figured in the London Flor. and Bot. Jllagazines. 103 



value of characters derived from the embryo as the basis of 

 classification in this large order, there is a great diversity of 

 opinion among botanists; and Dr. Torrey quotes the ideas of 

 several. He, however, seems to adopt De Oandolle's system. 



The affinities of the order are, disregarding the peculiarity of 

 the embryo, the only tribe of Plemorhizae with which it can 

 compared is .^rabideae, among Nortorhizs. Jt has but little 

 resemblance to any except a small section, (Arabidopsis,) to 

 the genus Sisymbrium, all of which have white flowers. Dr. 

 Torrey considers it more nearly related to Selenirt jYutt. than to 

 any other known genus. Like the L. aurea, only interesting in 

 botanical collections. 



Y,mpetrdcea:. 



EfMPETRVM Conradii Torrey 



Specific character. Evergreen, procumbent, and much branch- 

 ed; branches verticillate and fasciculate. Leaves, coriaceous, 

 crowded towards the summit of the branches, opposite somewhat 

 verticillate, and alternate. Male Flowers, sessile in the axils 

 of the leaves of the lower branches. Perianths, composed of 

 five or six oblong or obovate oblong, smoothish scales, the inner 

 ones scarcely petaloid, forming an oval bud, from the apex of 

 which the stamens protrude. Stamens, mostly three, sometimes 

 four; filaments, two lines long, slender, smooth, inserted into a 

 minute receptacle; anthers, roundish, 2-celled, opening longi- 

 tudinally on the outside, no rudiment of an ovary. Fertile 

 Flowers, inconspicuous, collected in very small heads at the 

 summit of the branches. Each head composed often or twelve 

 flowers, surrounded with a number of short, brownish, concave 

 bracts. Scales of the perianth, about five, obovate, obtuse; the 

 inner ones smaller, tinged rose-color, nearly smooth. Ovary^ 

 obovate, 3 — 4 celled, each cell containing a single ovule; style 

 three times as long as the ovary, purplish-red, cleft below the 

 middle. 



This species inhabits sandy fields in pine barrens, near Cedar 

 Bridge, Monmouth County, New Jersey! also near Pemberton 

 Mills, about ten miles from Burlington in the same state. 



A pretty and interesting plant, first discovered by the late S. 

 W. Conrad, Esq., Professor of Botany in the University of 

 Pennsylvania, a short time before his death. Dr. Torrey gives 

 the following account of the plant: — 



" My friend Dr. Pickering, of Philadelphia, supplied me with 

 some of Mr. Conrad's specimens, on which were a few male 

 flowers, and afterwards the same plant, without fructification, was 

 communicated to me by INIr. Rafinesque. A careful examina- 

 tion of the scanty materials placed in my hands, soon convinced 

 me that this little evergreen belonged to the order Empetrese of 



