662 



RUBIACE^E. CCXVIII. VAILLANTIA. CCXIX. POMAX. CCXX. OPERCULARIA. 



CCXVII1. VAILLA'NTIA (so named in honour of Sebas- 

 tien Vaillant, an eminent French botanist, and demonstrator at 

 the botanic garden, Paris, author of Discours sur la Structure 

 des Fleurs, 1718, and Botanicum Parisiense, 1723, 8vo., and 

 1726, fol. &c.). D. C. fl. fr. 4. p. 266. Roam, et Schultes, syst. 

 3. p. 14. and p. 74. A. Rich. mem. soc. hist. nat. Par. 5. p. 

 134. t. 11. f. 2. D. C. prod. 4. p. 613. Valantia, Tourn. act. 

 acad. sc. 1705. Mich. gen. 13. t. 17. Moench. meth, p. 639. 

 Valantia species, Lin. Vaillantia species, Waldst. et Kit. 



LIN. SYST. Polygdmia, Monce"cia. Flowers by threes ; mid- 

 dle one fertile, hermaphrodite, and the two lateral ones male, 

 and combined with the middle one. Tube of calyx ovate ; limb 

 denticulated, permanent, the denticulations many, irregular and 

 stiff. Corollas rotate ; male ones trifid, and the hermaphrodite 

 one quadrifid. Stamens 3-4. Styles 2 in the hermaphrodite 

 flower ; stigmas capitate. Fruit 3-horned, in consequence of 

 the ovaria of the three flowers being combined ; the lateral 

 horns sterile, and the middle one biovulate, but usually only 

 1-seeded at maturity. Annual branched herbs. Stems te- 

 tragonal. Leaves oval, opposite, and stipulas 2, very like the 

 leaves, forming a 4-leaved whorl. Flowers 3 in each axil, 

 sessile, small, yellow, therefore they appear 6 in a whorl. 

 According to the observation of A. Richard, the seeds are 

 half naked at maturity from the rupturing of the mericarp. 



1 V. MURA'LIS (Lin. spec. p. 1490.) stem, leaves, and calyxes 

 glabrous. . H. Native of the south of Europe, in dry 

 rocky places, and on old walls ; on the whole coast of Tuscany ; 

 on the sandy shores of the County of Nice ; and in the south of 

 France, about Nemours ; also about Montpelier and Leghorn. 

 Sibth. et Smith, fl. grsec. 137. V. quadrifolia, Moench. meth. p. 

 (HO. Sabb. hort. 1. 1. 83. Mich. gen. 13. t. 7. Mor. oxon. 

 .'i. sect. 9. t. 21. f. 2. Col. ecphr. t. 297. Angles of fruit 

 fringed. 



Wall Cross-wort. Fl. May, July. Clt. 1739. PI. foot. 



2 V. HispiDA (Lin. spec. p. 1490.) stem hispid; leaves cili- 

 ated; calyxes pilose. O- H. Native of TenerifFe, south of 

 Spain, Italy, Balearic Islands, Candia, Barbary, &c. in hedges 

 and fields. Sibth. et Smith, fl. grsec. t. 138. Galium hispidum 

 and G. blepharophon, Roem. et Schultes, syst. 3. p. 249. Fruit 

 prickly. Lateral horns of fruit smaller. 



Var. /3, aculeata (D. C. prod. 4. p. 614.) plant larger; fruit 

 glabrous, longer than the denticulations of the calyx. Q. H. 

 Native of the kingdom of Naples, among rubbish and on old 

 walls. 



Hispid Cross-wort. Fl. May, July. Clt. 1768. PI. i to f 

 foot. 



Cult. Sow the seeds on an old wall or on rock-work, or in any 

 dry sandy soil and situation. 



Tribe XIII. 



OPERCULARIE^ (this tribe contains .plants whose fruit 

 opens by an operculum). A. Rich. mem. soc, hist. nat. Par. 5. 

 p. 142. D. C. prod. 4. p. 614. Operculariae, Juss. ann. mus. 

 4. p. 418. and 10. p. 328. Opercularia Gartn. fruct. 1. p. 111. 

 t. 24. Flowers combined : having the calycrne tubes resembling at 

 length a peculiar operculum. Corollas 3-5-cleft. Stamens 1-5 ; 

 filaments hardly adnate to the tube of the corolla at the base. 

 Style short; stigmas 2, slender, elongated, acute. Fruit 1 -celled 

 and 1-seeded by abortion, combined, 2-valved (f. 112. &.), at 

 length dehiscing. Herbs or subshrubs, usually natives of Aus- 

 tralia. Leaves opposite. Stipulas twin on both sides, distinct 

 or combined. Flowers combined into a head, girded by a par- 

 tial, many-toothed involucrum. Heads of flowers sometimes um- 

 bellate and pedunculate, and sometimes sessile and capitate, usu- 

 ally girded by a universal involucrum. This tribe agrees with 

 Spermacocece in habit and stigmas, but the number of sta- 



mens is variable, and therefore it approaches the order Vale- 

 rianece. 



CCXIX. PO'MAX (from Trwfia, poma, an operculum ; in 

 reference to the operculum to the fruit). Soland. in Gaertn. 

 fruct. 1. p. 111. t. 24. A. Rich. mem. soc. hist. nat. Par. 5. p. 

 145. t. 13. f. 1. D. C. prod. 4. p. 615. Opercularise floribus 

 umbellatis, Juss. ann. mus. 4. p. 418. 



LIN. SYST. Mono-Tetrandria, Monogynia. Limb of calyx 

 wanting. Corolla 3-4-cleft. Stamens 1-4. Seeds wrinkled 

 from tubercles. SufFrutescent herbs. Leaves opposite, fur- 

 nished with one leaf-formed stipula on each side. Peduncles 7- 

 10, terminal, umbellate, involucrated by the 2 floral leaves and 

 4 small stipulas, bearing at their tops a small distinct head of 

 flowers each ; heads girded by a blunt 8-10-toothed involucrum. 

 Flowers 3 within each partial involucrum, joined together by the 

 tubes of the calyxes. 



1 P. HIRTA (D. C. prod. 4. p. 615.) branches, leaves, pedun- 

 cles, and involucra hispid ; leaves oblong-linear. I? . G. Na- 

 tive of New Holland. Pomax umbellata, Sol. 1. c. Opercularia 

 umbellata, Geertn. fruct. 1. p. 112. t. 24. Lam. ill. t. 58. f. 1. 

 Juss. mem. mus. 10. p. 426. Sieb. nov. holl. no. 250. 



Hairy Pomax. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1826. PL | to 1 ft. 



2 P. OLA' BRA (D. C. 1. c.) plant glabrous in every part ; leaves 

 elliptic, attenuated at the base. ^ . G. Native of New Hol- 

 land, about Port Jackson. Stipulas smaller than in the preced- 

 ing species. 



Glabrous Pomax. Shrub 1 foot. 



Cult. The species of this genus grow best in a mixture of 

 loam, peat, and sand ; and cuttings root freely under a hand- 

 glass. 



CCXX. OPERCULARIA (from operculum, a lid; in refer- 

 ence to the operculate calyx). A. Rich. mem. soc. hist. nat. 

 Par. 5. p. 144. t. 13. f. 2. D. C. prod. 4. p. 615. Rubioides, 

 Soland. 1. c. Cryptospermum, Young, in Lin. trans. 3. p. 30. 

 Opercularia and Cryptospermum, Pers. Operculariae flori- 

 bus capitatis, Juss. 



LIN. SYST. Mono-Pentandria, Monogynia. Limb of calyx 

 3-4-lobed. Corolla 3-5-cleft. Stamens 1-5. Seeds nearly 

 smooth. Herbs suffruticose at the base. Leaves opposite, fur- 

 nished with distinct stipulas on both sides. Heads of flowers 

 globose, terminal, or rising from the forks of the branches, pe- 

 dunculate, or nearly sessile. Universal involucrum wanting, or 

 composed of the 2 upper leaves and 4 small stipulas. Partial 

 involucra acutely 8-10-toothed. 



1 O. HISPIDA (Spreng. syst. 1. p. 385.) stems diffuse, fur- 

 rowed, tetragonal, rough from numerous hairs ; leaves small, 

 ovate, pilose ; heads pedunculate, rising from the forks of the 

 branches, drooping. ^ . G. Na- 

 tive of New Holland. O. aspera, 



Juss. ann. mus. 4. p. 427. t. 70. 

 f. 1 . Universal involucrum want- 

 ing; partial ones 8-10-toothed, 

 each containing 3-5 flowers. Co- 

 rolla 5- cleft, monandrous or di- 

 androus, white. 



Hispid Opercularia. Fl. Ju. 

 July. Clt. 1790. PI. diffuse. 



2 O. SESSILIFLORA (JuSS. 1. C. 



p. 427. t. 170. f. 2.) glabrous; 

 stems diffuse, slender, hardly 

 furrowed ; leaves linear ; heads 

 of flowers small, hemispherical, 

 sessile in the forks of the branches 

 11 . G. Native of New Holland. 



FIG. 112. 



