Podostemacea. 179 



2. PODOSTEMON. Rich. 

 Podostemon. L. C. Richard in Michaux Fl. Bor. Amer. 

 2. p. 164. t. 44; Wild. Sp. plant. 4. p. 196; Pers. Syn. PL 

 2. p. 532; Kunth in Humb. et Bonp. N. Gen. 1. p. 246; 

 Nutt. Gen. Am. 2. p. 202 ; Lindl. Nat. Syst. Ed. 2. p. 

 442; Griffith in As. Res. 19. p. 103. t. 17; Endl. Gen. 

 Plant, n. 1832; Meisner Vas Gen. p. 122 (88).— Lacis. 

 Mart. N. Gen. 1. p. 5. t. 2 ; Hook. Comp. Bot. Mag. 2. p. 

 23. t. 20. — DiCRiEiA, Thouars Gen. Madag. n. 4.—? Neo- 

 lacis, Cham, in hinncea 9. p. 504. £. 5. — Hydrob^eyum, 

 Endl. Gen. Plant, n. 1831, 1. 



Char. — Spatha tubuloso-clavata, apice irregulariter rupta, 

 basi bracteata. Flos pedicellatus. Perigonium nullum* 

 Stamina 4, unilateralia : filamenta lateralia plano-setacea, 

 abortientia, intermedia fere ad apicem eoalita, fertilia : an- 

 therae ovatae, basi affixae, biloculares. Pollenis granula 



Descr. —Roots whitish, fibrous, adhering to rocks and stones. Stem about an 

 inch long, musciform, alternately branched, leafy. Leaves imbricated, sessile, 

 alternate, elliptical or ovate-elliptical, obtuse, nerveless and veinless, about half a 

 line long. Flowers solitary, lateral, springing from the axils towards the extremi- 

 ties of the branches. Spathe bivalvate, valves white, glabrous, distinct nearly to 

 the base, orbicular, obtuse, about a line long. Pedicel cylindrical 4-5-lines long. 

 Perigonium of three, equal, free, oval or somewhat obovate, obtuse, concave, 

 veinless segments, which are imbricate in aestivation, and scarcely a line long: 

 Stamen solitary, hypogynous, placed within and alternating with two of the seg- 

 ments of the perigonium : filament linear, about as long as the ovary : anther 

 oblong, narrowed towards the apex, 2-celled, cells bursting longitudinally inter- 

 nally. Pollen globose, yellow. Ovary superior, sessile, obsoletely 9-sulcate* 

 3-celled, placentae attached to the dissepiments. Ovules numerous, ascending. 

 Stigmata 3, subulate, entire, divaricate, at length deciduous. Capsule elliptical, 

 about three-fourths of a line long, deeply 9-sulcate, 3-celled. Placentes attached 

 to the dissepiments, forming a triangular body which ultimately becomes free. 

 Seeds numerous, small, oblong, obtuse at both ends, ascending. Testa of a yellow- 

 ish brown color. Embryo exalbuminous, dicotyledonous, orthotropous : radi- 

 cal inferior, directed towards the hilum. 



Obser.— This species appears to differ from T. hypnoides, Spr. (Dufouria hyp- 

 noides, St. Hil.,) by its larger size, and densely imbricated leaves, which are 

 mostly of an elliptical shape, not triangular. 



