180 TRIANDRIA— TRIGYNIA. Montia. 



On the sandy sea coast. 



Not rare on the sandy shores of Norfolk^ Suffolk and Essex. 



Annual. June, July, 



Root of many long downy fibres. Stem rigid and wiry, as in my 

 Glyceria rigida, p. 119, branched from the bottom, generally 2 

 or 3 inches high, but various in luxuriance, leafy, very smooth 

 and polished, erect or decumbent. Leaves linear, acute, nearly 

 smooth ; involute when dry. Sheaths close, keeled, smooth. 

 Stipula short, notched. Spike usually simple, but when highly 

 luxuriant, from culture, compound, always unilateral j its main 

 stalk two-edged, wavy, smooth. Spikelets ovate-oblong, slightly 

 turgid, smooth, two-ranked, rather close, of numerous imbri- 

 cated J?ore<s. Calyx strongly keeled, with a blunt membranous 

 point. Outer valve of the corolla resembling the calyx ; inner 

 fringed at the lateral ribs. Nectary undivided, obtuse, surround- 

 ing the base of the oblong germen. Styles scarcely any. Stigmas 

 spreading, loosely feathery. 



TRIANDRIA TRIGYNIA. 



62. MONTIA. Blinks. 



Linn. Gen. 41. Juss.3l3. Fl.Br.\6l. Mich. t. 13. Lam.t.bO. 

 Gcertn. M29. 



Nat. Ord. Succulentce. Linn. 13. Portulacece. Juss. 86. 

 See Samolus n. 118. 



Cal. inferior, of 2 ovate, abrupt, concave, erect, permanent 

 leaves. Cor. of 1 petal, in 5 deep spreading segments; 

 the 3 smaller ones bearing the stamens ; 2 intermediate 

 lateral ones larger. Filam. capillary, not longer than the 

 corolla, to whose base they are attached. Anth. small, of 

 2 round lobes. Germ, superior, turbinate, 3-lobed. Styles 

 very short. Stigmas 3, oblong, downy on their upper side. 

 Caps, turbinate, of 1 cell and 3 valves. Seeds 3, roundish- 

 kidney-shaped, dotted. " The calyx has sometimes 3 

 leaves, in which case there are 5 stamens." Linn. 



Annual, herbaceous, with opposite leaves, and terminal 

 Jlox<oers. Only 1 species known. 



I 



