AMARANTACE^E 183 



persistent. Receptacle conical or subglobose, hairy. Involucral scales densely 

 covered with white hairs. Corolla violet-blue, rarely pink, rather sweet-scented, 

 in terminal heads, with sometimes axillary and sessile ones. Upper lip much 

 shorter than the lower. 



Dry, stony hills, especially on limestone. November-March, and sometimes 

 nearly all the year. 



Q. Willkommii Nym, = Q. vulgaris L. Stem herbaceous, simple, 

 erect, glabrous, 4-12 in. high, with numerous alternate, small, sessile, lanceolate- 

 acute leaves. Root-leaves large, oboval, emarginate or tridentate, narrowed 

 into a long petiole. Flowers blue in small globular heads. Upper lip of corolla 

 much shorter than the lower one. Strictly a sub-species of vulgaris. 



Dry banks and hill-sides from the shore to the mountains. March-June. 



Q. cordifolia L. Stem woody, branching, creeping and rooting; with 

 rosettes of numerous leaves, which are rather fleshy, cordate-cuneiform or tri- 

 dentate at the apex and prolonged into a long petiole. Flowers blue or rarely 

 white, in dense heads ; upper and lower lips nearly equal. Receptacle conical, 

 glabrous. In the Maritime Alps to within 800 m. of the sea. April-July, i 



Q. nana Lamk. A smaller, prostrate, more woody plant, forming dense mats 

 covered with shortly peduncled heads of blue flowers. Leaves very small and 

 close, club-shaped, entire (not obcordate or tridentate). Calyx densely hispid. 

 Often considered a var. of the last, but obviously distinct, and never found in the 

 Alps nor in central Europe. 



Rocky ridges in the limestone mountains. May-July. Mont Faron, Sainte- 

 Baume, Moriere near Sollies-Toucas, Montrieux, etc. 



Division III. APETAL^E OR INCOMPLET/E. 



PHYTOLACCACE.E. 



PHYTOLACCA L. 



P. decandra L. (Prov. Rasine, FT. Raisin d'Amerique). A glabrous and 

 often purplish plant, 3-6 ft. high. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, large, alternate. 

 Flowers whitish-pink, in long opposite leafy clusters. Fruit black or blackish- 

 red, of 10 ridges or carpels. 



Naturalized here and there in waste and cultivated ground. June-August. 



P. dioica L. This S. American tree does well in the 3 lies d'Hyeres. 



AMARANTACE^. 



Stamens free. Leaves oval or rhomboidal, alternate AMARANTUS. 



Stamens united at base. Leaves linear, fascicled POLYCNEMUM. 



AMARANTUS L. 



A. deflexus L. Stems diffuse, pubescent. Leaves somewhat rhom- 

 boidal. Clusters axillary and spikes terminal. Bracts ovate-acute, scarcely as 

 long as the perianth of 3 mucronate sepals. Capsule indehiscent, ellipsoid. 



Common in waste places, at foot of walls, etc. June-October. 



A. retroflexus L. Stem erect, pubescent. Leaves ovate or oblong 

 petioled. Spikes composite, terminal. Sepals 5, obtuse, mucronate, longer than 

 the dehiscent capsule. Plant pale green. Bracts spinescent, twice length of 

 perianth. Waste places, gardens, rubbish heaps, etc., common. August-Sept. 



A. patulus Bert., A. albus L., A. Blitum L., and A. silvestris Desf., 

 also occur in waste places. 



POLYCNEMUM L. 



P. majus A. Br. A glabrous annual with spreading and usually recum- 

 bent stem covered with narrow-linear, almost imbricate, spiny leaves. 

 Flowers minute, very numerous throughout the length of the stem. 



Stony or sandy uncultivated fields. June-August. 



