14^ 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



Bowlesia (Brusa) oppositifolia. 



peduncle. In Diplaspis, native of Australia and especially of 

 Tasmania, the leaves are small, thick, cordate or orbicular, and the 

 umbel is simple at the end of a small axis. In all these sections of 

 the same genus, the petals are entire, the stylopods conical, and 

 the fruit formed of two dorsally concave carpels united only by a 

 linear undivided carpophore, thus resembling that of Mulinum or 

 Diposis, but the aliform margins are less dilated and the dorsal 

 cavity more obtuse. This genus has scarious stipules (?). 



The same general configuration of fruit occurs in Boidesia (fig. 

 169), whose carpels may be less concave still or nearly flat at 

 the back. The transverse section of the fruit somew^hat resembles 



two isosceles triangles united only 

 at the apex, w^hich corresponds to 

 the carpophore. They are dichoto- 

 mously ramified herbs, with hairs 

 mostly stellate, leaves nearly always 

 opposite, stipules scarious, laciniate 

 or ciliate. The limb is entire or 

 dissected. The flowers are disposed 

 as in HydrocoUjle and have entire 

 petals. All are American except B. 

 oppositifolia, which grows in the 

 Canaries, whose habit somewhat re- 

 sembles that of some Gucurhitacece, and 

 is distinguished from other species of 

 the genus by the glochidate hairs borne by most of its organs 

 including the fruit. 



Eryngium (Sea-Holly) has given its name to a sub-series often 

 even raised to the rank of a tribe {Eryngiem). The flowers (fig. 

 170-172) are collected in globular or ovoid sometimes spikelike 

 capitules, terminated or not with a flower ; so that the inflorescence 

 often resembles that of the Compositce. Each flower is situated in 

 the axil of a bract, entire or divided, which is wanting or very little 

 developed in Alepidea. The sepals are wide, membranous, some- 

 times pointed, imbricate, often as much developed as the petals, 

 which have a long terminal lobe inflexed and applied to the interior 

 face. The two stylary branches are long and slender and have 

 externally at the base two depressed stylopods. The fruit, ovoid or 

 obovoid, with a transverse section nearly circular and wide com- 



7Tp\\: 



Fig. 169. Fruit (4). 



