ORDER 108. NYCTAGINACE^E 279 



ORDER CIII. NYCTAGINACE^E. MARVELWORTS. 



Herbs (shrubs or trees) with tumid joints, entire and opposite leaves 

 Flowers generally surrounded with an involucre (calyx-like when the flowei 

 is solitary). Calyx a delicate, colored, funnel-form or tubular perianth, 

 deciduous above the 1-celled, 1-seeded ovary, leaving its persistent base to 

 harden and envelop the fruit (achenium) as a kind of pericarp. Stamens 1 to 

 several, definite, slender, hypogynous, exserted, unequal. Embryo coiled 

 around the copious white albumen. Figs. 143, 207. 



5 Involucre just like calyx, including one flower MIRABILIS. 1 



Involucre 5-lcaved, including many flowers in an umbel-like bead ABROMA. 2 



Involucre 5-lobed, including 3 5 flowers OXYBAPHUS. 3 



S Involucre 0. x Herbs, with minute flowers in little clusters He >K Kit A A VIA. 4 



x Shrubs. Flowers dioacious, cy mous. S. Fla PISOXIA. 



1. MIRABILIS, L. MARVEL OF PERU. FOUR-O'CLOCK. Involucre 

 calyx-like, 5-lobed, 1-flowered, lobes acuminate. Perianth (calyx) tubular 

 funnel-form, limb spreading. Sta. 5, and style more or less exserted. Fruit 

 (as in all the genera) an achenium invested in the permanent base of the 

 calyx. U Cultivated. Leaves ovate, more or less cordate, acuminate. 



1 M. JALAPA. Erect, glabrous ; flowers 8 6 in each terminal fascicle, short-stalked 



opening at about 4 o'clock p. si., and remaining in bloom all night, infinitely various 

 in color. Pern. 2f. Summer. 



2 M. DICHOTOMA. Erect, glabrous ; flowers sessile, mostly yellow, smaller than in M. 



Jalapa ; limb 6''. Mexico. 2f. Summer. 



3 M. LONGIFLORA. Weak, diffuse, viscid-pubescent ; lower leaves long-petiolecl ; flow- 



ers sessile, tube 6' long, hairy, border 1', white. Mexico. 



2. ABRONIA, Juss. Involucre 5-leaved, surrounding an umbel-like 

 head of many small flowers on a long peduncle. Perianth salver-form, 

 limb 5-lobed, corolla-like, deciduous. Sta. 5, and style included. H Fleshy. 



1 A. UMBELLATA. St, prostrate ; Ivs. ovate, long-petioled ; umbellate heads compact ; fla. 



rosy-lilac or pink, the lobes obcordate. Sandy sea-coasts, California. 1 2f. 



2 A. FRA6RAN8. Stem ascending ; leaves lance-ovate, long-stalked ; umbels loose, fls. 



and involucre white, tubes near 1'. Dalles, Oregon. 



3. OXYBAPHUS, Vahl. In vol. 5-cleft, containing 35 fls., persistent. 

 Perianth tube very short, limb bell-form, plicate, deciduous. Sta. 3, and 

 style exserted. Fruit obovoid, ribbed, if Flowers small, purple. 



1 O. nyctagiiieiiB Sweet. Smoothish, erect, forked ; Ivs. broad-ovate to lanceolate, 



snbcordate, acute ; ped. solitary ; involucre 3-5-flowered. Banks, W. June Aug. 



2 O. Hiiiiiistiloliii* Sweet. Busby, with alternate branches; Ivs. lanceolate, acute 



both ways, subseesile, 1 2' ; ped. J I', axillary ; involucre cup-shaped, hispid, 3 

 flowered : ovary hispid. Dry soils, S. 2 3f. June July. 



3 O. albidus Sweet. Stem with strict slender branches, or simple ; leaves linear 



oblong, petiolate, the upper often bract-like ; ped. half as long (6"!') ae the leaven, 

 involucre hairy, 3-flowered. S. 1 2f. May. 



4. BOERHAAVIA, L. Involucre 0, bractlets deciduous. Perianth 

 funnel- or bell-form, colored, 5-lobod, upper half deciduous, lower persist 



