48 



OXALIS GENICULATE 



(Geniculate Oxalis.) 



LINNEAN SYSTEM. NATURAL ORDER. 



decandria pentagynia. oxalidEjE. — -(De Cand. Prod. Vol. l,p. 689.) 



GENERIC CHARACTER. 

 Oxalis (Lin.) Calyx 5-sepalus, sepalis liberis aut basi coalitis. Petala 5. Stamina 10 

 filamentis basi breviter monadelphis, 5 exteriis alternis brevioribus. Styli 5 apice penicilli- 

 formes, aut capitati. Capsula pentagona oblonga aut cylindracea. Herbse perennes aut annuse, 

 caulescentes stipitatse aut acaules foliis variis sed nunquam abrupte pinnatis — De Cand. Prod. 

 vol. 1, p. 690). 



Calyx 5-sepaled, sepals free, or joined at the base. Petals 5. Stamens 10, having the 

 filaments shortly monadelphous at the base, the five exterior ones being alternately shorter. 

 Styles 5, brush-like, or capitate. Capsule 5-sided, oblong or cylindraceous. Herbaceous peren- 

 nial or annual, caulescent or stemless, leaves various, never abruptly pinnate. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTER. 



O. geniculata ; aeaulis, molliterpilosa ; foliis 3 obcordatis profunde emarginatis ; pedunculis- 

 1 -floris folio duplo longioribus, geniculatis ; bracteis setaceis subciliatis ; sepalis linearibus obtusis 

 fusco notatis ; petalis obcordatis, flavis, unguibus striatis ; stylis et staminibus pubescentibus. 



Descr. — Stemless, covered with soft hairs ; leaves in threes, inversely heart-shaped, deeply 

 notched at the end ; peduncles 1 -flowered, as long again as the leaf, geniculate ; bracteas awl- 

 shaped, somewhat fringed ; sepals linear obtuse, marked with a brown line ; petals obcordate, 

 yellow, claw- striped ; styles and stamens hairy. 



This is an extremely delicate and pretty species, and one which we believe has 

 not, as yet, been described by any botanist. Its foliage is very pleasing, and the 

 flowers, which are only fully open at mid-day (being impatient of the solar rays), 

 are truly brilliant ; so much so, that although our artist has taken every pains, 

 he has not been able to produce the richness of colour displayed in the original. 

 It has been distributed from collections under the name tenuifolia, but no two 

 plants can be more dissimilar ; our plant belonging to the section Caprince of De 

 CandohVs Prodromus (a stemless section), and tenuifolia to the section Adenophy 'lice, 

 a caulescent one with glandular leaves. It is however nearly allied to Oxalis 

 lobata, Sims. Bot. Mag. t. 2386, but differs from that species in being covered 



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