XIII. HYPOXIDE^l. 791 



SEEDS solitary or geminate or numerous, oblong, peltate or basifixed ; testa coria- 

 ceous, glabrous or hairy ; albumen cartilaginous, hard. EMBEYO straight, short ; 

 radicle usually distant from the hilum, and placed almost outside the albumen. 



PRINCIPAL GENERA; 



Laclmanthes. Xiphidium. * Haemodorum. * Anigosanthus. 



Bkncoa. * Wachendorfia. Conostylis. 



Hamodoracea are near Amaryllidecc and Iridece in the G-nierous 2-seriate petaloid perianth, the 

 or 3 stamens, the usually inferior and 3-celled dvary, albuminous seeds, &c. ; they differ from Amaryllidta; 

 in their usually hairy or woolly perianth, equitant leaves, stanlens often reduced to 3, ovary sometimes 

 superior, and root never bulbous ; they are separated from It-idea by their introrse anthers. Anigosanthus 

 approaches Bromeliacece in the perigynous androecium. 



Heemodoracea are principally North American, South African, and South-west Australian. Xiphi- 

 dium and Hagenbachia are tropical American. 



The roots and seeds of several species contain a red colouring principle; such is Lachmmthes 

 tinctoria, of North America ; but this principle, analogous to Madder, is much less solid, and is littld 

 used. 



XIII. HYPOXIDE^E, Br. 



FLOWERS g , regular. PERIANTH superior, petaloid, 6-merous, 2-seriate. STAMENS 

 6 ; ANTHERS introrse. OVARY inferior, with 3 many-ovuled cells ; OVULES semi-ana* 

 tropous. FRUIT a capsule or berry. SEEDS strophiotate, albuminous. EMBRYO axile 5 

 RADICLE distant from the hilum, superior. fltemtess HERBS. LEAVES linear. 



Herbaceous stemless perennials ; root tuberous or fibrous. LEAVES all radical^ 

 linear, entire, folded, nerves parallel. SCAPES simple^ or branched at the top^ 

 cyliudric, sometimes very short, or (Curculigo}. FLOWERS $ , yellow, rarely 

 diclinous by arrest, regular, either sessile and radical, or terminating the scape$ 

 solitary whorled or panicled, 1-2-bracteolate. PERIANTH petaloid, superior, 6-par- 

 tite, persistent or deciduous ; segments 2-seriate, the outermost velvety. STAMENS 

 6, inserted at the base of the perianth- Segments ; filaments free ; anthers introrsej 

 2-celled, basifixed, erect, sagittate, dehiscence longitudinal, sometimes cohering into 

 a tube. OVARY inferior, 3-celled, or 1-celled with 3 parietal placentas (Curculigo) \ 

 style terminal, simple ; stigmas 3, free of connate ; ovules numerous, 2-several- 

 seriate at the inner angle of the cells (Hypoxis), anatropous. FRUIT a capsule dehiscing 

 longitudinally, or a berry, 3-celled, or l-r2-celled by abortion. SEEDS numerous^ sub* 

 globose ; testa black, crustaceous, wrinkled ; funicle sometimes persistent ; albumen 

 fleshy. EMBRYO straight, axile, nearly as long as the albumen j radicle distant from 



the hilum, superior. 



PRINCIPAL GENERA. 



* Hypoxis. * Curculigo. 



Hypo.iidece are near Amaryttideee in their perianth, inferior ovary, &c. ; they are separated by their 

 habit, their seeds with black and crustaceous testa, &c< ; they especially approach Askliece in habit, 

 hairiness, the number of stamens and stigmas, the 1- 3-celled ovary, &C. Their linear-folded leaves, with 

 parallel nerves, recall those of Gagea, a Liliaceous genus* 



