624 



RUBIACEJE. CLXXXVIII. DIODIA. 



in Real del Monte, where it was collected by Haenke. Leaves 

 ly to 2 inches long, and a line broad. Corolla 6 lines long. 

 Ovarium 3 lines long. 



Narrow-leaved Hexasepalum. Shrub 2 to 3 feet. 



Cult. See Borreria, p. 618. for culture and propagation. 



CLXXXVIII. DIO'DIA (from SioSog, diodes, a passage ; the 

 greater part of the species grow by way sides, hence the name). 

 Lin. gen. no. 122. Gaertn. fruct. I. p. 121. t. 25. Meyer, 

 esseq. p. 81. Cham, et Schlecht. in Linnsea. 3. p. 341. D. C. 

 prod. 4. p. 561. Diodia and Spermacoce species of authors. 



LIN. SYST. Tetrandria, Monogy'nia. Calyx with an obovate 

 or ovate tube, which is usually 8-nerved ; limb dentately parted'; 

 teeth sometimes 2, sometimes 4, equal or unequal, cruciately 

 disposed, rarely more than 4. Corolla funnel-shaped, with a 4- 

 lobed limb. Stamens 4, exserted or inclosed. Style bifid or 

 undivided. Fruit 2-celled, crowned by the calyx, divisible into 

 2 1 -seeded indehiscent parts or nuts. Seeds erect in the cells, 

 furrowed in the front. Herbs or subshrubs, all natives of Ame- 

 rica except one species. Branches terete or tetragonal. Leaves 

 opposite, or falsely verticillate from axillary fascicles. Flowers 

 small, white, disposed in various ways in the different sections. 



SECT. I. EUDIODIA (from eu, well, and Diodia; this section is 

 considered to contain the true species of the genus). D. C. prod. 

 4. p. 561. Capsules crustaceous or somewhat fleshy ; having 

 the mericarps or nuts separate, without any dissepiment between 

 them. Flowers axillary, sessile, opposite ; or 2 or more on each 

 side verticillate. 



* Calyx bidentate. Diodia, Gron. Lin. Michx. Pursh. 



1 D. VIRGI'NICA (Lin. spec. 151.) glabrous in every part; 

 stems procumbent, nearly terete ; leaves lanceolate ; lobes of 

 stipulas linear-subulate ; corollas rather hairy inside ; fruit ovate- 

 oblong, glabrous, crowned by the 2 lanceolate lobes of the calyx. 

 2 . F. Native from Virginia to Carolina, in humid sandy places. 

 Jacq. icon. rar. 1. t. 29. Lam. ill. t. 63. Pursh, fl. sept. amer. 

 1. p. 105. Stems reddish, smooth. Flowers white. 



Virginian Diodia. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1820. PL proc. 



2 D. TETRAGONA (Walt, fl. virg. p. 87. Ell. sketch. 1. p. 190.) 

 stems procumbent, rather angular, smoothish ; leaves ovate-cor- 

 date ; lobes of stipulas linear-subulate ; corollas hairy inside ; 

 fruit rather hairy, crowned by the 2 lobes of the calyx. If. . F. 

 Native of Carolina, frequent in humid places. D. Virginica, 

 Michx. fl. 1. p. 81. ex Ell. Flowers white. 



ZeJragonfl^-stemmed Diodia. PI. procumbent. 



3 D. HIRSU'TA (Pursli, fl. amer. sept. 1. p. 106.) plant very 

 hairy ; stems procumbent, tetragonal ; leaves linear-lanceolate ; 

 lobes of stipulas setaceous ; corolla densely bearded inside ; fruit 

 ovate, hairy, crowned by the 2 linear-subulate lobes of the calyx. 

 I/ . F. Native of Georgia, Louisiana, and Carolina, in sandy 

 fields. Ell. sketch. 1. p. 191. D. hispida, Muhl, cat. ex Ell. 

 D. oblonga, Rafin. fl. hid. p. 80. ? Flowers white. Stem much 

 branched. 



Hairy Diodia. PI. procumbent. 



4 D. SI'MPLEX (Swartz, fl. ind. occ. 1. p. 226.) stems herba- 

 ceous, erectish, smooth, simple ; leaves oblong-lanceolate, gla- 

 brous ; lobes of stipulas linear-subulate ; fruit ovate-oblong ; 

 limb of calyx bidentate : teeth linear. TJ. . ? F. Native of Ja- 

 maica, on the higher mountains. Leaves ciliated on the margins 

 while young. Flowers sessile, solitary, axillary, white. 



Simple-stemmeA Diodia. PI. 1 to 1| foot. 



5 D. VERTICILLA'TA (Vahl, symb. 2. p. 28.) glabrous; stem 

 herbaceous, simple, erect, smooth ; leaves lanceolate, attenuated 

 at both ends, with scabrous margins ; stipulas ciliated ; flowers 

 verticillate ; fruit linear, crowned by the 2 calycine teeth. 



Native of the Island of Santa Cruz. The leaves are said to be 

 in whorles within the stipulas, hence they are probably in axillary 

 fascicles. Flowers white, in axillary and terminal whorles : the 

 latter the largest. It is probably a species of Borreria from the 

 terminal whorl of flowers being larger than the axillary ones. 



Whorled-fio\\ereA Diodia. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1821. PI. 

 1 foot. 



6 D. VILLOSA (Moc. et Sesse, fl. mex. icon. ined. ex D. C. 

 prod. 4. p. 562.) stem herbaceous, declinate, tetragonal, villous ; 

 leaves lanceolate, acuminated, scabrous above and on the mar- 

 gins, hairy beneath, and obliquely nerved ; bristles of stipulas 

 scabrous, longer than the sheath ; whorles axillary, sessile, 1 0- 

 1 2-flowered ; fruit ovate, easily separated into 2 parts, crowned 

 by the 2 teeth of the calyx. Native of New Spain. Sperma- 

 coce declinata, Pavon, ined. Habit of Spermacoce teniiior, but 

 the fruit is composed of 2 indehiscent nuts, each crowned by one 

 calycine tooth. 



Villous Diodia. PI. declinate. 



* * Calyx 4-toothed. 



7 D. TE'RES (Walt. car. p. 87.) stem terete, velvety, procum- 

 bent ; leaves linear-lanceolate, clothed with velvety down ; lobes 

 of stipulas setaceous, longer than the fruit; corolla bearded in-' 

 side ; fruit ovate, downy, crowned by the 4 lanceolate calycine 

 lobes. O- H. Spermacoce diodina, Michx. fl. amer. bor. 1. p. 

 82. Torr. fl. un. st. 1. p. 170. Leaves with scabrous edges and 

 keel. Flowers white, solitary, sessile. 



Terete-stemmed Diodia. PI. procumbent. 



8 D. HYSSOPIFOLIA (Cham, et Schlecht. in Linnaea. 3. p. 342.) 

 plant suffruticose, branched ; branches nearly terete, hairy ; 

 leaves linear, acute, glabrous, glaucescent ; bristles of stipulas 

 equal in length to the fruit ; whorles usually 6-flowered ; fruit 

 obovately turbinate, downy. T; . S. Native on the banks of 

 the Orinoco, near San Borja in hot places. Spermacoce hyssopi- 

 f61ia, H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 3. p. 342. Willd. in 

 Rcem. et Schultes, syst. 3. p. 532. Said to be allied to D. 

 teres. Flowers white. 



Hyssop-leaved Diodia. Shrub. 



9 D. PROSTRA V TA (Swartz, fl. ind. occ. 1. p. 228.) stem suf- 

 fruticose, subdivided ; branches prostrate, tetragonal, filiform, 

 rather hairy at the apex ; leaves linear, rather hairy, with revo- 

 lute edges; lobes of stipulas setaceous, intermixed with pili, 

 which rise from the sheath ; fruit ovate, downy, crowned by the 

 4 short lobes of the calyx. Tj . S. Native of Jamaica. D. 

 procumbens, Swartz in herb. L'Her. D. prostrata, Spreng. ex- 

 clusive of the species from Hispaniola. Flowers white. 



Far. ft, longiseta (D. C. prod. 4. p. 562.) bristles of stipulas 

 longer than the sheath ; branches hispid. T? S. Native of 

 Mexico. D. prostrata, Bartl. in herb. Haenke, ex D. C. 1. c. 



Prostrate Diodia. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1818. Sh. prostrate. 



10 D. DOMINGE'NSIS (D. C. prod. 4. p. 563.) glabrous; 

 branches and stems procumbent, tetragonal, filiform ; leaves 

 linear, with revolute margins ; bristles of stipulas stiff. Native 

 of St. Domingo, where it was collected by Bertero. Di6dia 

 prostrata, ex Hispaniola, Spreng. syst. 1. p. 406. Flowers and 

 fruit unknown, and therefore the genus to which it belongs is 

 doubtful. Nearly allied to D. prostrata. 



St. Domingo Diodia. Shrub procumbent. 



11 D. SCA'NDENS (Swartz, fl. ind. 1. p. 230.) stem suffruti- 

 cose, climbing ; branches very long, tetragonal, smoothish ; 

 leaves ovate-lanceolate, scabrous, at length rather muricated 

 above ; bristles of stipulas stifHsh ; fruit ovate-oblong, crowned 

 by the 4 lanceolate calycine teeth. Tj . S. Native of St. Do- 

 mingo. Leaves muricated above, almost as in boragineous 

 plants. Flowers white, sessile, 4-6-together, axillary. 



Climbing Diodia. Shrub cl. 8 to 10 feet. 



