% XVI. caryophylle^. 



10. POLYCARPON, Linn. 



(Plant loaded with seed.) 



Sepals 5, keeled, scarious on the margin. Petals 5, small, entire or notched. 

 Stamens 3 to 6. Style short, 3-cleft. Capsule 3-valved. Seeds laterally 

 attached near the base ; embryo exoentrical, curved or nearly straight, the 

 cotyledons incumbent or oblique. — Herbs, either diifuse or dichotomously 

 branched, glabrous or pubescent. Leaves flat, usually ovate or oblong, often 

 apparently, but not really, in whorls of 4. Stipules scarious. Flowers small, 

 numerous, in terminal cymes, with scarious bracts. 



A genus of very few species, dispersed over the temperate and tropical regions of the globe, 

 The Australian species is identical with the commonest northern one. — Senth. 



1. P. tetraphyllum (four-leaved), Linn. /.; DC. Prod. iii. 876 ; Benth. Fl. 

 Aiixtr. i. 162. A glabrous, much branched, spreading or prostrate annual, 

 seldom more than 3 or 4in. long. Leaves obovate or oblong, really opposite, but 

 placed as they usually are under the forks two pairs are so close together as to 

 assume the appearance of a whorl of 4. Flowers very small and numerous, in 

 loose terminal cymes. Sepals barely 1 line long. Petals much shorter and very 

 thin. Stamens usually 3. — F. v. M. PL Vict. i. 205. 



Hab.: Common in the southern parts. 



Very common in sandy situations, chiefly not far from the sea, in Europe, temperate Asia, the 

 greater part of Africa, and in many parts of North and South America ; but unknown in tropical 

 or subtropical Asia. 



11. POLYCARPiEA, Lour. 



(From the abundance of seed.) 



(Aylmeria, Mart.) 



Sepals 5, either entirely scarious, or herbaceous in the centre and scarious on 



the margin, but not keeled. Petals 5, entire or toothed. Stamens 5, hypogynous 



or slightly perigynous, free or united with the petals in a ring or tube. Style 



elongated, 3-furrowed, 3-toothed, or shortly 8-lobed at the top. Capsule 3-valved. 



Seeds obovoid or flattened ; embryo curved or nearly straight ; cotyledons usually 



(perhaps always) accumbent. — Annual or perennial herbs, erect or diffuse. 



Leaves narrow-linear or rarely ovate, often clustered in the axils so as to appear 



verticillate. Stipules scarious. Flowers usually numerous, in terminal cymes, 



sometimes loose and paniculate, sometimes dense and capitate, often remarkable 



for the white, pink or purple scarious sepals and bracts. 



The genus is dispersed over the tropical and subtropical regions of the Old World, one — the 

 commonest species — extending also into tropical America: The 6 Queensland species are all, 

 except one, tropical ; one is the abovementioned common one, the 5 others are endemic. — Benth. 

 in part. 



Sect. I. Planchonia, J. Gay. — Petals and stamens united in a cup or tube, icithout 

 staminodia. 



Stems hard and almost woody at the base, the radical leaves soon disappear- 

 ing. Leaves all narrow. Flowers 3 to 4 lines. 

 Stems tall, pubescent. Corolla-tube shorter than the free part. Stamens 



the length of the petals. Capsule short, obtuse 1. P. longMora. 



Stems slightly pubescent. Capsule fusiform 2, P. Burtoni. 



Stems short, glabrous. Corolla-tube longer than the free part. Stamens 

 much longer than the petals. Capsule oblong, tapering at the top . . . 3. P. spirostyles. 

 Stems herbaceous, several from a rosette of oblong or obovate radical leaves. 



Stem-leaves narrow. Flowers IJ to 3 lines 4. P. synandra. 



Seoi. II. Polycarpia. — Petals and stamens free or united in a ring at the base, witliout 

 staminodia. 



Stems simple or hard and woody at the base. Eadical leaves soon disap- 

 pearing. 

 Flowers IJ line. Petals rounded and very obtuse. Capsule much shorter 



than the sepals , .5. P. corymhosn. 



Flowers less than 1 line. Petals oval-oblong, acute, or toothed at the top. 

 Capsule rather shorter or longer than the sepals ... 6. P. hrevi flora. 



