Volume 4 — PLATE CCXXX. DODONÆA TRIQUETRA. Three-sided Dodonæa.

CLASS VIII. ORDER I.

OCTANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Eight Chives. One Pointal.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Calyx. Perianthium tetraphyllum, planum; foliolis ovatis, obtusis, concavis, deciduis.

Corolla nulla.

Stamina. Filamenta octo, brevissima. Antheræ oblongæ, arcuatæ, conniventes, longitudine calycis.

Pistillum. Germen triquetrum, longitudine calycis. Stylus cylindricus, trisulcatus, erectus. Stigma subtrifidum acutiusculum.

Pericarpium. Capsula trisulca, inflata, trilocularis; angulis membranaceis, magnis.

Semina bina, subrotunda.

Empalement. Cup four-leaved, flat; leaflets egg-shaped, obtuse, concave, falling off.

Blossom, none.

Chives. Eight threads, very short. Tips oblong, curved, approaching, the length of the cup.

Pointal. Seed-bud three-sided, the length of the cup. Shaft cylindrical, three-furrowed, upright. Summit nearly three-cleft rather pointed.

Seed-vessel. Capsule three-furrowed, swelled out, three cells, angles skinny, large.

Seeds by twos, nearly round.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Dodonæa foliis lanceolatis, utrinque attenuatis, glaberrimis; ramulis triquetris; floribus dioicis.

Dodonæa with lance-shaped leaves, tapered to both ends, very smooth; the small branches three-sided; flowers with chives and pointals distinct.

REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.

Male Flower.

1. The Empalement, magnified.

2. The Empalement and Chives, before the bursting of the tips, magnified.

3. The same, when the tips have emitted the pollen, magnified.

Female Flower.

1. The Empalement, magnified.

2. The Empalement, seed-bud, shaft and summit, magnified.

3. A ripe capsule, natural size.

4. One of the divisions of the capsule.

5. A ripe seed, natural size.

The species here figured of Dodonæa is from New Holland; where, Forster says he found it, as we have given it, with the chives and pointals distinct; but, that the same species was hermaphrodite, when growing in New Zealand, which may perhaps be the fact, though we should suspect, from such circumstance, they were different species. Martyn in his Ed. of Miller’s Dict. mentions this plant, and throws it to the broad-leaved species found in the tropical climates of America and Asia. Willdenow, in his Sp. Plant. Tom. 11. P. 1. p. 345, has made it a species, without any observation on its parts of fructification; which leads us to suppose, he had not seen flowering specimens. It is as hardy as any greenhouse plant we possess, but will not resist the severity of our frosts; is easily propagated by cuttings, and thrives in almost any earth. It is so very common in New Holland, that, scarce a parcel of seeds has arrived from thence, but has contained some of the seeds. The two figures were taken from two plants at the nursery Hammersmith.