Molbigo FICOIDK.K. 207 



iinriiiiillv •>. (■.ritrallv sitti.it. -.I, l.nt (in X. AiiuTiran sjiPcii-M) hy ahortion Kinjjlf an<l at l.-ii^th 

 cxieiitiic. C'ai.siil.- ,sliurt-i_vliii.lric or liirliiiiaU-. {»•«•( 1 -.I ).mm'.Ic.|, tar.lilv •intiniH.irihilc. tin- 

 upper i)(>rtioii tliickfiioil.corcacL'uu.sor.KulxTo.si'. witli iii<.«tlv2 r..uii<led iiiarf,'iual crehtw ijartly 

 or almost conii)lftelv surrouiiiiiiig the concave very ol»li(jue Nuniniit. 



• * Ovary 3-5-felle(l : HtipulcH none. 



5. SESUVIUM. Calyx Scleft to l.elow tiie middle; oldong wgmentH ol.tiwc or «d.luHihli, 

 but c.uiiuouly cornute dorsally heueatli the apex, colored within. SUimens .-i and alternaui 

 with the calyx-lohes or nunu-rous and ind.Hiiite, perij,Mnous. Kometiinej. nlightlv iinite.l into 

 phaUufies. Ovary free from the calyx, many-ovuled ; Htylea 3 (to 5), filiform' free to the 

 base. Capsule membranaceous, 3(-5)-celled ; seeds several to many in each cell. 



Tkimk III. MESEMlillYANTllE.E. Calyx-tube partially or wholly a.li.ate t., tli.- 

 ovary. 



♦ Petals : fruit indehiscent. 



6. TETRAGONIA. Calyx-tube at length euveloj)ing and adnate to the ovary, mostlv 

 4-lnl>ed or -tontlud, fleshy ; lobes short, obtuse, erect and connivent after anthesis. ' Stamens 



1 to «, sometimes more or less united at the ba.se into phalanges, jierigvnous : ovarv half 

 iuferior, at length vvliolly so, with ."J to 9 cells and a.s many short distinct stvles; cell's uui- 

 ovuiate. Fruit a somewhat 4(-6)-iiorne(i nut ; seeds solitary, pendent in the iudehisceut 

 cells, pyriform, estropliiolate; enil)ryo horse-shoe shaped. 



♦ ♦ Petals numerous : fruit a capsule, loculicidally dehiscent at the summit. 



7. MESEMBRYANTHEMUM. Calyx normally .5-partcd or 5-toothed, unequal. Petals 

 X, linear, s.mietiines in several .scries, in.'^erted together with the numerous and indefinite 

 stamens ui)un the tube of the calyx. Ovary 5(-QC)-celled ; styles a.s many a.s the cells of 

 tlie ovary, free or nearly so. Fruit .stellate, with distinct epicarp and cndocarp, dehiwing 

 under tlie influence of moisture ; seeds numerous, minute. 



1. MOLLUGO, L. Indi.vn Chick weed. (Name dcriv*.! from mnUis. 

 soft, used by riiny for some uuidentified plant, and by the lu-rbalist.s for Gnlinm 

 Molhigo, from which it was by Linnaeus transferred to the present genus, on 



account, perhaps, of the superficial similarity of leaf-arrangement.) Gen. 



no. 839 ; Gray, Gen. 111. ii. 13, t. 101 ; Benth. & Hook. Gen. i. 8.07 (exd. syn. 

 Glinus) ; Pax in Engl. «fe Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenf. iii. Ab. lb, 30. Mollur/o, su'bg. 

 MoUugo, Fenzl, Ann. Wien. Mus. i. 375-384. Lampetia & Nemallosis, Raf. Fl. 

 Tellur. iii. 34. — Glabrous profusely branched annuals with rosulate or pscudo- 

 verticillate leaves and small apetalous slender-pedicelled flowers. 



♦ Seeds 3-5-ribbed parallel to the median dors.al line, and often minutelv and transversely 

 rugo.se l>etween the ribs : cauline leaves spatulate to lance-oblong or rarelv linear: pros- 

 trate or ascending. 



M. verticillata, L. (Carpet-weed.) Slender terete stem.s radiating, dichotomonsly 

 branclied : leaves 3 to Gat each node, unequal, half inch to inch in length, the larger ones 2 

 to 4 lines in breadth, obtuse or acutish at the apex, gradually narrowed at the b.xse : flowon* 



2 to 5 from each node, slender-pedicelled, sul)tended by f.di.iceous bnictj* : sepals elliptic- 

 oblong, obtn.se, 3-nerved, not reticulated: stamens 3 (to 4): capsule short-oblong. — S|)ec. i. 

 89 ; Fenzl, 1. c. 376 ; Gray, 1. c. 14 ; Kohrb. in Mart. Fl. Hra.s. xiv. pt. 2. 240-243 (ind. vnr 

 scrohicuhUa), t. S."), f. 2 ; Meehan, Bull. Torr. Club, xiv. 218. .1/. arfunrin, IIMK. Nov. (Jen. 

 & Spec. vi. 20. — Lower Canada to Florida and .across the continent, common e.s|>eciallv u|«»n 

 bare ground of paths, &c. (Mex., W. Ind., Trop. Amer., " Trop. Afr.") 



* * Seeds finely reticulated : cauline leaves very narrow, linear : habit a.scending or sul>- 

 •erect : southwestern. 



M. Cervidna, Serinoe. Very slender: 2 to 8 inches hi-:h, much branched: stems and 

 branches filifc.rm, terete: leaves glaucons ; the b.-us.-il spatulate, forming a more or less 

 persistent rosette ; the uppermost reduced to minute bracts : flowers small, the lower verticil- 



17 



