106 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



extremely small, and -nith abortive anthers. Ovary ovoid, with 

 3, 4, or 5 short styles. Capsule longer than the sepals, sub- 

 globose, bluntly 6-aiigled, fleshy, opening by as many valves as 

 there are styles. Seeds few (4 to 8), large, dark chestnut, pear- 

 shaped, compressed, tapering to a point at the extremity where 

 the radicle is situated, convex on the outside, hollowed out on the 

 inner face, shining, and finely granulated with flattened tubercles. 



Fleshy perennials, growing on the sea-coast, with the inflo- 

 rescence in terminal and axillary cymes reduced to solitary flowers. 



Honkeneya deserves better to be raised to the rank of a genus 

 than Alsine, from its very peculiar habit ; though the large almond- 

 shaped seeds, greatly developed disk, and fleshy capsule are the 

 only technical characters by which it can be separated from the 

 rest of the genus Alsine, while the 6-angled capsule shows an 

 approach to Arenaria. 



The name Honkeneya is given in honour of G. A. Ilonckency, a German botanist. 



SPECIES I— HONKENEYA PEPLOIDES,* Ehrh. 



Plate CCXXXIX. (Named there Alsine peploides.) 



Reich. Tc. Fl. Germ, et Helv. Vol. V. Caryoph. Tab. CCXIII. Fig. 3G70. 



Halianthus peploides, Fries, Fl. Hall, p. 75 ; and Mant. III. p. 50. Koch, Syn. Fl. 



Germ, et Helv. ed. ii. p. 121. 

 Adenariiim peploide.s, Rufinesque iu Desv. Journ. Phys. 1818, p. 250. 

 Arenaria peploides, Linn. Sm. Eng. Bot. No. 189. Benlh. Handbook Brit. Fl. p. 123. 



Rootstock creeping. Stems fleshy, slightly dichotomously 

 branched. Leaves fleshy, ovate or oval, acute and recurved at the 

 apex, 1-nerved. Flowers sub-dioecious, few, solitary, terminal and 

 lateral. Pedicels shorter than the sepals. Sepals ovate, obtuse, 

 with 1 distinct and 2 faint nerves and membranous margins. 

 Petals oblanceolate, equalling the sepals in the male and falling 

 short of them in the female flowers. Capsule much exceeding the 

 sepals, sub-globose, fleshy. Seeds very large, obovate, smoothish. 



On sandy and shingly seashores. Common and generally 

 distributed. 



England, Scotland, Ireland. Perennial. Summer and Autumn. 



Rootstock whitish, long and slender, extensively creeping in 

 the sand or shingle, branched, the branches terminating in leafy 



* Ehrhart's name is so generally adoj)ted for this genus, that it seems better to retain 

 it, and adopt Mfisner's name of Clutertouia for the Tiliaceous genua named Honkeneya 

 by WiUdcnoW. 



