642 DIAPENSIACEAE (l>I APENvSIA FAMILY) 



DIAPENSIACEAE (Diapensia Family) 



Loio perennial herbs or suffruticxdose tufted plants^ glabrous or nearly so, 

 loith simple leaves, no stipules, regular b-merous flowers {except the ^-celled 

 ovary), stamens adnate to the corolla and sometimes monadelphous (those oppo- 

 site its lobes when present reduced to staminodia); pollen simple; loculicidal 

 capsule and seeds of Ericaceae. Flowers solitary or racemose. Style 1, with 

 3-lobed stigma. — Distinguished from the Ericaceae chiefly by the insertion of 

 the stamens upon the corolla. 



Tribe I. DIAPENSiEAE. Dwarf woody evergreens, Avith small entire crowded coriaceous leaves. 

 Staminodia none; filaments adnate to the campanulate corolla up to the sinuses; anthers 2- 

 celled. Calyx conspicuously bracteolate. Flowers solitary. 



1. Diapensia. Flower (or at least fruit) on a scape-like peduncle. Anther-cells blunt, obliquely 



dehiscent. Sepals concave, coriaceous. 



2. Pyxidanthera. Flowers sessile on short leafy branchlets. Anther-cells awn-pointed at base, 



opening transversely. S»pals thin. 



Tribe II. GALACfNEAE. A caulescent, Avith creeping rootstocks sending up long-petioled ever- 

 green leaves, and a 1-several-flowered scape. Staminodia present. 



3. Galax. Calyx minutely 2-bracteolate. Stamens monadelphous ; anthers 1-celled. 



1. DIAPENSIA L. 



Corolla bell-shaped, 5-lobed ; lobes rounded. Filaments broad and flat, ad- 

 herent to the corolla up to the sinuses, short ; anthers adnate, of 2 ovoid cells, 

 diverging below. Cay^sule, inclosed in the calyx, cartilaginous ; cells few-seeded. 



— Alpine, growing in very dense convex tufts, the stems covered below by imbri- 

 cated cartilaginous narrowly spatulate mostly opposite leaves, and terminated by 

 a 1-flowered peduncle, 8-bracted under the calyx. Corolla white, 1.5-2 cm. wide. 

 (Said to be an ancient Greek name of the Sanicle, of obscure meaning, strangely 

 applied by Linnaeus to this plant.) 



1. D. Iapp6nica L. Leaves 5-15 mm. long; peduncle at length 1.5—3 cm. 

 long. — Alpine summits, N. E., N. Y., and northw. June, July. (Eurasia.) 



2. PYXIDANTHERA Michx. 



Prostrate and creeping, with narrowly oblanceolate and awl-pointed leaves, 

 mostly alterjiate on the sterile branches and somewhat hairy near the base. 

 Flowers solitary and sessile, very numerous, white or rose-color, (Name from 

 TTviiLi, a small box, and anthera, new Latin for anther, the anther opening as if 

 by a lid.) 



1. P. barbulata Michx. (Flowering Moss, Pvxie.) Leaves 3-8 mm. long, 



— Sandy pine barrens of N. J. to N. C. Apr., May. 



3. gAlax L. 



Calyx imbricate, persistent. Petals hypogynous, obovate-spatulate, rathei 

 erect, deciduous. Filaments united into a 10-toothed tube, slightly adhering to 

 the base of the petals, the 5 teeth opposite the petals naked, the alternate ones 

 shorter and l)earing roundisli anthers, which open across the top. Style short. 

 Cai)siile ovoid, 3-celled ; columella none. Seeds numerous, the cellular loose 

 coat taperiny; to each end. — Evergreen herb, with a thick matted tuft of scaly 

 creeping rootstocks, beset with fibrous red roots, sending up round-heart-shaped 

 crenate-tootlicd and veiny shining leaves (8-10 cm. wide), and a slender naked 

 .scape, 8-8 dm. high, bearint,^ a wand-like spike or raceme of small and minutely 

 bracted white flowers. (Name from 7ciXa, milk, — of no conceivable application 

 to this T)lant.) 



\. G. aphylla L. — Open woods, Va. to Ga. June. 



