630 



RUBIACE^E. CXCIV. MITRACARPUM. 



Asparagus-like Psyllocarpus. Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



4 P. THYMBRO!DES (Mart. 1. c. p. 46.) shrub much branched; 

 branches squarrose, downy ; leaves downy, in fascicles ; flowers 

 terminal, somewhat spicate ; calyxes hairy. fj . S. Native of 

 Brazil, in the province of Minas Geraes, on Serra de Gran Mo- 

 gol. Flowers azure blue. 



Thymbra-like Psyllocarpus. Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



Cult. See Richardsbnia, p. 628. for culture and propagation. 



CXCIV. MITRACA'RPUM (from furpa, mitra, a girdle, or 

 ring, and Kapirof, karpos, a fruit ; in allusion to the fruit being 

 cut round about in the middle). Zuccar. in Roem. et Schultes, 

 syst. 3. p. 210. Q827.). Cham, et Schlecht. in Linnaca. 3. p. 

 358. A. Rich. mem. soc. hist. nat. par. 5. p. 151. t. 14. f. 4. 

 D. C. prod. 4. p. 571. Crusea, Cham, in litt. 1829. Schizan- 

 gium, Bartl. in herb. Haenke. Staurospe'rmum, Thonn. in 

 Schum. pi. guin. (1827.) p. 73. Spermacoce species of 

 authors. 



LIN. SYST. Tetrdndria, Monogynia. Calyx with an ovate 

 tube, and a 4-toothed, permanent limb ; 2 of the teeth are usu- 

 ally larger than the other 2, which are always small, or nearly 

 obsolete. Corolla salver-shaped, with a terete tube, which is 

 furnished near the base inside with a circular line of hairs, a 

 glabrous throat, and a 4-lobed limb. Anthers exserted, or in- 

 closed. Stigma bifid. Capsule membranous, crowned by the 

 calyx, 2-celled, circumcised round the middle. Seeds solitary 

 in the cells, basilar, partly fixed to the dissepiment. Herbs or 

 sub-shrubs, with the habit of Spermacoce, all naiives of Ame- 

 rica, except one species from Africa. Leaves opposite. Sti- 

 pulas combined with the petioles a little way, and ending in many 

 bristles. Flowers in dense, verticillate, axillary and terminal 

 heads, the latter always involucrated by 4 leaves. Corollas 

 white. 



1 . Two of the calycine teeth are large, and two small. 

 * Suffruticose and herbaceous perennial plants. 



1 M. HUMBOLDTIA'NUM (Cham, et Schlecht. in Linnaea. 3. p. 

 358. t. 3. f. 1.) erect; branches nearly terete, downy while 

 young, but glabrous in the adult state ; leaves linear-oblong, or 

 lanceolate, pubescent or hairy on both surfaces ; stipulas with 

 5 stift' bristles on each side, naked at the apex ; flowers disposed 

 in dense verticillate heads ; heads numerous, distant, terminal 

 and axillary ones alike ; the two large teeth of the calyx are 

 subulate, and ciliated. 1? . S. Native of New Spain, on Silla 

 de Caraccas ; and of Brazil, in sand by the sea-side, at Rio 

 Janeiro. The specimens from Caraccas are more hairy than the 

 Brazil plant, which is trailing. Spermac6ce frigida, Willd. in 

 Roem. et Schultes, 3. p. 531. Kunth, nov. gen. 3. p. 349. 

 Flowers white. 



Humboldl's Mitracarpum. PI. 2 to 3 feet. 



2 M. SELLOWIA'NUM (Cham, et Schlecht. in Linna-a. 3. p. 

 361.) stem diffuse, much branched, clothed more or less with 

 white hairs ; leaves oblong or lanceolate, sessile, cuspidate, sca- 

 brous on both surfaces ; stipulas cleft into many stiff bristles, 

 membranous and villous at the base ; heads terminal, dense, invo- 

 lucrated by 4 leaves, which are 2 or 3 times longer than the head. 

 Native of Brazil, about Rio Grande do Sul, Monte Video, &c. ; 

 in the Pampas of Buenos Ayres and Cordova. Capsule glabrous. 

 The 2 larger teeth of the calyx are scabrous, erect, and subulate, 

 with a very few additional denticulations. Flowers white. Leaves 

 varying from 2 to 4 lines broad. Stem usually very villous, but 

 sometimes almost glabrous, as well as the leaves. 



Sello's Mitracarpum. PI. diffuse. 



3 M. SALZMANNIA'NUM (D. C. prod. 4. p. 571.) stems diffuse, 

 much branched, hispid from spreading stiffish hairs ; leaves 

 ovate-lanceolate, scabrous on both surfaces, setigerous at the 

 apex ; stipulas villous, membranous at the base, cleft into many 



stiffish bristles ; flowers disposed in dense, verticillate heads, the 

 ultimate or terminal head round, and involucrated by 2-4 leaves, 

 which are hardly longer than the head. 1. S. Native of 

 Brazil, in sand by the sea-side, at Bahia, where it was collected 

 by Salzmann. Very like M. Sellonianum, but differs in the 

 characters indicated, as well as in the seeds being paler and one- 

 half smaller. Flowers white. 



Salzmann's Mitracarpum. PL diffuse. 



4 M. SCHIZA'NGIUM (D. C. prod. 4. p. 572.) suffruticose ; 

 branches sub-tetragonal, downy ; leaves oblong-lanceolate, acu- 

 minated, scabrous on both surfaces, and on the margins ; sti- 

 pulas villous and membranous at the base, cleft in many stiff 

 bristles : heads of flowers terminal and axillary, verticillate ; the 

 former involucrated by 4 leaves. Tj . S. Native of Mexico, 

 where it was collected by Haenke. Schizangium durum, Bartl. 

 in herb. Hsenke. Leaves 24-27 lines long, and 4 broad. Teeth 

 of calyx acuminated, scabrous. Flowers white. 



Cut-capsuled Mitracarpum. Shrub diffuse. 



5 M. CUSPIDA'TUM (D. C. prod. 4. p. 572.) stems ascending, 

 branched, downy ; leaves linear, cuspidate by a straight mu- 

 crone, almost veinless, glabrous ; bristles of stipulas 3-5, stiff, 

 longer than the sheath ; heads of flowers hemispherical, terminal, 

 3-4 times shorter than the bracteas ; calyx with 2 cuspidate 

 teeth, and 3-4 nearly abortive ones. 1. S. Native of Monte 

 Video ; and of Chili, at Maldanado, in the Banda Oriental. 

 Stem hardly a hand high, suffruticose at the base. Heads of 

 flowers 4 lines in diameter. Floral leaves 9 lines long, and a 

 line broad. Tube of the corolla almost double the length of 

 the calycine teeth. Flowers white. 



Cuspidate -leaved Mitracarpum. PL ascending. 



6 M. VIRGA'TUM (Cham, et Schlecht. in Linnaa. 3. p. 363.) 

 stem suffruticose, erect, and are, as well as the branches, terete 

 and glabrous : leaves linear, very narrow, flaccid ; stipulas of 

 two colours, ciliated ; corollas long, tubular; stamens exserted. 

 fj . S. Native of Brazil. Spermacoce virgata, Willd. in Rcem. 

 et Schultes, syst. 3. p. 281. and 531. mant. 3. p. 205. Spreng. 

 syst. 1. p. 401. Flowers white. Leaves 6-8 in a whorl, accord- 

 ing to Link, but are probably only in axillary fascicles. 



Twiggy Mitracarpum. Shrub 1 foot. 



7 M. DIFFU'SUM (Cham, et Schlecht. in Linnaea. 3. p. 363.) 

 stems suffruticose, procumbent, terete, hairy ; leaves lanceolate, 

 beset with retrograde asperities on both surfaces, and serrulately 

 ciliated on the margins ; flowers capitate and verticillate ; the 2 

 larger lobes of the calyx exceeding the corolla, which is salver- 

 shaped ; capsule smoothish. fy . S. Native of South America, 

 in woods about the Orinoco and Apure. Flowers white ; stamens 

 exserted ; seeds oblong. 



Diffuse Mitracarpum. Shrub diffuse. 



8 M. SAGR^A'NUM (D. C. prod. 4. p. 572.) plant suffruticose, 

 twisted and tufted, clothed with fine down ; leaves oblong : 

 heads of flowers axillary and terminal, the latter girded by 4 

 leaves : lobes of calyx 4, 2 large concave and blunt, and 2 

 small. J? . S. Native of Cuba, near the Havannah, where it was 

 collected by Ramon de La Sagra. Flowers white. Seeds 

 brown, hollow in front, and marked by 4 small rays. 



Ramon de La Sagra's Mitracarpum. Shrub tufted. 



9 M. SENEGALE'NSE (D. C. prod. 4. p. 572.) glabrous; stem 

 erect, suffruticose at the base, rather tetragonal ; leaves oblong, 

 acuminated at both ends : stipulas furnished with 2-3 teeth on 

 both sides ; flowers disposed in capitate whorles ; calyx with 4 

 teeth, 2 long and acute, and 2 small. T? . ? Q.I F. Native 

 of Senegal, on the banks of the river at Walo, where it was col- 

 lected by Bade, Perrottet, and Leprieur ; and in other parts of 

 Guinea, by Thonning. Oldenlandia verticillata, Bade, in litt. 

 Staurospermum verticillatum, Thonn. in Schum. pi. guin. p. 73. 

 Flowers white. Seeds small, nearly globose, pale, umbilicate in 



