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( 152 .) 



BUFFO'NIA* *. 



Linnean Class and Order. Tetra'ndria Digy'nia. 



Natural Order. Caryophy'lle/e, Linn. — Juss. Gen. PI. p. 

 299. — Sm. Gram, of Bot. p. 159. — Lindl. Syn. p. 43.; Introd. to 

 Nat. Syst. of Bot. p. 156. — Rich, by Macgilliv. p. 507. — Loud. 

 Hort. Brit. p. 501. — Rosales ; subord. Rhceadosas ; sect. Dian- 

 thinas; type, DianthacEjE ; Burn. Outl. of Bot. pp. 614, 784, 

 805, and 807. 



Gen. Char. Calyx (fig. 1.) inferior, of 4 upright, awl-shaped, 

 keeled, equal sepals, membranous at their edges. Corolla (see 

 figs. 2 & 3.) of 4 elliptic-oblong, entire, equal, upright petals, 

 shorter than the calyx. Filaments (see fig. 4.) 4, awl-shaped, 

 smooth, shorter than the petals. Jlnthers (see fig. 4.) roundish, 

 of 2 cells. Germen (see fig. 5.) superior, inversely egg-shaped, 

 flattened. Styles (see fig. 5.) 2, short and distant, upright. Stigmas 

 capitate. Capsule (fig. 6.) oval, flattened, of 1 cell, and 2 valves. 

 Seeds (fig. 7.) 2, large, oval, compressed, marked with little tuber- 

 cules, inserted into the base of the capsule. 



The 4-sepaled calyx ; the corolla of 4 entire petals ; and the 

 flattened, 1-celled, 2-valved, 2-seeded capsule; will distinguish 

 this from other genera in the same class and order. 



One species British. 



BUFFO'NIA A'NNUA. Annual Buffonia. 



Spec. Char. Stem loosely panicled from the base ; branches 



S reading, short, firm. Stripes on the calyx straight, parallel. 



ipsules scarcely equal in length to the calyx. Leaves awl-shaped, 

 dilated at the base. 



De Candolle’s Flore Franyoise, v. iv. p.768. — Gray’s Nat. Arr. v. ii. p. 650. — 

 Lindl. Syn. p. 47. — Hook. Brit. FI. p. 71. — Don’s Gen. Syst. of Gard. and Bot. 

 v. i. p. 419. — Buffonia tenuifolia, Engl. Bot. t. 1313. — Sm. FI. Brit. v. i. p, 

 191. ; Engl. FI. v. i. p. 225. — With. (7th ed.) v. ii. p.244. — Bufoniu tenuifolia, 

 Linn. Sp. PI. p. 1791 — Hud. FI. Angl. (2nd ed.) p 72. — Alsine polyyonoides 

 tenuifolia , flosculis ad longitudinem caulis velut in spicam dispositis nostra, 

 Ray’s Syn. p. 346. 



Localitits. — On the seashore. Very rare. — Lincolnshire ; About Boston: 

 Plukenet. — Middlesex ; On Hounslow Heath : Mr. Doody. 



Annual. — Flowers in June and July. 



Root long, slender, somewhat branched, with small white fibres. 

 Stem from 6 to 18 inches high, upright, round, clothed with very 



Fig. 1. Calyx. — F’ig.2. Calyx and Corolla. — Fig. 3. Corolla. — F’ig.4. Stamens 

 and Petals. — Fig. 5. Germen and Pistils. — Fig. 6. Capsule, with the valves se- 

 parating, and exposing the 2 seeds. — Fig. 7. One of the seeds. — All more or 

 less magnified. 



* So named by SAUVAGEs.in honour of his countryman, the celebrated Count 

 de Buffon, who was born at Montbard, in Burgundy, the 7th of September, 

 1707 ; and died on the 1 6th of April, 1788, in the 81st year of his age. He was 

 a man of uncommon genius and surprising eloquence, and is said to have spent 

 fourteen hours every day in study. His celebrated Natural History is well 

 known. The specific name, tenuifolia, is understood to convey a satire on his 

 slender pretensions to Botanical distinction, 

 t See Asperula odorata, folio 46, note t- 



