464 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



small straight. — A low glabrous ramose herb ; leaves opposite linear, 

 dilated at base to a membranous lamina, entire above or obscurely 

 dentate,' and thereby connate ; flowers * in generally solitary 

 dichotomies, very shortly pedunculate. {Cent, and N. America.^) 



135. Ophiorrhiza L.'' — Flowers hermaphrodite or polygamous ; 

 receptacle subglobose {Folyiira ^), turbinate or compressed-cymbiform, 

 sometimes obconical (Pakenhamia ^) . Calyx short; teeth 5, rather 

 remote, acute or obtuse (Polyiira), persistent around fruit. Corolla 

 tubular funnel-shaped ; lobes sometimes winged at back, valvate. 

 Stamens, disk &c. of Oldenlandia. Germen adnate to receptacle, 

 sometimes free at apex, 2-celled ; branches of slender style 2 stigma- 

 tose obtuse or oblong, sometimes capitellate. Ovules in cells cc, 

 inserted on a subglobose or obovoid ascending placenta affixed to 

 bottom of septum. Fruit capsular subglobose (Polyura), obconical 

 (Pakenhamia), or oftener much compressed contrary to septum, mitre- 

 shaped, widely 2-lobed or 2-winged, sometimes obcordate, truncate 

 above or sub-2-dymous, dehiscing septicidally (Polyura) or loculicidally 

 above ; cells sometimes finally solute. Seeds oo, minute angular, 

 smooth, granular or papillose, richly albuminous ; embryo clavate, 

 2-fid or 2-lobed.- — Erect or drooping herbs, sometimes subshrubby ; 

 leaves opposite '' petiolate membranous, sometimes unequal ; stipules 

 interpetiolar, solitary or 2-nate ; flowers * in 2-chotomous or some- 

 times 1 -parous recurved cymes; bracts small or subfoUaceous. (Trop. 

 and subtrop. Asia and Oceania.^) 



136. Spiradiclis Bl.'°— Flowers hermaphrodite or polygamous 

 (nearly of Ophiorrhiza), 4-6-merous; receptacle subtubular or 



1 Stipular (?). pink or golden. 



' Small, white. ' Spec, about 45. Bi. Sijdr. 976. — Gaudich. 



' Spec. 1. P. pncumiensli. — P. Liiiticei Micx. Frepcin. Voy. Bot. t. 97. — Wight, Icon. 1. 1067- 



Fl. AmiT.-Sor.i.83.~?P.ScJi!eclitet!dalu'WAi.F. 1069, 1162. — A. Gray, Proc. Jviei: Acad. iv. 



Nov. Acta Nat. Cur. xix. Suppl. i. 3ol.— iinam 311.— Seem. FI. Vit. 126. — Mia. Fl. Jnd.-Bat. 



earoliniaiium Petiv. Gou- 9, t. 5. ii. 1 66, 350 ; Suppl. 539 ; Ann. Mus. Ltigd.-Bat. 



^ Fl. Zeyl. 402; Gmi. u. 210.— J. Gei>. 143 iy.2iQ.—Q^Tiiii.Fl.Ju8ttal.\i\.i01;Fl.Hongk. 



{Gentiaiite). — GjEETn. Fruct. i. 264, t. 55.— EicH. 147. — Thw. Fi,um. PI. Ziyi. 139. — Hance, I'lim. 



Hub. 189.— DC. Prodi: iv. 415.— Esdl. Gen. u. Jjurii. Sot. (1877) 334.— Walp. Ap. ii. 502; 



3245.— B H. Gen. ii. 63, n. 95.— Kook. Fl. Ind. vi. 57 ; Ann. i. 376; ii. 773. 



iii. 77. " Bijd,: 975.— PacH. B.ub. 208.— DU. Prodr. 



" IIooK. r. Icon. t. 1049.— B.H. Gen. ii. 62, iv. 418.— Endl. Gm. n. 3243.— B.H. Gen. ii. 



n. 94.— Hook. Fl. Ind. iii. 76. 1228, n. 93.— Hook. Fl. Ind. iii. 16.—FIeotliec.a 



8 Clakke )»ss. from oral communio. Wall. Cat. n. 6i\6.—Selenocera Zipp. Linnaa, 



7 SoIn^times spuriously verticillato. " xv. 316. 



* Small or rarely rather large, white, greenish. 



