150 
5XXIII. POI!TTJLACACE.fE. 
\_Bry6nia. 
cucumber and melons; Citrullus Colocynthis, the colocynth, 
bitter-apples, or bitter cucumber ; Lagenaria vulgaris, bottle- 
gourd, &c. ; all abounding in a bitter laxative. 
1. Bryonia Linn. Bryony. 
Cor. 5-cleft. Filaments 3-adelphous, inserted at the base of 
the corolla. Anthers 1-celled, 3-adelphous, applied to the edge 
or back of the connectivum, and forming a sinuous line. Style 
trifid ; stigmas somewhat reniform or bifid. Fruit ovoid or 
globose, baccate, few-seeded. — Named from ffpvio, to shoot, or 
grow rapidly; in allusion to the quick growth of the stems. 
1. B. dioica Jacq. (red-berried 11.) ; leaves palmate rough on 
both sides, flowers dioecious. E. B. t. 439. 
Thickets and hedges, frequent in England ; not indigenous to 
Scotland. If . 5 — 9. — Root very iarge white and branched. Stem 
long, branched, weak, with simple tendrils. Flowers in short axillary 
racemes. Cor. whitish, with green veins. Berries red. The plant 
abounds with a fetid and acrid juice. 
Ord. XXXIII. PORTULACACEiE Juss. 
Sepals 2. Petals inserted into the base of the calyx (some- 
what hypogynous), mostly 5, usually distinct, sometimes want- 
ing. Stamens of uncertain number, opposite the petals when of 
the same number. Ovary superior, 1-celled. Style 1 or 0 
Stigmas several. Capsule opening transversely or by 3 valves. 
Seeds numerous on a central receptacle. Albumen farinaceous, 
surrounded by the curved embryo. — Succulent Herbs or Shrubs. 
Portulaca sativa is the Purslane. 
1. Montia Linn. Blinks. 
Cor. of 5 irregular petals, somewhat hypogynous, united at 
the base into one split up in front. Slam. 3, inserted upon the 
corolla and opposite to its smaller segments. Stigmas 3, almost 
sessile. Caps. 3-valved, 3-seeded. — Named in honour of 
Joseph de Monti, a professor of Botany and Natural History 
at Bologna. 
1. M. font ana L. (Water B, or Chichweed): E. B. t. 1206. 
Rills, springy and wet places. 0. 4 — 8. — Whole plant succu- 
lent, varying considerably in size. Leaves small, opposite, spathulate. 
Flowers white, at first drooping. Seeds 3, subreniform, dotted. 
Ord. XXXIY. FARONYCHIACEiE A. St. Hil. 
Sepals 5 (rarely 3 or 4), more or less cohering at the base. 
Petals minute, alternating with the lobes of the calyx, or 0. 
