234 
LXI. AMAltANTHACEAI. 
1. ALTERNANTHERA, Forskal. 
Herbs, rarely shmbs ; stems often branched, jointed, rooting. Leaves 
opposite. Flowers minute, white, in axillary or terminal clusters, 3-brac- 
teate. — Perianth 5 -parted, erect. Stamens 5 ; filaments united in a mem- 
branous cup ; anthers 3-5, 1-celled ; style very short, stigma 2-fid or capitate. 
Utricle erect, compressed, included in the perianth. Seed vertical, compressed. 
A rather large tropical aud subtropical genus. 
1. A. sessilis, Br. ; — FI. N. Z. i. 212. Stems much branched from 
the root, herbaceous, prostrate, 2-6 in. long, with 2 lines of pubescence. 
Leaves 1 in. long, narrow obovate or oblong, obtuse, rather fleshy, pubes- 
cent in the axils. Flowers minute, white. Perianth-segments acuminate, 
glabrous. Anthers, 3 fertile, 2 imperfect. — A. deniiculata , A. Cunn. 
Northern Island : not unfrequent in boggy places. A very common tropical and sub- 
ropical weed in the old world, and very variable. 
Okdek LXII. PAEONY CHIEiE. 
Herbs, often small. Leaves opposite or alternate, stipulate or exstipulate. 
Inflorescence various. Flowers small, regular, hermaphrodite. — Perianth 
4- or 5-lobed or partite, persistent, and enclosing the fruit. Stamens 1-10, pe- 
rigynous or hypogynous ; filaments subulate ; anthers small, 2-celled. Ovary 
ovoid, free, sessile, 1-celled; style 1, terminal, 2- or 3-fid, stigmas capitellate 
or subulate ; ovule 1, erect. Utricle or nut included in the persistent calyx, 
1-seeded. Seed erect or pendulous from a basilar funicle; testa coriaceous; 
embryo usually annular, surrounding farinaceous albumen. 
A small Order, scattered all over the globe. 
1. SCLERANTHUS, Linn. 
Small, densely tufted, dichotomously branched, rigid herbs. Leaves con- 
nate by their base in opposite pairs, subulate, pungent, exstipulate. Flowers 
minute, solitary in pairs or cymose. — Perianth very coriaceous, 4- or 5 -fid, veiy 
hard in fruit. Stamens 1-1 0, perigynous. Style 2-fid. Ovule pendulous 
from a basilar funicle. Embryo annular. 
A small genus found in the temperate regions of both hemispheres. 
1. S. biflorus, Hook. f. FI. N. Z. i. 74. A very densely branched, 
mossy, rigid herb, 1-2 in. high, forming compact tufts. Leaves closely im- 
bricated, T V~? in. long, subulate, serrulate. Flowers in pairs, with 4 bracts 
at their base placed crosswise, at length carried up on a short, rigid peduncle. 
Perianth 4-fid. Stamen 1. — Mniarum bijiorum, Forst. ; M. pedunculatum, 
Labill. FI. Nov. Holl. t. 2 ; M. fasciculatum, Raoul, not Br. ; Bitoca muscosa, 
Banks and Solander. 
Dry, rocky, and sandy places throughout the islands, Banks and Solander, etc. Also 
found in Tasmania and Australia. 
