TETRAXDRIA. MoNOGTNIA. 105 



tliickly covered with minute linear leaves; flowers axil- 

 lary 



Species. 1. C glabra? Said to have been found on 

 the American sea-coast. — A g'enusof^ species, (Persoon) 

 inhabiting- arid soils in Spain, Tartary, Iiuly, Hehetia? 

 and the (>ape of Good Hope. 



157. SYMPLOCARPUS. Sallsburij. Pothos/oj- 

 tida, Mich. (Skunk-cabbage.) 



Spatha ventrirose-ovate, acuminate. Spadix 

 roundisii, covtred with liermajdinxilte fliuer.s. 

 Calix deeply 4-pai*tt*(h persi.stent, sej^ments cu- 

 culLit'', truncate, becoming thick and spongy. 

 T'eUdsn, Style pyramidal, 4 HhW(\; stigma sim- 

 ple, minute. Seeds solitai-y, immersed in the 

 spijngy receptacle. 



Stemless and subaquatic; leaves very large, strongly 

 Vt-ined and enth'e, preceded by conspicuous sheathing 

 Stipules; scapes radical, appearing before tlie leaves; s[)a- 

 tha discoloured cahx, s'yle, and filum' nis persistent, en- 

 larging with the spongy receptacle. 



Root verticillately fibrous, iruncate. Leaves smooth, 

 and green, ovate-cordate, enlarging, proiected by large 

 glaucous, spatlmlatc-linguiforni, veinless bractes. Spa- 

 tha ovoid, roundish, cucullate, obliquely acuMunate, point 

 coarctate, plaited, involutely auiicuhitt ai the liase, lick 

 and spongy, livid purple, blotched and spotted witii pale 

 green. SpaJix pedunculate, simple, almost spherical. Brac- 

 tes none. Flowers tessellaiely imbricate, adnate. Calix 4- 

 parted, dvided to the base, segments cucullate, compres- 

 sed at the apex, emarginated, at length becoming very 

 thick. Petals none. Stamina 4, opposite the dlvis.ons of 

 the calix; filaments subulate, flat; anihers exserted, short, 

 oblong-oval, 2-celled. St) le thick, quadrangular, acumi- 

 nated; stigma minute, pubescent, snorter than the sta- 

 mina. Germ immersed, 1-seed-d. Seed naked, large, 

 round, inclosed in the common receptacle. Corculum 

 small, involute, erect, umbilicately attached to a large so- 

 Ih.I, carneous perisperm.f 



t The seed of the Symplocarpus does not appear to possess 

 any thing like a proper cotyledon, the embryo formed in the 

 exact posture of the growing plant, (with the radical down- 

 wards), differs not from it in any pariicuUir but that of size. In 



