466 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



138. Neurocalyx Hook.^ — Flowers 5-merous; receptacle obconi- 

 cal or subspherical, sometimes 5-costate. Calyx large membranous, 

 5-lobed, subpetaloid, reticulate-veined. Lobes of rotate corolla 5, 

 shorter than calyx, valvate. Stamens 5 ; filaments short or very 

 short; anthers^ coalite in a cone, dehiscing inwards. Germen 2-celled ; 

 disk depressed ; style slender, at apex stigmatose capitellate. • Ovules 



OD, inserted on placentas peltately affixed to septum. Fruit dry, 

 coriaceous or sometimes rather fleshy, tardily 2-coccous or dividing 

 unequally. Seeds cxd, minute foveolate ; embryo minute albuminous. 

 — Annual herbs, glabrous or very pilose ; ^ stem simple, sometimes 

 very short ; leaves opposite, sometimes compact rosulate, entire or 

 dentate, venose ; stipules interpetiolar membranous, 2-plurifid ; 

 flowers * in very short axillary drooping racemes ; bracts entire or 

 2-partite. {Indian peiiins., Ceylon, Borneo.^) 



139. Argostemma Wall.'^ — Flow^ers 4, 5-merous (nearly of 

 Neiirocahjx) ; receptacle hemispherical, subcampanulate or obconical. 

 Calyx gamophyllous subrotate or shortly campanulate ; lobes 4, 5, or 

 rarely 6, 7, 3-angular. Corolla rotate; lobes 4, 5, open or recurved, 

 3-angular, valvate. Stamens 4, 5, inserted at bottom of corolla; 

 filaments short ; anthers ^ dorsifixed above base, approximate or 

 coherent in a cone, ovate-oblong acuminate or rostrate, rimose within 

 or 1, 2-poricidal at beak. Germen 2-celled; disk epigynous thick; 

 style slender, at apex stigmatose capitellate. Ovules in cells oo, 

 inserted on a placenta affixed to middle of septum. Fruit capsular, 

 membranous or coriaceous, at apex lacerate or dehiscing pyxis-like. 

 Seeds oo, small compressed or angular, gTanulate or reticulate ; embryo 

 minute albuminous. — Small, sometimes very small herbs, glabrous or 

 with scattered articulate hairs ; leaves opposite,^ sometimes very few, 

 in each pair equal or very unequal, oblong or lanceolate, membranous 

 or rather fleshy ; stipules interpetiolar entire, persistent ; flowers ^ in 



1 Icon. t. 174.— Arn. Ann. Nat. Hist. iii. 20. t. 185.— Rich. Rub. 169.— DC. Prodr. iv. 417.— 

 — Endl. Gen. n. 32872.— B. H. Gen. ii. 54, n. Endl. Gen. n. 3244, 32871 (Suppl. i. 1394).— B. 

 76.— Hook. Fl. Ind. iii. 46. H. Gen. ii. 54, n. 75.— Hook. Fl. Ind. iii. 42.— 



2 Nearly, as corolla, of some Solan urns. Pomangiuvi Reixw. (ex Bl.). — Corlusoides Arz. 



3 Habit and sometimes leaves of Acrotrema. in hb. Banks. 



* Rather large, " pale purple." '' Sometimes nearly of Solanum. 



« Spec. 4, 5. Wight, Icon. t. 52.— Thw. Fnum. » Or spuriously verticillate. 



Fl. Zeyl. 138.— Walp. Fep. ii. 515. « Small, white, resembling those of the Soia- 



« Foxb. Fl. Ind. (ed. Cak.) ii. 324 ; Fl. As. Far. nacc(e, Ardisice, or some Softenla. 



