426 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



sheathing at base ; scape simple erect, sparingly glandular, 1, 

 2-braoteate, bearing small racemose- cymose flowers at base {Nor ( It- 

 West America, Kamtchatka). See p. 331. 



14. Tolmiea Torr. & Gray. — Eeceptacle elongate-obconical 

 subcampanulate, oblique at base, membranous, longitudinally split 

 in front ; sepals 5, unequal ; larger 3 posticous imbricate. Petals 5 

 or 4 (anterior deficient) long capillary, inserted between sepals, finally 

 pendulous. Stamens 3, inserted in throat of receptacle, opposite 

 posterior sepals ; filaments free ; anthers basifixed, 2-celled ; cells 

 laterally longitudinally rimose, finally confluent at apex. Germen 

 shortly stipitate elongated, 1 -celled; styles 2, subulate, stigmatose at 

 capitellate apex ; placentas parietal 2, od -ovulate. Capsule exserted 

 from receptacle, elongated, 2-valved between styles at apex, 2-beaked. 

 Seeds co , minute, globose muricate. — A perennial herb ; rhizome 

 cylindroid ; branches annual erect; leaves cauline and radical, petiolate 

 cordate incised-lobate ; stipules membranous; flowers in terminal 

 slender racemes ; pedicels nutant ; bracts small ; bractlets bristly 

 {North America). See p. 331. 



15. Eremosyne Endl. — Flowers hermaphrodite; receptacle con- 

 cave subhemispherical. Sepals 5, oblong and petals 5, sometimes 

 long-bristly at base, perigynous. Stamens 5, inserted and alternating 

 with petals ; filaments markedly dilated, at base ; anthers minute. 

 Germen half-inferior ; styles 2, divaricate, stigmatose at cajDitellate 

 apex; cells 2, 1-ovuled; ovule inserted in bottom of internal corner, 

 ascending; micropyle introrse (?) inferior. Capsule half-superior 

 compressed transversely to septum, membranous strigose, sub-2- 

 dynious, loculicidally 2-valved. Seeds ascending albuminous. — A 

 low annual strigose-hairy herb ; leaves alternate ; " radical entire " ; 

 cauline sessile, pectinate-pinnatifid at base ; flowers very small 

 in repeatedly dichotomous cy mules {South- East Australia). See 

 p. 332. 



16. Vahlia Thunb. — Flowers pentamerous ; receptacle concave 

 hemispherical or obconical. Sepals valvate. Petals as many, shorter. 

 Stamens 5, epigynously inserted with perianth round a small annular 

 disk; filaments free, sometimes concave much-dilated at base; 



