T. Holm — Mollugo verticillata L. 531 



gonia, Aizoon, Sesuvium, Galenia, etc., with their centric 

 leaf-structure, abundance of watei'-storage-tissue, and papillose 

 epidermis, not speaking of the frequent anomalous stem-struc- 

 ture possessed by these, mostly xerophilous genera ; in some of 

 the other genera, the herbaceous Adenogramma, Gisekia, 

 Limextm and Psammotropha, the stem-structure is normal, 

 and, as stated by Solereder, these genera are now generally 

 referred to other families, viz. Porfotlaccoe and Phytolaccaceoe. 

 Our Mollugo does not, from an anatomical viewpoint, show any 

 relation to the Portidacece, but to the Caryophyllacece ; in 

 respect to the habit, it resembles the Alsinece, but the floral 

 structure, and especially the fruit, is different. 



Let lis now examine the various views that have been 

 expressed in regard to the classification of Mollugo based solely 

 upon the floral characters. 



As stated in the preceding, Jussieu did not include Mollugo 

 in the Ficoidece, but referred it to the Caryophylleaz ; in accord- 

 ance with him, the Ficoideai consisted of Sesuvium, Aizoon, 

 Glinus, Orygia, Mesembryanthemum, Tetrago?iia, beside two 

 other genera, Reaumuria and Nitraria, which are now referred 

 to Tamariscinece and Xygojphyllece. With Bentham and 

 Hooker, the family Ficoidece is divided into three tribes : 

 Jlesembryew, Aizoidem and Molluginece ; in the last of these 

 we find Mollugo with Orygia, Pharnaceum, Gisekia, and a 

 few others. A similar classification is proposed by Pax,* who 

 calls the family Aizoaceos, with two tribes, Molluginoidece and 

 Ficoidece, the latter including, of course, Mollugo, Glinus, 

 Pharnaceum., while Mesembryanthemum, Sesuvium and Te- 

 tragonia are referred to the former. In other words, the 

 extremely different habit, the floral structure : calyx, stamens 

 and pistil free (Mollugo), or calyx and stamens united, the 

 pistil free (Aizoon), or finally, calyx, stamens and pistil united 

 (Mesembryanthemum and Tetragonia), not speaking of the 

 fruit, which varies from a capsule with loculicidal dehiscence 

 (Mollugo), or, at the same time, loculicidal and septicidal 

 (Mesembryanthemum) to a pyxidium (Sesuvium) or a drupe 

 (Tetragonia), these very prominent characters are now con- 

 sidered of no sufficient importance for arranging these genera 

 into more than one single natural family. A different classifi- 

 cation was, however, suggested by Fenzl,f who at first placed 

 Tetragonia and Aizoon as members of the family Ficoidece, 

 removing Mesembryanthemum from these, establishing the 

 family Mesembryanthemece, and referring Mollugo with its 

 * Engler und Prantl, Natiirliche Planzenfamilien, vol. iii, p. 38, Leipzig, 



f Monographie der Molhigineen and Steudelieen (Ann. Wien Mus. , vol. i, 

 p. 337, 1835). 



