176 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 
with prickles or bristling with hairs. In the former of these 
genera it does not open, and presents nearly the form of a triangular 
pyramid, the edges of which are prolonged in longitudinal wings, 
and the surfaces muricate. Triumfetta has a globular or slightly 
triangular fruit, or two-celled and compressed parallel to the 
partition, and quite covered with hairs more or less rigid, sometimes 
ciliate or feathery. Sometimes it is indehiscent, sometimes, on the 
contrary, the cells separate from each other or open incompletely by 
their midrib. It is seen that all these genera are distinguished by 
the character of their fruit. They could not be so by their flowers, for 
all have really the same calyx and the same gynæceum, and all have 
valvate petals, the base moulding itself upon the faces of the inter- 
nodes interposed to the androceum and the corolla, and presenting 
at this height a more or less concave and glandular plate, often 
edged with a fine down. This organ becomes little noticeable in 
Vasivea, and only exists in the male flowers, for in these the andro- 
ceum is borne by a short column, but at some distance from the 
corolla, while the gynæceum is nearly sessile in the female flower. 
By the separation of the sexes on different stalks this genus recalls 
Cardodiptera, the dicecious type of Brownlowiee, to which the other 
characters are mostly very analogous. 
III. PROCKIA SERIES. 
Prockia (figs. 197, 198) have regular hermaphrodite flowers, 
rarely constructed upon four or five part types, generally upon the 
three part. In the latter case the 
slightly convex receptacle bears 
first three free sepals, valvate- 
reduplicate in the bud. Then come 
three alternate petals of nearly the 
same consistence and colour as 
| | the sepals, large, imbricated in the 
Fra, 197. Fra. 198. bud, or only represented by narrow 
Flower (2). Long. sect, of flower. tongues not even touching by 
Prockia crucis, 


1 P.Be., ex L., Gen., n. 647.—Apans., Fam. v. 625; IU., t. 465.—DC., Prodr., i, 260,— 
des Pl., ii. 422.—J., Gen., 340.—Lamx., Dict.,  ENDL., Gen., n. 5072,—Czos., in Ann. Sc. Nat., 
