CARYOPHYLLACE^.. 25 



Plate 107. 



STIPULICIDA, Michx. 



Sepala late scarioso-marginata, retusa, petalis spathulatis 

 inferne utrinque bidenticulatis snbbreviora. Stamina 5. 

 Stylus 3-lobus. Capsula iinilocularis, circiter 20-sperma. 

 Embryo hemicyclicus. — Caulis pliiries dichotomus, fastigi- 

 atus, setaceus ; floribns in apice ramuloriim capitellato-glome- 

 ratis ; foliis radicalibus spathulatis, caulinis minimis subulatis ; 

 stipulis adnatis pectinato-laciniatis. 



Stipulicida, Michx. Fl. 1. p. 20. t. 6. Nutt. Gen. 1. p. 29. DC. Prodr. 

 3. p. 375. Torr. & Gray, Fl. N. Am. 1. p. 173. Endl. Gen. 

 5215. 



Calyx of five almost distinct sepals, which are cuneate- 

 oblong, with a rigid axis and scarious-petaloid (white) mar- 

 gins (the inner more broadly scarious), imbricated in asstiva- 

 tion, persistent. Petals .5, rather longer than the calyx, 

 imbricated in sestivation, hypogynous, spatulate, the dilated 

 claw minutely two-toothed on each side above the base, 

 marcescent. Stamens 5, alternate with the petals, hypogy- 

 nous : riLAMENTs filiform, short : anthers introrse, two- 

 celled; the cells oblong, opening longitudinally. Ovary 

 globose-ovoid, one-celled, with a basilar columnar placenta : 

 style short, three-lobed ; the lobes stigmatose along the whole 

 inner face. Ovules numerous, amphitropous, ascending. 



Capsule somewhat exceeding the calyx, globular, charta- 

 ceous, three-valved, about twenty-seeded. Seeds borne on 

 the columnar free placenta, smooth, compressed, inequilate- 

 ral, almost anatropous. Embryo dorsal, curved into nearly 

 a semicircle around the convex side of the farinaceous albu- 

 men : RADICLE inferior. 



Herb low and very slender, from an a])parenlly annual 

 root, the stems repeatedly dichotomous, the capillary corym- 

 3 



