480 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



Myriophyllon verticillatum. 



only by a vertical filament. But the organs of vegetation in these 

 evergreen plants differ from those of Haloragis, The leaves ^ are 

 alternate, linear, entire, rather fleshy ; and the flowers, arranged in 

 terminal corymbs of cymes, are yellow and rather large compared 

 with those of Haloragis, Three species have been distinguished.^ 

 Myriophyllon ^ (fig. 465) has also nearly the organization of Halo- 

 ragis ; but the flowers are monoecious, or 

 rather, on the same inflorescence, there are 

 female flowers at the base and male flowers 

 at the summit ; but not unfrequently her- 

 maphrodite flowers are intermixed with both. 

 They are dimerous or oftener tetramerous. 

 The petals are imbricate or contorted. The 

 stamens number from two to eight, in con- 

 struction like those of Haloragis.^ In the 

 male flowers the gynsecium is rudimentary 

 or nil, whilst in the female, the petals of 

 which are often smaller (or even nil), the stamens (when present) are 

 sterile, and the gynsecium attains a full development. The ovarian 

 cells are four in number, superposed to the petals, surmounted by as 

 many obtuse or plumose stylary branches, often recurved. Each cell 

 contains one or two ovules,^ in direction like those of Haloragis, and 

 the fruit, dry or drupaceous, separates into two or four monospermous 

 cocci. Some fifteen species ^ of this genus '^ are distinguished ; they 



Fig. 465. Long. sect, of 

 flower. 



* Wliicli become green or black in drying. 



2 Benth. Tl. Austral, ii. 471. — Walp. Ann. 

 i. 293 ; iv. 821 ; vii. 938. 



» Vaill. AcL Acad. Far. (1719) t. 2, fig. 3.— 

 Adans. Fam. des PI. ii. 471. — Myriophyllum L, 

 Gen. n. 1066.— J. Gen. 18 ; Ann.Mus. iii. 321.— 

 ScHKUHR, j?«;2<f*. t. 296.— G^RTN. Fruct. i. 331, 

 t. 68.— Lamk. Bid. iv. 189.— Turp. Diet. Sc. Nat. 

 Atl. t. 217.— DC. Frodr. iii. 68.— Spach, Suit, d 

 Buffon, iv. 446. — Nees, Gen. fasc. 8, t. 13. — 

 Endl. Gen. n. 6135.— B. H. Gen. 676, n. 8.— H. 

 Bn. Fayer Fam. Nat. 377 ; Adansonia, xii. 35. — 

 Fentapterophyllum Dill. Nov. Gen. 7. — Fentap- 

 teris Hall. Helv. i. 454. — Enydria Velloz. Fl. 

 Fhim. i. t. 150. — ? Sylas Bigel. (ex Endl. loc. 

 cit.). — Purskia Rafin. N.-Tork Med. Repos. ii. 

 361 (not DC. nor Dennst. nor Spreng.). — Bur- 

 shia Auctt. (erron.) . — Pelonastes Hook. f. Bond. 

 Journ. Bot. vi. 474. — Mullofxdlon Diosc. — Beli- 

 oukandos Celt, (ex Adans.). 



* The pollen is spherical ; on the equator, 

 four small pores Surrounded by a halo : M. ver- 

 ticillatum (H. MoHL. Ann. Sc. Nat. ser. 2, iii. 

 331). 



^ The funicle may sometimes thicken above 

 the micropyle to a short obturator. 



6 Labill. N.-Eoll. ii. t. 220.— Fr. et Sav, 

 Enum. PI. Jap. 164.— Brew, et Wats. Geol. 

 Surv. Calif. Bot. i. 215.— Wight, III. t. 102.— 

 ToRR. et Gr. Fl. N.-Amer. i. (1840) 528.— 0. 

 Gay, Fl. GUI. ii. 356.— Harv. and Sond. Fl. 

 Cap. ii. 572.— Hook. Icon. t. 289.— Hook. f. Fl. 

 Tasm. i. t. 23 ; Man. N.-Zeal. Fl. 66.— Benth. 

 Fl. Austral, ii. 486.— Mia. Fl. Ind.-Bat. i. p. i. 

 634.— THW.^^wm. PI. Zeyl. 123.— Boiss.i^/. Or. 

 ii. 754.— A. S.-H. Fl. Bras. Mer. ii. 251.— Gr. 

 et GoDR. Fl. de Fr. i. 587.— Walp. Rep. ii. 98 ; 

 Ann. i. 292 ; ii. 537 ; vii. 943. 



? Divided by Torrey and A. Gray {op. cit.) 

 into 3 sections: 1. Sphondylophyllum (Torr. et 



