NITRARIACE^E. I. NITRARIA. REAUMURIACE.E. I. REAUMURIA. 



155 



sometimes in fascicles. Flowers in cymes, or solitary. The 

 affinity of Nitraria with Ficoidece is undoubtedly great, espe- 

 cially with Tetragonia; but its very different embryo, and the 

 peculiar aestivation of the petals, which is much more like that 

 of Rhdmnece remove it from that order. 



I. NITRA'RIA (so named by Schreber, who first found it 

 in Siberia, near the nitre works, with other marine plants). Lin. 

 gen. no. 632. Lam. ill. t. 403. Gaertn. fruct. 1. t. 58. D. C. 

 prod. 3. p. 456. 



LIN. SYST. Dodecdndria, Monogynia. Character the same 

 as that of the order. 



1 N. ScHOBE 1 RI (Lin. spec. C38.) leaves cuneate, obtuse, mu- 

 cronate, quite entire. J; . H. Native of Siberia, about the 

 nitre works ; and of the Soongarian desert, in salt fields every 

 where, and about Loktewsk, as well as on the borders of the 

 Caspian Sea. Pall. fl. ross. 1. t. 50. f. a and b. Lam. ill. t. 

 403. f. 1. Flowers white, disposed in panicled cymes. The 

 Siberian and Caspian varieties are not different, unless in the 

 more luxuriant growth of the Caspian kind, which is owing to 

 its growing in a more humid situation than that of the Siberian 

 variety. 



Schceber's Nitraria. Fl. May, Aug. Clt. 1778. Sh. 3 feet. 



2 N. TRIDENTA'TA (Desf. fl. all. 1. p. 372.) leaves cuneated, 

 retuse, somewhat tridentate at the apex ; drupes ovate. Tj . H. 

 Native of Barbary and Egypt, in sandy fields. Peganum re- 

 tusum, Forsk. ex. Dill. ill. fl.aegyp. Branches spinose. Flowers 

 white, in panicled cymes. Fruit red. 



Tridentate-leaved Nitraria. Clt. 1820. Shrub 1| foot. 



3 N. SENEGALE'NSIS (Lam. ill. t. 403. f. 2. diet. 4. p. 493.) 

 leaves obovate, obtuse, quite entire ; drupes trigonal. Jj . S. 

 Native of Senegal. Flowers white, in panicled cymes. This 

 species is easily distinguished from the rest by its pyramidal tri- 

 gonal drupe. 



Senegal Nitraria. Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



f A doubtful species. 



4 N. BILLARDIE'RII (D. C. prod. 3. p. 456.) leaves linear, 

 attenuated at the base, acutish, quite entire ; drupes ovate, acu- 

 minated. Tj . G. Native of New Holland. Very nearly allied 

 to N. Schoberi, Labill. mss. but very different from it in the 

 fruit being ovate conical, as well as from growing in a different 

 part of the world. 



La Billardier's Nitraria. Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



Cult. This is a genus of singular shrubs : they thrive best in 

 a sandy or gravelly soil, and should be occasionally refreshed 

 with salted water, or they will not flourish ; they may be in- 

 creased by layers ; or cuttings planted in sand, with a hand-glass 

 over them, strike root readily. The N. Senegalensis, being a 

 stove plant, and N. Billardieri should be grown in pots, in order 

 that they may be placed in their respective situations. 



ORDER CXVI. REAUMURIA'CEJi (plants agreeing with 

 Reaumuria in important characters). Reaumuriea, Ehrenberg in 

 ann. des. sc. 12. p. 78. (1827). Lindl. introd. hot. p. 48. 



Calyx 5-parted (f. 31. a.), surrounded externally by imbri- 

 cating bracteas. Petals 5 (f. 31. b.), hypogynous. Stamens de- 

 finite or indefinite (f. 3 1 .), hypogynous, with or without a hypo- 

 gynous disk; anthers peltate (f. 31. d.\ Ovarium superior. 

 Styles several (f. 31. /.) ; filiform or subulate. Fruit capsular 

 (f. 31. e.), with 2 or 5 valves, and as many cells, opening in the 

 middle of the cells. Seeds definite, villous. Embryo straight, 

 surrounded by a small quantity of mealy albumen, with the 



radicle next the hylum. Shrubs. Leaves fleshy, scale-like or 

 small, and alternate, without stipulas. Flowers solitary. Dr. 

 Ehrenberg suggests (ann. sc. 1. c.) that Reaumbria and Holo- 

 Idchna, both of which have according to him hypogynous sta- 

 mens, may constitute a little group to be called Reaumuriece. 

 The order appears to be more nearly related to Hypericinece 

 than to either Ficoidece or Nitrariacece, and ought perhaps to 

 have followed that order among the Thalamiflorce in vol. I. 

 From the former it chiefly differs in its succulent habit, and 

 definite villous seeds, agreeing with Reaumuria, at least even in 

 the obliquity of the veins of the petals, and in the leaves being 

 dotted. From Ficoidece its hypogynous stamens and seeds dis- 

 tinguish it ; from Tamariscinece, its plurilocular ovarium and 

 distinct styles ; from Nitrariacece, its erect villous seeds, dis- 

 tinct styles, and hypogynous stamens. Saline matter is present 

 in these plants in great abundance. 



Synopsis of the genera. 



} REAUMU V RIA. Calyx 5-parted (f. 31. a.), involucrated by 

 crowded leaves on the outside. Filaments indefinite (f. 38. J, 

 joined at the base into 5 bundles. 



2 HOIOLA'CHNA. Calyx 4-5-parted. Stamens 8-10, mona- 

 delphous. 



I. REAUMU'RIA (so named by Haselquist in honour of 

 Rene Antoine Ferchault de Reaumur, member of th,e Academy 

 of Sciences at Paris, &c. ; author of several Memoirs, Histoire 

 des Insects, &c. He died in 1757). Lin. gen. 686. Lam. ill. 

 489. D. C. prod. 3. p. 456. 



LIN. SYST. Polydndria, Pentagynia. Calyx 5-parted (f. 31. 

 a.), involucrated by leaves on the outside. Petals 5 (f. 31. 4.), 

 furnished with a ciliated appendage on each side at the base. 

 Ovarium distinct. Stigmas 5-6, filiform (f. 3 !._/".). Capsule 

 5-celled, 5-valved ; dissepiments easily separated from the valves. 

 Seeds 2 in each cell, very villous. Oriental shrubs, with fleshy, 

 alternate, glaucous, dotted leaves, exuding globules of a saline 

 alkali. Flowers solitary at the tops of the branches. 



1 R. VERMICULA'TA (Lin spec. 754.) leaves subulate, semi- 

 terete, imbricated, crowded on the branches. Tj . F. Native of 

 Sicily, Barbary, and Egypt, on the sea shore. Lam. ill. 489. f. 

 1. Desf. atl. 1. p. 481. Lob. icon. 380. Flowers white or 

 pale red. Habit of Chenopodum fruticbsum. Hairs on the seeds 

 rufous, and very stiff. 



Vermiculated Reaumuria. Fl. July, Oct. Clt. 1828. Sh. 1 ft. 



2 R. HYPERICOIDES (Willd. 

 spec. 2. p. 1250.) leaves lanceo- 

 late, flat, rather remote. fj . 

 F. Native of Syria, Tauria, and 

 Persia, in arid places. Lam, ill. 

 489. f. 2. Ker. hot. reg. t. 845. 

 Hypericum alternifolium, Labill. 

 syr. dec. 2. t. 10. R. linifolia, 

 Sal. par. lond. t. 18. R. cistoi- 

 des, Willd. enum. p. 578. R. ver- 

 miculata var. /3, and perhaps also 

 var. a, Bieb. fl. taur. 2. p. 17. 

 Buxb. cent. 2. t. 35. Flowers of 

 a purplish rose-colour. Hairs on 

 seeds woolly, (f. 31.) 



St. John' s-wort-like Reaumu- 

 ria. Fl. Jul. Oct. Clt. 1800. Sh. 

 1 to 2 feet. 

 x2 



FIG. 31. 



