL fl. 



5 C. MURICA'TUM (Cham, in Linntea. 4. p. 504. t. 5. f. 6. c.) 

 fruit elliptic, compressed, winged, muricated, armed with 3 

 spines; spines slender, weak ; wing narrow, many-toothed. I/. 

 W. H. Native of Egypt and California ? C. demersum, Sieb. 

 pi. aegypt. 



Muricated-fruhed Hornwort. PI. fl. 



6 C. TUBERCULA'TUM (Cham, in Linnaea. 4. p. 504. t. 5. f. 

 6. d.) fruit elliptic, rather compressed, finely tubercled, armed 

 with 3 spines ; spines slender, weak ; wing none. 1 . W. S. 

 Native of the East Indies. C. I'ndicum, Willd. herb. no. 17546. 



C. demersum, Klein. 

 76erc/erf-fruited Hornwort. PI. fl. 



7 C. APICULA'TUM (Cham, in Linnasa. 4. p. 504. t. 5. f. 6. e.) 

 fruit elliptic, compressed, armed with one spine, and furnished 

 with a tubercle on each side ; spine weak ; wing none. 3 . W. 

 H. Native of Europe. C. submersum, D. C. and Schkuhr 

 handb. t. 297. 



Apiculated Hornwort. PL fl. 



Cult. The plants of this genus grow in ponds, pools, or 

 ditches, but are not worth cultivating except in botanical gar- 

 dens. 



ORDER XCVI. LYTHRARIE^E (plants agreeing with Ly- 

 thrum in important characters). Juss. diet. sc. nat. 27. p. 453. 



D. C. mem. soc. gen. 3. pt. 2. p. 65. prod. 3. p. 75. Salicarieae, 

 Juss. gen. 330. Calycanthemae, Vent. tabl. 3. p. 298. Salica- 

 rinae, Link, enum. 1. p. 142. 



Calyx monosepalous (f. 106. a. f. 107. a.), with a tubular 

 (f. 107. a.) or campanulate tube; lobes valvate or separate in 

 aestivation, their sinuses sometimes lengthened into other lobes 

 (f. 106. b.), which are produced on the outside. Petals variable 

 in number (f. 106. e.\ inserted between the lobes of the calyx, 

 very deciduous ; sometimes wanting altogether. Stamens in- 

 serted into the tube of the calyx below the petals, to which they 

 are sometimes equal in number ; sometimes they are twice, 

 thrice, or even 4-times as numerous, but they are very seldom 

 fewer; anthers oval, 2-celled, inserted by the back (f. 106.). 

 Ovarium free, 2 or 4-celled. Style filiform ; stigma usually capi- 

 tate (f. 106. c.). Capsule membranous, covered by the calyx (f. 

 10 6. a.), 1 -celled, opening either longitudinally or in an irregular 

 manner. Seeds numerous, small, exalbuminous, adhering to the 

 central placenta. Embryo straight, with the radicle turned towards 

 the hylum, and the cotyledons flat and foliaceous. Herbs, rarely 

 shrubs. Branches terete, but most frequently tetragonal. Leaves 

 opposite, seldom alternate, entire, feather-nerved, without either 

 stipulas or glands. Flowers axillary, or in spikes or racemes 

 at the tops of the branches. This order is nearly allied to 

 Onagrariee, from which it is distinguished by the free, ribbed 

 calyx. It is also separated from Melastomaccce in the ovary 

 being free and in the different position of the veins of the leaves. 



A stringency is the property of Ly thrum Salicaria, which is 

 reputed to have been found useful in inveterate diarrhoeas ; 

 another species of the same genus is reputed, in Mexico, to be 

 astringent and vulnerary. The flowers of Lythrum Hunteri are 

 employed in India, mixed with Mor'inda, for dyeing, under the 

 name of Dhanry. The Mexicans consider Heimia salicifolia 

 a potent remedy in venereal diseases, and call it Hauchinol ; 

 its expressed juice, taken in doses of 4 ounces, excites violent 

 perspiration. Latvsunia inermis is the plant from which the 

 henna of Egypt is obtained. Women of that country stain the 

 nails of their fingers and feet with it. It is also used for dyeing 

 skins and maroquins reddish-yellow, and for many other pur- 

 poses. It contains no tannin. (Edinb. phil. journ. 12. p. 416.) 

 The leaves of Aaimdnnia vesicatoria have a strong muriatic smell, 

 they are extremely acrid, and are used by the native practi- 

 tioners of India to raise blisters in rheumatisms, &c. ; bruised 

 and applied to the part intended to be blistered, they perform 

 their office in half an hour, and most effectually. (Ainly 2. 

 p. 93.) 



Synopsis of the genera. 

 Tribe I. 



SALICARIE\JE. Lobes of calyx separate or somewhat vakate 

 in aestivation. Petals numerous (f. 106. e.). Alternate lobes of 

 calyx at the sinuses formed from the other lobes. Seeds n'ingless. 



1 ROTA'LA. Calyx tubular, 3-toothed. Petals none. Sta- 

 mens 3, inserted in the middle of the tube. Capsule 3-celled. 



2 CHRYTOTHE'CA. Calyx funnel-shaped, 4-cleft. Petals 4, 

 small, or wanting. Stamens 2, inserted in the bottom of the 

 calyx. Capsule 1 -celled. 



3 SUFFRE'NIA. Calyx campanulate, 4-lobed, and furnished 

 with a little tooth at each recess. Petals wanting. Stamens 2, in- 

 closed. Capsule 2-valved, hardly 2-celled. 



4 AMELE'TIA. Calyx campanulate, 8-Iobed, the 4 at the 

 sinuses tooth-formed. Petals wanting. Stamens 4. Capsule 

 1-celled, 2-valved. 



5 PE'PLIS. Calyx campanulate, 12-lobed, the 6 that rise 

 from the sinuses smaller. Petals 6, small. Stamens 6. Capsule 

 2-celled. 



6 AMMA'NNIA. Calyx campanulate, 8-14-toothed, those rising 

 from the sinuses the smallest. Petals 4-7, but sometimes want- 

 ing. Stamens equal in number to the petals, rarely twice that 

 number. Capsule 4-celled, or when mature only 1 -celled. 



7 LY'THRUM. Calyx 8-12-toothed, the alternate ones at the 

 sinuses smaller and spreading. Petals 4-6, equal, inserted in the 

 orifice of the calyx. Stamens equal in number, or twice the 

 number of the petals, inserted in the middle or at the base of the 

 calyx. Capsule 2-celled. 



8 CU'PHEA. Calyx tubular, 12-toothed. Petals 6-7, un- 

 equal. Stamens 11-14, rarely 6-7, unequal, inserted in the 

 orifice of the calyx. Capsule 1-2-celled. 



9 ACISANTHE'RA. Calyx ventricose, 5-cleft. Petals 5. Stamens 

 12. Capsule round, covered, and crowneM by the calyx, 2-celled. 



10 FATIO'A. Calyx campanulate, 6-eft, valvate in aestiva- 

 tion. Petals 6. Stamens 24, inserted in the bottom of the 

 tube. Ovary 3-celled. 



