498 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



herb ; stem and branches reddish or plum-coloured ; leaves alternate 

 petiolate ovately lanceolate denticulate ; flowers axillary solitary or 

 in terminal few-flowered uniparous spikelike cymes. (Mexico.) — 

 See p. 472. 



III. CIRCEJE. 



13. Circsea L. — Flowers hermaphrodite regular, 2-merous ; re- 

 ceptacle sacciform ovoid, enclosing adnate germen and produced 

 shortly above. Sepals 2, lateral, inserted at top of receptacle, valvate, 

 finally reflexed. Petals 2, alternate with sepals, imbricate or con- 

 torted in prefloration. Stamens 2, alternipetalous, epigynous ; fila- 

 ments slender; anthers short; cells introrse or submarginal, rimose. 

 Germen 1-2-locular ; cells lateral ; style slender, at apex stigmatose 

 subclavate or capitate, shortly 2-lobed. Ovules in cells 1 (or rarely 

 2), ascending, incompletely anatropous; micropyle extrorsely inferior. 

 .Fruit ovoid coriaceous, indéhiscent, uncinato-setose without, 1-2- 

 locular. Seeds in cells solitary, laterally inserted within ; cotyledons 

 of exalbuminous embryo fleshy flat compressed, radicle short inferior. 

 — Glabrous or pilose perennial herbs; stem simple or slightly ramose ; 

 leaves alternate petiolate ovate denticulate ; flowers in terminal and 

 lateral racemes, simple or slightly ramose ; pedicels patent, often 

 finally deflexed, bracteate or ebracteate. [Europe, temp, and frigid 

 North America.) — See p. 473. 



14. Diplandra Hook, and Aen. — Flowers subregular, 4-merous; 

 receptacle globose at base and produced above to curved cylindrical 

 tube. Sepals 4, inserted at top of receptacle, valvate, deciduous 

 (coloured). Petals 4, alternate, unequal, imbricate. Stamens 2, 

 epigynous, superposed anteriorly and posteriorly to sepals ; filaments 

 free ; anthers oblong introrse, 2-rimose. Germen inferior, 4-locular ; 

 cells oppositipetalous ; style simple, at apex stigmatose truncate. 

 Ovules in cells solitary, descending ; micropyle introrsely superior. 

 Fruit capsular coriaceous subglobose, loculicidally 4-valvate ; valves 

 solute from 4-winged seminiferous axis. Seeds compressed widely 

 alate ; testa papillose ; cotyledons (immature) of exalbuminous (?) 

 embryo flat. — A pubescent shrub ; leaves opposite and alternate 

 subsessile ovately oblong; flowers in a terminal raceme; peduncles 

 long. (Mexico.) — See p. 474. 



