180 KUBIACE^. (madder FAMILy.) 



Stamens 5, cxserteil. Stylo filiform, thickened above. Stigma obtuse or 2-16bcd 

 Capsule coriaceous, ovoid, 2-celIed, opening loculicidally at the apex, and septi- 

 eidally nearly to the base, many-seeded. Seeds circular, imbricated, winged. 

 — Trees or shrubs. Leaves opposite. Stipules solitary, riowere white or 

 reddish. 



1. E. Caribseum, R. & S. Smooth; brjinehes slender; leaves ovate- 

 lanccolatc, acuminate ; peduncles axillary, solitary, 1-flowered ; corolla as long as 

 the leaves. — South Florida. — Shrub 6° - 12° high. Corolla -' long, fragrant. 



18. OLDENLAWDIA, Plum. Bluets. 



Flowers tetramerous (except No. 8). Calyx 4-toothed, persistent. Corolla 

 funnel-shaped, salver-shaped, or wheel-shaped, 4-lobed, valvate in the bud. 

 Stamens 4. Stigma mostly 2-lobed. Capsule roundish or obcordate, 2-celled, 

 opening loculicidally at the apex, which is often free from the calyx. Seeds few 

 or many, wingless. — Chiefly small herbs, with opposite leaves. Stipules united 

 with the petioles, sometimes fringed with bristles. Flowers small, white or pm-- 

 plish. 



* Corolla salver-shaped, longer than the calyx, smooth : flowers dimorphous, — some of 



them bearing exserted stamens and an included stgh, while others bear included 

 stamens and an exserted style : peduncles axillary, solitary : capsule broad, free 

 at the apex. 



1. O. COBrulea, Gray. Annual or biennial, smooth; stems tufted, fork- 

 ing ; leaves lanceolate, those at the base spatulate, clustered ; peduncles elon- 

 gated, erect or spreading. (Houstonia coerulea, L. H. patens. Ell.) — Moist 

 banks, Florida to Mississippi, and northward. February and March. — Stems 

 3' - 6' high. Corolla blue or white, yellow in the throat. 



2. O. serpyllifolia. Gray. Perennial, smooth ; stems filiform, prostrate, 

 branching ; leaves ovate or roundish, abruptly contracted into a long and slen- 

 der petiole; peduncles elongated, terminal and in the forks of the stem. (Hous- 

 tonia serpyllifolia, Michx.) — High mountains of North Carolina. — Stems 6'- 

 12' long. Peduncles l'-2' long. 



3. O. rotundifolia. Gray. Perennial; stems diffuse, creeping; leaves 

 round or oval, fleshy, abruptly contracted into a short petiole ; peduncles mostly 

 shorter than the leaves, recurved in fruit ; flowers white. ( Houstonia rotundi- 

 folia, Michx.) — Sandy soil near the coast, Florida to South Carolina, and west- 

 ward. February and March, and bearing apetalous fruiting flowers through the 

 year. 



* * Corolla funnel-shaped : flowers diceciously dimorphous : capsule free at the apex : 



stem i-angled : flowers in terminal cymes. 



4. O. purpurea. Gray. Pubescent; stem branching, erect; leaves ovate 

 or lanceolate-ovate, sessile, 3-5-ribbed; calyx-lobes longer than the capsule; 

 corolla purple or nearly white, slightly hairy within ; capsule roundish. (Hous- 

 tonia purpurea, X.) — Woods, Mississippi to North Carolina, and northward. 

 June and July. — Stems 8'- 12' high. Calyx-lobes occasionally 3-4 times the 

 length of the capsule. 



