DICHONDEACEAE, 355 



Family 2. DICHONDRACEAE Dumont. 



DiCHONDRA Family. 



Prostrate or creeping slender herbs, with nearly orbicular, cordate or 

 reniform, petioled entire leaves, and small solitary axillary peduncled flow- 

 ers. Sepals nearly equal. Corolla open-campanulate, deeply 5-lobed. 

 Stamens shorter than the corolla ; filaments filiform. Ovary villous, deeply 

 2-parted, each lobe 2-celled; styles 2, simple, arising from the bases of the 

 ovary-lobes; stigmas capitate. Fruit of two pubescent, 2-valved or inde- 

 hiscent, 1-2-seeded capsules. Only the following genus. 



1. DICHONDRA Forst. Char. Gen. 39. 1776. 



Characters of the family. [Greek, two-grained, referring to the capsules.] 

 About 5 species, of warm and tropical regions. Type species: Dichondra 

 repens Forst. 



1. Dichondra carolinensis Michx. Fl. Bor. Am. 1: 136. 1803. 



Somewhat pubescent, or glabrous; stems almost filiform, rooting at the 

 nodes, 1.5-6 dm. long. Leaves orbicular to reniform, deeply cordate, 6-30 mm. 

 in diameter, palmately veined, the petiole often much longer than the blade; 

 flowers '2-4 mm. broad; peduncles filiform; sepals obtuse, spatulate or obovate, 

 villous; corolla yellow to white, shorter than the sepals, its lobes ovate to 

 oblong; capsule 3 mm. high or less. 



Waste places and cultivated soils, Great Bahama, New Providence, Eleuthera, 

 Great Exuma and Crooked Island : — Bermuda ; Virginia to Florida and Texas. Referred 

 by previous authors to Dichondra repens Forst, Carolina Dichondra. SHEEr-GRASs. 



Family 3. CUSCUTACEAE Dumort. 



Dodder Family. 



White, red or yellow slender parasites, dextrorsely twining, the leaves 

 reduced to minute alternate scales. Calyx inferior, 5-lobed or 5-parted 

 (rarely 4-lobed or 4-parted), or of 5 distinct sepals. Corolla 5-lobed 

 (rarely 4-lobed), the tube bearing as many fimbriate or crenulate scales as 

 there are lobes and alternate with them, or these sometimes obsolete. 

 Stamens as many as the corolla-lobes, inserted in the throat or sinuses 

 above the scales; anthers short, ovate or oval, obtuse, 2-celled, the sacs 

 longitudinally dehiscent. Ovary, 2-celled; ovules 2 in each cavity; styles 2, 

 tenninal, separate, or rarely united below; stigmas linear or capitate. Cap- 

 sule globose or ovoid, circumscissile, irregularly bursting or indehiscent, 

 l--4-seeded. Seeds glabrous ; embryo linear, terete, cuiwed or spiral, its apex 

 bearing 1-4 minute alternate scales ; endosperm fleshy ; cotyledons none. 



1. ctrSCUTA [Tourn.] L. Sp. PI. 124. 1753. 



Characters of the family. The filiform twining stems are parasitic on 

 herbs and shrubs by numerous minute suckers. The seeds germinate in the 

 soil and the plantlet attaches itself to its host, its root and lower portion soon 

 perishing. The subsequent nutrition of the parasite is apparently wholly 

 through its suckers. Indications of a small amount of green coloring matter, 



