238 NATURAL HISTOBY OF PLANTS. 



fertile ; peripheric sterile or hermaphrodite few pedicellate.' (Trop. 

 Brazil.') 



79. Laretia Gill.' — Flowers nearly of ^^oreZk ; sepals 3-angular, 

 persistent. Petals entire, imbricate. Styles long slender, at base 

 dilated to conical stylopods. Fruit subovoid, dorsally compressed and 

 much constricted at commissure, whence 2-scutate ; mericarps at back 

 plano-concave, cuneate within ; carpophore simple. Primary ridges 

 filiform ; dorsal intermediate at back ; lateral bordering mericarps ; 

 intrajugal vittse thin. Seed flat at back. — A low dense csespitose herb ; * 

 stem perennial thick very short ; leaves alternate rosulate entire rather 

 rigid, at base dilated to sheath; umbels simple; bracts foliaceous 

 scarious sublanceolate ; pedicels articulate under flower. (Ghili.^) 



80. Mulinum Pers.® — Flowers (nearly of Laretia) polygamous ; 

 sepals expanded acute. Fruit much compressed at very narrow 

 commissure, 2-scutate, transversely cruciate ; mericarps at back 

 angulately concave, aliform at margins; carpophore simple or 0. 

 Primary ridges very thin ; dorsal in cavity of mericarp ; intermediate 

 at margin ; lateral on face and distant from commissure ; intrajugal 

 vittse thin. Seed compressed or depressed at back, at face flat or 

 rather convex. — Csespitose-ramose undershrubs ; leaves rigid sharp, 

 3-5-fid or 3-5-sect ; petiole sometimes dilated to scarious-ciliate 

 sheath ; umbels simple ; involucral bracts short free or connate at 

 base. (And. and Arct. America.'') 



81. Hermas L.* — Flowers' monoecious or polygamous; sepals 

 expanded ovate or lanceolate, often petaloid, imbricate, persistent. 

 Petals 5, filamentary, inflexed. Stamens 5; filaments alternating with 

 and similar to petals ; anthers short exserted. Styles slender straight, 

 obtuse at apex, dilated at base to short conical stylopods. Fruit (of 



• A genus closely allied to Azorella and Mi- Gen. n. 4369. — B. H. Gen. VTl, n. 15. 



cr, pleura. 7 Spec. 3, 4. Cav. Icon. v. t. 486, fig. 1, 2; 



= Spec. 1 (or 2 ?). Walp. Sep. v. 844. 487, fig. 1 {Selinum). —Roos.. Bot. Misc. i. t. 64. 



' Ex Hook, and Arn. Bot. Misc. i. 329, t. 65. — Clos, C. Oay Fl. Chil. iii. 88.— Phil. Fl. 



— Endl. Gen. n. 4371.— B. H. Gen. 875, u. 8. Atam. 24. — Wedd. Chlor. Andina, ii. 199, t. 



* Hatit of Azorella. 70, B.— Walp. Sep. ii. 386 ; Ann. i. 978. 



' Spec. 1. L. aeatdis B.OO-K. — C. Gay, Fl. Chil. « Gen. n. 1332. — L. p. Suppl. 435.— Thunb. 



iii. 106.— Wedd. Chlor. Andina, ii. 199, t. 70, A. Kov. Acta Acad. Pet. xiv. 531, 1. 11, 12.— G.;kb.tn. 



— ^Walp. Sep. ii. 387. — Selinum acaule Cav. Fruct. ii. 30, t. 85. — Lamk, Blot. iii. 121 ; III. t. 



Icon. 69, t. 487, fig. 2. — Mulinum acaule Pees. — 851. — Lag. Amoen. ii. 102. — DO. Prodr. iv. 241. 



DC. Prodr. iv. 80, n. 6. — Endl. Gen. n. 4530.— B. H. Gen. 878, n. 



6 Mnchir. i. 309 (part). — Lag. Amcen. ii. 94. 16. 



— DC. Jftm. 32 ; Prarff. iv. 79 (part). — Ekdl. ' White or dark purple. 



