! H <Mli ILES. 





Alliance XL. FICOIDALES.—Tbe Ficoidal Alliance. 



Diagnosis. — Perigynom Exogens, with monodichlamydeotu f axils 



ft ■ polypetal nt, and ■ 



round a small q Uy albumen. 



These plants are f"r the most part fleshy-leaved herbs or bashes, b axing \. r\ great 



iblance, in Borne cases, t" Purslanes in the Silenal Alliance, and like those plants, 



laving for their character ;i central placentation combined with an annular embryo 



Bid mealy albumen. They are, in fact, the perigynous form of Silenals, and must be 



l.-.l as standing on the frontier of that Alliance. Like Silenals, the I 

 •omprehend plants l">th with a lii_ r li development of the corolla, and without a trace 

 of it. They approach the Epigynous structure in some respects ; but although tlnir 

 earpela are partial!) adherent with the calyx in a large proportion of the All 

 \. i the Btyles are almost always < i i~t i m-t . and generally the carpels also in some ■!• t 

 Forch-thistlea are do doubt a kindred race, but the exigencies of a lineal arrangement 

 compel ili.' systematisl to separate them by a l"n_' interval 



The great marks of the Ficoidal Alliance are the perigynous Btamens, cm 

 •xtemal embryo, and mealy albumen. It maj !"• presumed that its axil* 

 uuu>n is a mere modification of the central, and not derived from tl. 

 • ll:.r\ leaves ; but this is a point which cannot be always decS li 



Nuiiai i »anj as op Fk omi 



Petal/ absent. Sepals distinct. Fruit in. ' 



or succulent calyx. Car,..' . olitary. & ... 



numerous, conspicuous. Carpels several, tied . . 200. Mrseiibk' 



Petals absent. Carpels i uolidated 2(11. Ti 



Petals abst nt. Sepals united into a tui -l tingle, solitary- 1 « 



rVutt inclosed in the hardened calyx i J202.S 



