392 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



various height, more or less completely anatropous ; micropyle 

 extrorsely inferior, sometimes somewhat lateral. Fruit coriaceous or 

 crustaceous, oftener 2-coccous ; cocci separable, dehiscing longitudi- 

 nally within or at the apex, sometimes circumscissous at the base 

 {Hypodematium) or at a variable height (Mitrocarpum) ; the cleft some- 

 times obUque {Staelia) ; carpels more rarely indehiscent {Diodia, 

 Dasijcephala). Seed ascending; albumen dense fleshy or oftener horny; 

 cotyledons of axile embryo foliaceous, rarely narrow ; radicle inferior 

 terete. — Annual perennial or low shrubby herbs, glabrous or variously 

 clothed ; leaves opposite (rarely 3-nate), petiolate or sessile, penni- 

 nerved or subrectinerved ; stipules connate with leaves in variously 

 setose sheath ; flowers in cymes or compound axillary or terminal 

 capituliform glomerules, variously bracteate, sometimes involucrate, 

 more rarely (Octodon) intermingled with scales perceptibly thickened 

 at the base and ciliate. (All warm regions.) — See p. 262. 



4. Richardia HoysT.^ — Flowers (nesirly of Spermacoce) hermaphro- 

 dite or polygamous ; 3-6-merous ; receptacle subglobular, obovoid or 

 obconical. Lobes of calyx 3-8, evolute, persistent. Lobes of funnel- 

 shaped corolla ^ 3-6, valvate. Stamens same in number, inserted in 

 throat; anthers dorsifixed, enclosed or exserted. Disk annular 

 depressed. Style slender ; branches 3, 4, at stigmatose apex globosely 

 capitate, subspathulate or linear-acute and recurved. Ovule inserted 

 near middle of septum, amphitropous ; micropyle extrorsely inferior. 

 Fruit 3, 4-coccous, crowned with circumscissile or persistent calyx ; 

 cocci variously papillose or muricate, free from minute axis (or 0), 

 dehiscing inwardly above or indehiscent ; seeds sulcate at face ; albu- 

 men horny ; cotyledons of axile embryo foliaceous ; radicle inferior 

 terete. — Villose or hispid herbs, erect or creeping ; leaves opposite ; 

 stipules interpetiolar, connate in a sheath plurisetose above ; flowers 

 in terminal spuriously capitate glomerules. (Warm America.^) 



5. Perama Aubl.^ — Flowers (nearly of Spennacoce) 3, 4-merous ; 

 sepals (?) 2, lateral,"^ free or connate at base, elongate, more or less 



1 Ex. L. Gen. ed. 1 (1737), p, 439 (not K.).— 91.— R. et Pay. FL Fer. et Chil. t. 279.— 



G^HTN. Fruct. i. 123, t. 25,—lticardia HorsT. A. S.-H. Fl. Us. Bras. t. 7, 8.— Gkiseb. Fl. 



Eel, 5, t. 9 (17 SI). —FMardsonia K. Mem. j\his. Brit. W.-L'd. 351 ; Cat. Fl. Cub. 143 {Eichard- 



iy. 430 (1818); S. F. K. :^ov. Gen, et Sp. iii. soma).—WAv.'B.. Maxim. Eeis. Fot.t7 dlEic/iard 



t. 350 (not Neck.).— PacH. Eub. 74, t. 4, fig. 5. «o«m).— Hiern, Fl. Tro^.Afr. iii. 242.— Waj,p. 



—DC. Frodr. iv. 567.— Endl. Gen. n. 3126.— Eep. vi. 31 {Richardsonia). 



:B. H. Gen. ii. 147, n, 324.—Schiedea Bartl. "* Guian. i. 54, t. 18.— Endl. Gen, n. 3128.— 



(ex DC). B. H. Gen, ii. 147, n. Z2b .—Mattmchk(sa Schreb. 



- White, pink or lilac, sometimes rather large. Gen, 788. — DC. Prod/: xi. 524. 



' Spec, about 6. Sweet, Fiit. Fl. Gard. t. " Bracteoles raised with receptacle. 



