ICOSANDRIA MONOGTNIA. 297 



sjvely tropical. They are amonj^st the most sing'ular of 

 veacetable productions, but scarcely all referrible to tlie 

 same genus. 



326. =^BARTONIA. 



Calix s!jperior, 5-cleft, persistent. Corolla 

 of 10 petals. Capsule cylindric-oblon,^, 1 -cell- 

 ed, summit flat, valvular: valvulce 3 in 7. Re- 

 ceptncular placenUz 3 to 7, parietal. Seeds nu- 

 merous, cofr. pressed, arranged horizontally in 

 a double series. 



Herbaceous; leaves alternate, pinnatifid, nsnerate; fl-^^vr^ 

 ers larg-e, terminal ana solitary, vespertine, (or expand- 

 ing- towarde sUH-set,) not dei^iJuoMo ur i»iHiccsi;cui. attcr 



closin.c-, but reopenino; at the usual time for several days 

 in succession, vxhen closed involute in a cone; small valves 

 of the capsule variable in number, but curre.>, ponding- with 

 the placentse, and the spiral striaturesof thesti;^ma; in the 

 germ there exists the rudiments of a columnar receptacle. 

 The whole plant turns blackish in drying", on the siig-ht- 

 cst wound it also exsudes a resinous sap which instantly 

 blackens in the uir. Pubc-acence compi>uudly barb«d 

 and tenacious, as appears lo be more or less the case in 

 the whole order of the Loaseje. 



Species. 1. B, ot-nata. Leaves lanceolate, interrupt- 

 edly pinn&tind; segments subacute; base of the capsule 

 foliose; valves 5 to 7; seeds i early without marg;in. B. 

 decGpetaki. Bot. Mag-. Obs. The wl.ole plant, except 

 the petals more or less scabrous with short barbed hairs. 

 Biennial; root loner, succulent and fusiform. Stem irre- 

 gularly ang-ular and much branched, 2 to 4 feet hip^h. 

 Leaves alternate, sessile, oblon.c^-lanceolate, interruptedly 

 and sinuately pinnatifid, 6 to 8 inches long; segments 3 to 

 6 lines in leng-ih, incurved, generally with 1 or 2 dentures 

 on the lower side; uppermost leaves ovate-lanceolate, or 

 dilated at the base. Calls inseparably investing the germ, 

 border 5-cleft, superior, segments lanceolaie, acumi- 

 nate, persistent, an inch long. Flowers odorous, yellow- 

 ish white, of uncommon magnitude alirost resembling 

 some species of Cacti's, solitary and terminal, sessile. 

 Petals 10, lanceolate-ovate, concave and spreading, con- 

 spicuously unguiculate, acute, numerously nerved, insert- 

 ed upon the ctlix, about 2 inches long, the 5 interior 

 somewhat smaller. Stamina very numerous, from 200 to 

 250 more or less, a little shorter than the corolla and ia; 



