466 NATURAL SISTORY OF PLANTS. 



138. Neurocalyx Hook.' — Flowers 6-merous; receptacle obconi- 

 Cal or subspherical, sometimes 5-costate. Calyx large membranous, 

 5-lobed, subpetaloid, reticulate-veined. Lobes of rotate corolla 5, 

 shorter than calyx, yalvate. Stamens 5; filaments short or very 

 short ; anthers ^ coalite in a cone, dehiscing inwards. Germen 2-celled ; 

 disk depressed ; style slender, at apex stigmatose capitellate. Ovules 



CO, inserted on placentas peltately affixed to septum. Fruit dry, 

 coriaceous or sometimes rather fleshy, tardily .2-coccous or dividing 

 unequally. Seeds oo, minute foveolate ; embryo minute albuminous. 

 — Annual herbs, glabrous or very pilose ; ^ stem simple, sometimes 

 very short ; leaves opposite, sometimes compact rosulate, entire or 

 dentate, venose ; ' stipules interpetiolar membranous, 2-plurifid ;, 

 flowers * in very short axillary drooping racemes ; bracts entire or 

 2-partite. {Indian penins., Ceylon, Borneo.^) 



139. Argostemma Wall.''- — Flowers 4, 5-merous (nearly of 

 Neurocalyx) ; receptacle hemispherical, subcampanulate or obconical. 

 Calyx gamophyllous subrotate or shortly campanulate ; lobes 4, 5, or 

 rarely 6, 7, 3-angular. Corolla rotate ; lobes 4, 5, open or recurved, 

 3-angular, valvate. Stamens 4, 5, inserted at bottom of coroUa; 

 filaments short ; anthers ' dorsifixed above base, approximate or 

 coherent in a cone, ovate-oblong acuminate or rostrate, rimose within 

 or 1, 2-poricidal at beak. Germen 2-celled; disk epigynous thick^ 

 style slender, at apex stigmatose capitellate. Ovules in cells' cx>, 

 inserted on a placenta affixed to middle of septum. Fruit capsular, 

 membranous or coriaceous, at apex lacerate or dehiscing pyxis-like. 

 Seeds go, small compressed or angular, granulate or reticulate ; embryo 

 minute albuminous. — Small, sometimes very small herbs, glabrous or 

 with scattered articulate hairs ; leaves opposite,^ sometimes very few, 

 in each pair equal or very unequal, oblong or lanceolate, membranous 

 or rather fleshy ; stipules interpetiolar entire, persistent ; flowers ' in 



' Icon. t. 174.— Abn. Ann. Nat. Mist. iii. 20. t. 185.— Kick. Eub. 169.— DC. Prodr. it. 417.— 



— Endl. Gen. n. 3287=.— B. H. Gen. ii. 64, n. Endl. Gen. n." 3244, 3287' (Suppl. i. 1394).— B. 



76.— Hook. Fl. Ind. iii. 46. H. Gun. ii. 64, n. 76.— Hook. M. Ind. iii. 42.^ 



' Nearly, as-corolla, of some Solanums. Pomangiilm Reinw. (ex Bl.). — Cortmoidet aVz. 



' Habit and sometimes leaves of Acrotrema. in hb. Banks. 



* Rather large, " pale purple." ^ Sometimes nearly of Solanum. 



' Spec. 4, 5. Wight, Icon. t. 52.— Thw. &ium. " Or spuriously verticiUate. 



ri. Zeyl. 138.— Walp. Rep. ii. 515. 9 Small, white, lesembling those of the Sola- 



« Soxb. Fl. Ind. (ed. Oak.) ii. 324 ; H. As.Rar. naceee, Ardisice, or some Sonerila. 



