Sterile but moist situations on the Missouri, the Platte &c., from the
Mandans to the mountains, Nuttall, D r . James.—A very peculiar species.
Order (LXIII.) MESEMBRYANTHEMACE®. Lindl.
Ficoidese, J ussDC. partly.
Two or more species of Mesembryanthemum are said to be naturalized in California,
and one Mr. Nuttall suspects to be native; but there is no account of the
species in his notes; and we have seen no specimens.
Or d e r LXIV. SU R IA N A C E ^ . Am.
Sepals 5, p e rsisten t: aestivation twisted, imbricated. Petals 5,
alternate with the sepals, distinct, inserted into the bottom o f the
calyx. Stamens 5, alternate with the petals, sometimes with 5 a lternating
ones that are occasionally abortive, all inserted with the
p e ta ls: filaments persistent, distinct, subulate from a broad base,
hairy below : anthers 2-celled, bursting longitudinally. Torus
fleshy, filling up the bottom of the calyx, supporting the ovaries on
its middle and the petals and stamens on its margin. Ovaries 5,
opposite to the petals, distinct, each with a long style arising from
the inner angle near the base : ovules in pairs, collateral, erect,
straight, with the foramen a t the opposite extremity from the hilum
\ i d est, orthotropous]. Fruit of 5 coriaceous pyriform indehiscent
carpels. Seeds solitary, uncinate, attached to the base of the car-
p e ls : albumen none. Embryo o f the same shape as the seed : radicle
as long as the cotyledons, a t the opposite end from the h ilum ;
cotyledons oblong, fleshy, incumbent.—Sea-side shrubs. Leaves
simple, oblong-spatulate, thickish, pubescent, crowded a t the apices
of the branches, exstipulate. Flowers yellow, bracteate, somewhat
terminal. A m .
1. SUM ANA. Plumier, gen. 37 ; L in n .; Lam. ill. t. 389.
Character the same as of the Order.
S . maritima (Linn.)—Plum. Amer. ed Burm. t. 249; P lu k . aim. t. 241.
f . 5 ; D C . prodr. 2.p . 91; W. 8f A m . prodr. Jl. Ind. Or. 1. p . 361.
Key West, Mr. Bennett! Southern Florida, D r. H a sle r!—This plant is
found on the sea-shores of almost every quarter of the globe, within the
tropics.
Or d e r LXV. CRASSULACEiE. Juss.
Sepals 4-5, or rarely 3-20, imbricated in aestivation, more or less
united a t the base, persistent. Petals as many as the sepals and alternate
with them, not unguiculate, imbricate in aestivation, inserted
on the base of the calyx, sometimes connate into a monopetalous
tube. Stamens as many as the petals and alternate with them, or
twice as many, inserted with the petals or adnate to their base :
filaments subulate or linear-filiform: anthers introrse. A hypogy-
nous scale usually a t the base of each carpel. Ovaries always
equal in number to the petals and opposite them, distinct, or rarely
more or less united, with numerous (or rarely few) ovules in 2 rows,
subulate with the persistent styles. Carpels follicular in fruit,
usually many-seeded, opening by the inner suture ; when combined,
the dehiscence anomalous. Seeds anatropous, with a membranaceous
often loose testa. Embryo straight in the axis o f a thin
fleshy albumen.—Succulent or fleshy herbs, or sometimes suffruti-
cose plants, with simple exstipulate (rarely membranaceous) leaves.
Flowers usually cymose.
T ribe I. CRASSULE®. DC.
Carpels (follicles) distinct, dehiscent by the inner suture.
1. TILL.® A. Mich. gen. t. 20; Linn.; Endl. gen. p. 809.
Sepals 3-4, united at the base. Petals 3-4, distinct. Stamens 3-4. Carpels
3-4, 2-many-seeded.—Small more or less aquatic annual herbs, with
opposite leaves, and small axillary (mostly white) flowers.
§ 1. Parts of the flower 3-4: petals acuminate: hypogynous scales minute or
none: carpels 1-2-seeded, often constricted in the middle.—Tilm a , DC.
1. T. minima (Miers): stems diffuse, branching; leaves minute, connate,
oval-oblong; flowers verticillate and crowded in the axils of the leaves, on
short pedicels; petals 4, acuminate, shorter than the calyx; carpels 1-2-
seeded. Hook. Sf Am.—uMiers, Chil. 2. p. 530”; Hook. 8f Am . hot. misc.
3. p. 338. T. erecta, Hook. 8f Am. hot. Beechey, p. 24.
St. Diego, California, Nuttall!—A few of the pedicels are elongated so as
to exceed the leaves in length. Perhaps not different from T. rubescens,
H . B . 8 f K .
§ 2. Parts of the flower 4 : petals oval or ohlong: hypogynous scales linear:
carpels 8-20-seeded.— B u l l ia r d a , DC.
2. T. simplex (Nutt.): stem erect or ascending, generally simple, rooting
at the base; leaves linear-oblong, acutish or rather obtuse, connate at the
base; flowers solitary, nearly sessile; petals (greenish-white) and narrow
carpels twice the length of the sepals.—Nutt.! in jour. acad. Philad. 1. p.
114, 8f gen. appx.; DC.! prodr. 3. p. 381. T. ascendens, Eaton.
Muddy banks of rivers, near New Haven, Connecticut! and Philadelphia!
July-Sept.—Stems 1-3 inches high. Leaves 2-3 lines long, at length
shorter than the internodes. Flowers the size of a small pin’s head. Car