16S J. Carey on Chenopodiacece about the City of New York. 



established by Moquin-Tandon. I regret that I have not the 

 means of referring to the original paper of Spach for the charac- 

 ter of the genus Ambrina, which, as given by Moquin-Tandon, 

 differs chiefly from that of Roubieva in the 2 (not 3) styles, and in 



the comparative length of the embryo with respect to the albu- 





men, it being " § to f annular" in Ambrina, and completely so 

 in Roubieva. The inflorescence of the former is described as 

 "spicate-paniculate," and of the latter, very correctly, as having 

 " axillary, solitary or glomerulate flowers, the glomerules being 

 sometimes almost verticillate," # Upon examination of the three 

 species of Ambrina, growing abundantly in the same neighbor- 

 hood with Roubieva, I do indeed find that A. Botrys, Moq.-Tand., 

 (referred by Spach to his genus Botrydium,) has commonly but 

 two styles — though I have detected three, occasionally : but A. 

 ambrosioides, Spach, and A. anthelmintica , Spach, have constant- 

 ly, or with very rare exceptions, three styles ; which as to the lat- 

 ter species, is noticed by Moquin-Tandon himself. With respect 

 to the inflorescence, I find that three species are described by this 

 author, under Ambrina y as having few-flowered, axillary glome- 

 rules, not spicate, viz. A. carinata, and A. Pumilio, from New 

 Holland, and A. tenuis, from Chili. These exceptions being ad- 

 mitted, the genus Ambrina, including (as arranged by Moq.-Tand., 

 though not by Spach) species with horizontal and vertical fruit, 

 would seem to rest mainly upon the incompletely annular em- 

 bryo ; for, I do not find the (rather dilated) filaments in Roubieva 

 " somewhat inserted into the perigonium, 77 but as in Ambrina; 



* As the above cited valuable work is known to very few American botanists, 

 I extract, for their information, the full generic characters, as follows : 



Roubieva. Moq. Ann. Sc. nat. 2. ser. 1, p. 292, t. x, /. B. — Flores hermaphro- 

 diti, ebracteati. Perigonium profunde urceolatum, oblongum, quinqucfidum, nun- 

 quam appendiculatum ; laciniis demum coalitis, subpentagonam rugosamque cap- 

 sulam efformantit.us. Stamina 5, imo perigonio inserta. Stigmata 3, longa, subu- 

 lata. Fructus (utriculus) compressus, perigonio capsulari involutus (et dimidio 

 brevjor) ; pericarpio membranaceo, punctis resinosis consperso. Semen verticale, 

 lenticulare ; integumento exteriore crustaceo. Albumen copiosum, farinaceurn, 

 candidissimum. Embryo annularis; radicula infera.— Herba, prostrata, diffusa, 

 pubescens. Folia alterna, pinnato-multifida ; laciniis dentatis. Flores solitarii aut 

 glomerulati (glomerulis interdum fere verticilldtis), axillares. Stamina quando- 

 que abortiva, unde flores feminei. * * Facies Senebierre pinnatifidse. Planta 

 odorem ambrosiacum spirat. Radix anguste fusiformis, longa. Capsuia reticulata. 

 — Moq.-Tand. I. c. p. 4*2. 



Ambrina. Spach, Veg.Phan.b. p. 297 et 290, char, reform.— Flores hermaphro- 

 diti, ebracteati. Perigonium quinquefidum vel quinquephyllum (interdum 3-4 

 fidum), nunquam appendiculatum. Stamina 5, rarissime pauciora, receptaculo in- 

 serta. Styli 2, inferne coaliti. Fructus (utriculus) depressus aut compressus, per- 

 igonio clauso involutus, interdum supra nudus foliolis imperfect^ clausis ; peri- 

 carpio tenui, distincto. Semen horizontale aut verticale, lenticulare; intrgumento 

 exteriore crustaceo. Albumen farinaceurn. Embryo J aut $ annularis.— Herbae p<>- 

 bescentes, aut subpubescentes, glandulosa* et graveoientes (haud farinosa?). Folia 

 alterna, petiolata, dentata, sinuata aut pinnatifida. Flores minutissimi, spicatim pan- 

 iculati. — Genus inter Chenopodium et Blitum intermedium, Roubieva? affine. Se- 

 mina nunc horizontalia ut in Chenopodio, nunc verticalia ut in Blito ; sad embryo 

 totum nnn perficit annulum et vix aibuminis § aut | includit. Pubescentia g^ an ^"* 

 losa et odor aromaticus valde naturalem constituunt seriem. — Moq^Tand., 1. c. p 36- 





