AMELLUS, STARWORT: A genus of the polygamia superflua order, belonging to the syngenesia class of plants; and in the natural method ranking under the 49th order, Composite-oppositifolia. The characters are: The common calyx is imbricated and roundish: The compound corolla is radiated; the hermaphrodite corolllets numerous in the disk; the female numerous in the ray: Proper corolla of the hermaphrodites are tubular and quinquefid; of the females, tongued, loose, and two or three toothed: The stamina in the hermaphrodites consist of five short capillary filaments; the anthera cylindric and tubular: The pistillum has an ovate germin; a filiform stylus the length of the stamina; and two filiform stigmata: There is no pericarpium, but the calyx unchanged: The seeds are ovate and foliary; the pappus is hairy; the receptaculum chaffy.—Of this there are two
Species. 1. The lynchitis, with one flower on each footstalk. This is a native of the Cape of Good Hope. It is a perennial plant, rising about three feet high, sending out many branches on each side, so as to form a bushy plant; the branches are garnished with obtuse spear-shaped leaves placed opposite, and are terminated by single naked flower-stalks, each supporting one violet-coloured flower, having a yellow disk, which is succeeded by oblong seeds. 2. The umbellatus, with flowers growing in umbels, is a native of Jamaica; and rises from two to three feet high, sending out many branches clothed with opposite leaves, which are terminated by small flowers in umbels.
Culture. The first is easily propagated, either by cuttings planted in the summer-months, or by seeds sown on a moderate hot-bed in the spring, but the plants require a slight shelter in winter. The second is much more tender, and therefore requires to be preserved in a stove during the winter season.