129 



PL AT YSTE M ON LEIOCARPUM. 



(Smooth-fruited Platystemon.) 

 LINNEAN SYSTEM. NATURAL ORDER. 



POLYANDRIA POLYGYNIA. PAPAVERACE^E. DEC. 



GENERIC CHARACTER. 



Platystemon (Bentham). Flores tremeri. Sepala 3, hispida. Petala 6, ordine duplici. 

 Stamina subindefmita, filamentis petaloideis. Antheris linearibus rectis. Carpella 9—12 col- 

 lateralia, stigmatibus linearibus, erectis simplicissimis ; matura leviter cohasrentia, indehiscentia, 

 cartilaginea tortulosa ; in articulos transversos monospermos secedentia. Semina laevia, ecristata, 

 albumine oleoso. Bentham. Bot. Reg., vol. xx. p. 1679. 



Flowers in three parts. Sepals 3, hairy. Petals 6, arranged in a double row. Stamens 

 somewhat indefinite ; filaments resembling petals. Anthers linear, upright. Carpels from 9 to 

 12 arranged side by side, stigmas linear erect and simple; when mature slightly cohering, 

 indehiscent, cartilaginous, twisted, separating into one-seeded transverse joints. Seeds smooth, 

 not crested, albumen oily. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTER. 



P. leiocarpum, hirsutum, diffusum ; foliis ternis lineari-lanceolatis ; scapo axillari folio 

 longiore unifioro ; floribus pallide-sulphureis ; capellis glabris. 



Hairy, diffuse ; leaves arranged in threes, narrow, lanceolate ; scape axillary, longer than the 

 leaves, one-flowered ; flowers pale sulphur colour ; carpels smooth. 



Platystemon leiocarpum. — Fisch. et Meyer, Flor. Cab., p. 92. 



Descr. — Plant annual. Stem diffuse, more or less hairy, spreading a yard and upwards from 

 the root, succulent, and from which when bruised issues a yellowish juice. Leaves glaucous, 

 hairy, arranged in threes, narrow, lanceolate, unequal in size, obtuse, and having parallel unequal 

 veins. • Scape hairy, axillary, three times as long as the leaves, constantly one-flowered. Sepals 

 three, quickly falling off, hairy, of a brownish colour. Petals six, arranged in threes, ovate, 

 somewhat obtuse, shortly clawed, of a pale sulphur colour, and blotched at the apex with orange. 

 Stamens numerous, inserted on the receptacle. Filaments skinny, four times as broad as the 

 anthers, petaloid. Anthers erect. Stigmas numerous, as many as the carpels, pubescent. 

 Carpels perfectly smooth, arranged side by side, and slightly united at the edges, but when 

 mature separated into distinct carpels, which are articulated similarly to the legume of the genus 

 Hedysarum, breaking into many portions, each portion containing one seed. Seeds when mature 

 reniform, smooth and black. Albumen, as stated in the generic character, soft and oily. 



This plant, which is nothing more than a smooth-fruited variety of P. Califor- 

 nicum, as noticed by us in the Flor. Cab. page 92, was raised from Russian seeds 



VOL, II. NO. XXI. NOVEMBER. S 



