XIV. VELLOSIE.E. 



793 



XIV. VELLOSIEJE, Don. 



P-arbacfnia. 

 Stamen (mag.). 



Barbacenia purpurea. Flower. 



Barbacenia. Flower cut vertically. 



Barbacenia. Fruit. 



. Perennial PLANTS. STEM woody below, 

 dichotomously branched, clothed with the 

 leaf -bases, which are agglutinated by a resin- 

 ous viscous juice. LEAVES collected at the top 

 of the stem and branches, grass-like, spines- 

 cent or very stiff. PERIANTH superior, peta- 

 loid, 6 -partite, 2-seriate, regular. STAMENS 

 inserted at the base of the perianth, either 

 6 free, or indefinite and united into several 

 bundles, naked or with a scale at their base (Vellosia) ; filaments^ filiform, or plane 

 and 2-fid at the top ; anthers linear, dorsi- or basi-fixed, 2-celled, introrse. OVARY 

 inferior, 3-celled; ovules numerous, horizontal, anatropous or semi-anatropous. 

 CAPSULE opening at the top into 3 incomplete loculicidal semi-placentiferous 

 valves. SEEDS numerous, cuneate or angular; testa coriaceous or suberose ; albumen 

 fleshy. EMBRYO minute, placed laterally and outside the albumen. 



Barbacenia, Diagram. 



fiarbacfnia. 



Vertical section 



of seed 



(mag.). 



GENERA. 



Vellosia. 



Barbacenia. 



Vel-losieee are closely allied to Brotmliac&B in the perianth, style, ovary, fruit, and embryo, and in the 

 leaves crowning the top of the stem ; Sromeliacea are separated by their exterior calycoid perianth and 

 farinaceous albumen. Vellosiets also approach Hccmodorncece, from which they only differ in the number 

 of stamens, sometimes indefinite, the 3-gonous and 3-partite style, the usually arborescent stem, clothed 

 with the persistent leaf-bases, and leafy at the top [and the situation of the embryo]. They abound 

 in Brazil, and are exceptionally met with in Madagascar, Arabia, and Abyssinia. 



