Order 33.— THE PURSELANES. 175 



5 L. oorona'ta. Chinese L. Petals very broad, fringed with numerous teeth, t 



6 L. Flosou'culi. Bagged Eobin. Petals divided into i long teeth, crowned, t 



4. gEEAS'TIUM. Mouse-ear. duckweed. 



Sepals 5, ovate, acute. Petals 6, bifid or 2-cleft. Stamens 10, some- 

 times 5 or 4. Styles 5. Capsule cylindrical or roundish, opening at top 

 by 10 tooth-like valves. Seeds numerous. Fls. white, in cymes. (Fig. 1 14.) 



Petals about as long as the calyx. Plants hairy. , . .1, 2 



Petals much longer than the calyx. Plants hairy or downy. ...3, 4, 5 



1 O. vulga'tum. Common M. Lvs. obovate. Sepals acute. Pis. at first crowded.' 



2 0. visoo'sum. SUohy M. Hairs sticky. Leaves lance-ovate. Sepals obtuse. 



8 01 arven'se. Tield M. Lvs. linear. Eipe pods as long as the calyx. N. E. 



4 O. oblonglfolium. Leaves iance-obl. Pods longer than calyx. M. 



8 O. nu'tans, Sodding M. Eipe pods curved, thriee longer than calyx. N.W. 



5. MOLLTT'GO. Carpet-weed. 



Sepals 5. Petals 0. Stamens 3-5, opposite to the sepals. Styles 3. 

 Capsule 3-celled, 3-valved, many-seeded. — ® Low or prostrate herbs, 

 withf the leaves appearing whorled. 



M. verticilla'ta. Stems slender, jointed, much branched, lying flat on the ground. 

 At each joint stands a whorl of wedge-shaped or spatulate leaves of unequal 

 size, usually about 5 in number, and a few flowers, each solitary on its stalk, 

 which is shorter than the petioles. Flowers small, sepals white inside. In dry 

 places. July-Sepi. 



Order XXII. PORTULACACE^. The Purselanes. 



Herbs with thick, entire leaves, no stipules, and regular flowers ; 

 flowers with 2 sepals, 5 petals, open only in the sunshine ; 

 stamens opposite to the petals when of the same number, often more ; 

 pistih several, with their ovaries united, free, or half-free, forming in ' 

 fruit a pyxis (§ 178) or a capsule. 



Analysis of the Genera. 



1[ Sepals five. Petals none. Fruit a pyxis. Stamens oo. Sea Purselane. Sesu'viom. 



t Sepals 2. Petals 5 a 



a Stamens 5, opposite the petals. Spring Beauty. Clayto'nia. 1 



a Stamens 8-30, on the torus. Pod 3-valved. Tali'num. 



a Stamens 8-30, on the calyx. Pyxis opening by a lid. Pobtula'oa. 2 



