272 



NATUBAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



verticillate leaves, stipulate. The inflorescences are terminal, 

 pedunculate, sometimes grouped in umbelliform cymes. Under the 

 name of Eleuthranthes has been described a small Australian herb 



Optrcularia (Pomax) timbellata. 



Fig. 240. Bifloral inflorescence (f ). 



Fig. 241. Long. sect, of inflorescence. 



whose characters are nearly those of Opercidaria and the ovary 

 likewise reduced to a single uniovulate cell, but the flowers, instead 

 of being united by the receptacles, are quite independent to the 



Opercu-aria aspera. 



Fig. 242. Compound fruit 

 operculum detacMng (a). 



Fig. 244, 

 Single 

 fruit. 



Fig. 245. Long, 

 sect, of single 

 fruit. 



Fig. 243. Operculum 



bearing several 



fruits ((f). 



base. They are collected in false capitules which are in reality 

 compound glomerules. 



Whilst in the small group of Opercidariece, the number of ovarian 



