536 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



a long time clothed in calycle and much compressed persistent calyx, 

 meinbranous-marginate, by one face adherent to tube of involucre, 

 by other connate to calyx of adjacent flower. 1 Seed erect; albumen 

 scanty ; cotyledons quadrate-orbicular, emarginate at both ends, 

 longer than ovoid radicle. — Small trees or shrubs ; leaves alternate 

 full, more often entire, 3-costate or 3-plicostate; c} 7 stolithspunctiform; 

 stipules axillary free, caducous ; male flowers in spiked glomeruli ; 

 females in 2-flowered small cymes ; male glomeruli (sometimes with 

 few flowers) in axils of small subscarious bracts ; female eymules 

 involucrate at base of male spike, or sessile in axils of higher leaves 

 of branch, more rarely constituting distinct inflorescence ; bracts of 

 involucre 2, broadly ovate with linear lobule on both sides at bottom 

 of narrowed base, connate into a short tube ; receptacle of involucre 

 sometimes more or less produced between fruits (Columbia 2 ). 



35? Rousselia Gaudich. 3 — Flowers monoecious. Male flowers 

 nearly of Ilemistylis ; rudiment of gynseceum narrow conical or rather 

 terete. Female calyx ventricose-tubular ; mouth contracted, 2-4- 

 dentate. Germen ovoid free ; ovule erect ; style filiform incurved, 

 articulate at base, 1 -laterally 4 papillose-plumose. Achene compressed, 

 for a long time clothed in developed involucre, and narrowly mem- 

 branous marginate by compressed accrete calyx, which is sometimes 

 coherent with upper excavated surface of involucre. Seed erect; embryo 

 scantily albuminous (of Hemistylis). — A perennial herb, sometimes 

 suffruticose at base ; stem slender creeping ; leaves alternate entire, 

 3-ribbed ; stipules free petiolar, persistent ; flowers cymulose in its 

 higher leaves ; small cymes rather laxly few-flowered, exinvolucrate ; 

 females 2-flowered involucrate ; bracts of involucre 2, sessile, broadly 

 ovate entire ; female receptacle compressed disciform, bearing hori- 

 zontally patent or diverging flowers on both faces 5 (Antilles*). 



1 Very often nfterwards splitting from base to 4 "Behind." (Wedd.) 



apex on either edge. s Allied to preceding by character of calyx, 



2 Spec. 4. Wedd., in Ann. Sc. Wat., ser. 4, i. differing in inflorescence and involucre. 



208.- Miq., in Mart. Fl. Bras., Urtic., 193. « Spec. 1. P. lappulacea Gaudich., loc. cit.— 



6 Toy. Uran., Bot., 503; Voy. Bon., But., t. Griseb., Fl. Brit. IV.-lnd., 159; Cat. PI. Cub^ 



98.— Wedd., Monogr., 527, t. 18, D; Prodr., 60.— Ur.'ic, lappulacea Sw., Fl. Ind.Occ'., 37.— 



235 ° • U. humilis Sw., loc. cit. 



