518 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



123. Chitonia Moc. & Sess. 1 — Flowers 4-raerous ; sepals unequal, 

 imbricated, deciduous. Petals alternate large, shortly obovate, 

 imbricated. Stamens 8, 2-seriate, shorter than petals ; filaments 

 naked ; anther sericeo-barbate introrse, 2-rimose. Germen 4-agonal, 

 tapering above in subulate style, stigmatiferous widely 4-lobed at 

 apex ; cells 4, opposite petals ; ovules in each 2, descending. 

 Capsule widely 4-winged, septicidally 4-valved ; seeds in cells 1, 2 ; 

 raphe crested ; albumen fleshy ; cotyledons of (green) embryo, oblong. 

 — A sericeous shrub; branches alternate; inferior leaves alternate, 

 superior opposite, imparipinnate ; folioles 3-go , opposite entire ; 

 stipules subulate ; flowers 2 solitary or scantily cymose, pedunculate, 

 lateral to leaves (Mexico 1 ). 



XII. NITPARIE^. 



124. Nitraria L. — Flowers hermaphrodite; receptacle convex. 

 Sepals 5, more or less high connate, rather fleshy, imbricated, per- 

 sistent. Petals same in number, alternate, longer, cucullate indu- 

 plicate valvate at apices. Stamens 5-15, inserted under very in- 

 conspicuous disk ; filaments free, naked, anthers introrse, 2-rimose. 

 Grermen free, sessile, sericeous oblong-pyramidal, 2-6-locular, gra- 

 dually attenuated into short style, stigmatiferous decurrent-2-6-lobed 

 at apex ; ovules solitary in cells depending from elongated funicle 

 descending; microp}4e extrorse superior. Drupe subbaccate ovate- 

 acuminate ; mesocarp usually thin ; putamen bony, exterior sulcate or 

 scrobiculate, fl-valved at apex alternate shorter, dehiscent, 1-sper- 

 nious. Seeds descending ; testa membranous ; epidermis dry ; embryo 

 exalbuminous; cotyledons plano-convex ; radicle short superior. — 

 Rigid spinose or unarmed shrubs, usually canescent ; leaves alternate 

 or fasciculate, simple, obovate-cuneate entire or at apex 3-5-fid; 

 stipules small lateral ; flowers in more or less ramified scorpioid 

 cymes, shortly pedicellate ( West Asia, North Africa, and Coast of 

 Australia). See p. 430. 



1 Ex DC., Prodr., i. 707.— Endl., Gen., n. 3 Spec. 1. C. mexiccna Moc. & Sess., loc- 



6032.— B. H., Gen., 268, u. 14. cit.—Zvcc, Nov. Stirp. Fuse, i. 355, t. 17.— 



•: 



Large, rose-violet. Walp., Rep., i. 493. 



