2. TRACHELOSPÉRMUM, Lemaïre.

Calyx 5-parted, with 3–5 glands at its base inside. Corolla funnel-form, not appendaged; limb 5-lobed. Stamens 5, included; filaments slender; anthers arrow-shaped, with an inflexed tip. Pods (follicles) 2, slender, many-seeded. Seeds oblong, with a tuft of down.—Twining plants, more or less woody, with opposite leaves and small flowers in cymes. (Name from τράξηλος, a neck, and σπέρμα, seed, upon the supposition that the seed was beaked.)

1. T. diffórme, Gray. Nearly herbaceous and glabrous; leaves oval-lanceolate, pointed, thin; calyx-lobes taper-pointed; corolla pale yellow. (Forsteronia difformis, A. DC.)—Damp grounds, Va. to Fla. and Tex. April.

3. APÓCYNUM, Tourn. Dogbane. Indian Hemp.

Calyx 5-parted, the lobes acute. Corolla bell-shaped, 5-cleft, bearing 5 triangular appendages below the throat opposite the lobes. Stamens 5, on the very base of the corolla; filaments flat, shorter than the arrow shaped anthers, which converge around the stigma, and are slightly adherent to it. Style none; stigma large, ovoid, slightly 2-lobed. Fruit of 2 long (2–7´) and slender follicles. Seeds comose, with a tuft of long silky down at the apex.—Perennial herbs, with upright branching stems, opposite mucronate-pointed leaves, a tough fibrous bark, and small and pale cymose flowers on short pedicels. (Ancient name of the Dogbane, composed of ἀπό, from, and κύων, a dog.)

1. A. androsæmifòlium, L. (Spreading Dogbane.) Smooth, or rarely soft-tomentose, branched above; branches divergently forking; leaves ovate, distinctly petioled; cymes loose, spreading, mostly longer than the leaves; corolla (pale rose-color, 4´´ broad) open-bell-shaped, with revolute lobes, the tube much longer than the ovate pointed divisions of the calyx.—Borders of thickets; common. June, July.

2. A. cannábinum, L. (Indian Hemp.) Glabrous or more or less soft-pubescent; stem and branches upright or ascending (2–3° high), terminated by erect and close many-flowered cymes, which are usually shorter than the leaves; leaves from oval to oblong and even lanceolate, short-petioled or sessile, with rounded or obscurely cordate base; corolla (greenish-white) with nearly erect lobes, the tube not longer than the lanceolate divisions of the calyx.—Moist grounds and banks of streams; common. Very variable. July, Aug.

Order 67. ASCLEPIADÀCEÆ. (Milkweed Family.)

Períploca Græ̀ca, L., a woody climbing plant of the Old World, in ornamental cultivation, and in one or two places inclined to be spontaneous, represents a tribe with granulose pollen loosely aggregated in two masses in each anther-cell. It has a brownish rotate corolla, very hairy within, and with 5 awned scales in the throat.

Tribe I. CYNANCHEÆ. Anthers tipped with an inflexed or sometimes erect scarious membrane, the cells lower than the top of the stigma; pollinia suspended.

[*] Stems erect or merely decumbent.

1. Asclepiodora. Corolla rotate, merely spreading. Crown of 5 hooded fleshy bodies, with a salient crest in each. Leaves alternate.

2. Asclepias. Corolla reflexed, deeply 5-parted. Crown as in n. 1, but with an incurved horn rising from the cavity of each hood. Leaves usually opposite.

3. Acerates. Corolla reflexed or merely spreading. Crown as in n. 1, but with neither crest nor horn inside. Leaves mainly alternate.

[*][*] Stems twining. Leaves mostly opposite.

4. Enslenia. Corolla erect. Crown of 5 membranaceous flat bodies, terminated by a 2-cleft tail or awn.

5. Vincetoxicum. Corolla rotate, spreading. Crown a fleshy 5–10-lobed ring or disk.

Tribe II. GONOLOBEÆ. Anthers with short if any scarious tip, borne on the margin of or close under the disk of the stigma; pollinia horizontal.

6. Gonolobus. Corolla rotate. Crown a wavy-lobed fleshy ring. Stems twining.

1. ASCLEPIODÒRA, Gray.

Nearly as in Asclepias, but the corolla-lobes ascending or spreading, and the hoods destitute of a horn, widely spreading and somewhat incurved, slipper-shaped and laterally compressed, the cavity divided at the apex by a crest-like partition.—Umbels solitary and terminal or corymbed, loosely-flowered. Follicles oblong or ovate, often somewhat muricate with soft spinous projections. (Ἀσκληπιός and δῶρον or δωρεά, the gift of Æsculapius.)

1. A. víridis, Gray. Almost glabrous; stems short (1° high); leaves alternate, short-petioled, ovate-oblong to lanceolate, 1–2´ wide; umbels several in a cluster, short-peduncled; flowers large (1´ in diameter), green, with a purplish crown. (Acerates paniculata, Decaisne.)—Prairies, Ill. to Tex. and S. Car. June.

2. ASCLÈPIAS, L. Milkweed. Silkweed.

§ 1. Corneous anther-wings broadest and usually angulate-truncate and salient at base; horn conspicuous.

[*] Flowers orange-color; leaves mostly scattered; juice not milky.

1. A. tuberòsa, L. (Butterfly-weed. Pleurisy-root.) Roughish-hairy (1–2° high); stems erect or ascending, very leafy, branching at the summit, and bearing usually numerous umbels in a terminal corymb; leaves from linear to oblong-lanceolate, sessile or slightly petioled; divisions of the corolla oblong (greenish-orange); hoods narrowly oblong, bright orange, scarcely longer than the nearly erect and slender awl-shaped horns; pods hoary, erect on deflexed pedicels.—Dry fields, common, especially southward.—Var. decúmbens, Pursh. Stems reclining; leaves broader and more commonly opposite, and umbels from most of the upper axils.—Ohio to Ga., etc.

[*][*] Corolla bright red or purple; follicles naked, fusiform, erect on the deflexed pedicels (except in n. 5); leaves opposite, mostly broad.

[+] Flowers rather large; hoods about 3´´ long and exceeding the anthers; leaves transversely veined.

2. A. paupércula, Michx. Glabrous; stem slender (2–4° high); leaves elongated-lanceolate or linear (5–10´ long), tapering to both ends, slightly petioled, umbels 5–12-flowered; divisions of the red corolla narrowly oblong; the bright orange hoods broadly oblong, obtuse, much exceeding the incurved horn.—Wet pine-barrens on the coast, N. J. to Fla. and Tex.

3. A. rùbra, L. Glabrous; leaves ovate or lanceolate and tapering from a rounded or heart-shaped base to a very acute point, sessile or nearly so (2–6´ long, ½–2½´ wide), bright green; umbels many-flowered; divisions of the corolla and hoods oblong-lanceolate, purple-red; the horn long and slender, straightish.—Wet pine-barrens, etc., N. J. and Penn. to Fla., La., and Mo.

4. A. purpuráscens, L. (Purple M.) Stem rather slender (1–3° high); leaves elliptical or ovate-oblong, the upper taper-pointed, minutely velvety-downy underneath, smooth above, contracted at base into a short petiole; pedicels shorter than the peduncle, 3–4 times the length of the dark purple lanceolate-ovate divisions of the corolla; hoods oblong, abruptly narrowed above; the horn broadly scythe-shaped, with a narrow and abruptly inflexed horizontal point.—Dry ground, N. Eng. to Minn., Tenn., and southward.—Flowers 6´´ long.

[+][+] Flowers small; hoods 1´´ long, equalling the anthers; veins ascending.

[*][*][*] Flowers greenish, yellowish, white, or merely purplish-tinged; leaves opposite or whorled, or the upper rarely scattered.

[+] Follicles echinate with soft spinous processes, densely tomentose (smooth, and only minutely echinate at the apex in n. 8), large (3–5´ long), ovate and acuminate, erect on deflexed pedicels; leaves large and broad, short-petioled; umbels terminal and lateral.

6. A. speciòsa, Torr. Finely canescent-tomentose or glabrate, the many-flowered umbel and calyx densely tomentose; leaves subcordate-oval to oblong; corolla-lobes purplish, ovate-oblong, 4–5´´ long; hoods 5–6´´ long, with a short inflexed horn, the truncate summit abruptly produced into a very long lanceolate-ligulate appendage.—Along streams, Minn. to Ark., and westward.

7. A. Cornùti, Decaisne. (Common Milkweed or Silkweed.) Stem tall and stout, finely soft-pubescent; leaves oval-oblong (4–8´ long), pale, minutely downy beneath, as well as the peduncles, etc.; corolla-lobes dull purple to white, 3–4´´ long; hoods rather longer than the anthers, ovate, obtuse, with a tooth each side of the short stout claw-like horn.—Rich ground, everywhere.

8. A. Sullivántii, Engelm. Very smooth throughout, tall; leaves ovate-oblong with a somewhat heart-shaped base, nearly sessile; hoods obovate, entire, obtusely 2-eared at the base outside; flowers larger (9´´ long) and more purple than in the last; anther-wings 2-toothed at base; pod nearly glabrous, obscurely spiny chiefly on the beak.—Low grounds, Ohio to Kan. and Minn.

[+][+] Follicles wholly unarmed, either glabrous or tomentulose-pubescent.

[++] Erect or ascending on the deflexed or decurved fruiting pedicels.

[=] Umbel solitary, on a naked terminal peduncle; leaves sessile, broad, transversely veined, wavy; glabrous and pale or glaucous.

9. A. Obtusifòlia, Michx. Stem 2–3° high; leaves oblong with a heart-shaped clasping base, very obtuse or retuse (2½–5´ long); peduncle 3–12´ long; corolla pale greenish purple; hoods truncate, somewhat toothed at the summit, shorter than the slender awl-pointed horn.—Sandy woods and fields, not rare, especially southward. A second umbel at the base of the peduncle occasionally occurs.

10. A. Meádii, Torr. Stem slender (1–2° high); leaves ovate or oblong-ovate, obtuse or acutish (1½–2½´ long), peduncle only twice the length of the upper leaves, pedicels rather short, corolla greenish-white; hoods rounded-truncate at summit, and with a sharp tooth at each margin, somewhat exceeding the stouter horn.—Dry ground, Ill. and Iowa. June.

[=][=] Umbels mostly more than one; peduncle not overtopping the leaves.

a. Leaves large, orbicular to oblong-lanceolate; hoods broad, little if at all exceeding the anthers; glabrous or some minute pubescence on young parts.

12. A. phytolaccoìdes, Pursh. (Poke-milkweed.) Stem 3–5° high; leaves broadly ovate, or the upper oval-lanceolate and pointed at both ends, short-petioled, smooth or slightly downy underneath (5–8´ long); lateral umbels several, pedicels loose and nodding, numerous, long and slender (1–3´ long), equalling the peduncle; corolla-lobes ovate-oblong, greenish; hoods (white) truncate, the margins 2-toothed at the summit, the horn with a long projecting awl-shaped point.—Moist copses, N. Eng. to Minn., south to Ga. and Ark.

13. A. variegàta, L. Stem 1–2° high; leaves (4–5 pairs) ovate, oval, or obovate, somewhat wavy, contracted into short petioles, middle ones sometimes whorled; pedicels (numerous and crowded) and peduncle short, downy; divisions of the corolla ovate (white); hoods orbicular, entire, purplish or reddish, the horn semilunar with a horizontal point.—Dry woods, southern N. Y. to Ind., south to Fla., Ark., and W. La. July.—Remarkable for its compact umbels of nearly white flowers.

b. Leaves mostly pubescent or puberulent; hoods obtuse, entire, twice or thrice the length of the anthers.

14. A. ovalifòlia, Decaisne. Low (6–18´ high), soft-downy, especially the lower surface of the ovate or lanceolate-oblong acute short-petioled leaves (1½–3´ long); umbels loosely 10–18-flowered, sessile or peduncled; pedicels slender, hoods oblong, yellowish, with a small horn, about the length of the oval greenish-white corolla-lobes (tinged with purple outside).—Prairies and oak-openings, N. Ill. and Iowa, to Wisc. and Dak.

[++][++] Follicles and pedicels erect; leaves often whorled; glabrous or nearly so.

[=] Leaves ovate to broadly lanceolate, thin, rather slender-petioled.

15. A. quadrifòlia, L. Stem slender (1–2° high), mostly leafless below, bearing usually one or two whorls of four in the middle and one or two pairs of ovate or ovate-lanceolate taper-pointed petioled leaves (2–4´ long); pedicels slender; corolla-lobes (pale pink) oblong; hoods white, elliptical-ovate, the incurved horn short and thick.—Dry woods and hills, N. Eng. to Minn., south to N. C. and Ark.

16. A. perénnis, Walt. Stems (1–2° high) persistent or somewhat woody at the base; leaves lanceolate or lanceolate-ovate, tapering to both ends, thin, rather slender-petioled; flowers white, small; the small hoods of the crown shorter than the needle-shaped horn; seeds sometimes destitute of a coma!—Low grounds, S. Ind. and Ill. to Tex., and eastward.

[=][=] Leaves narrowly linear to filiform; horn subulate, exserted; column conspicuous.

17. A. verticillàta, L. Stems slender, simple or sparingly branched, very leafy to the summit, leaves filiform-linear, with revolute margins (2–3´ long, 1´´ wide), 3–6 in a whorl; umbels small, lateral and terminal; divisions of the corolla ovate (greenish-white); hoods roundish-oval, about half the length of the incurved claw-shaped horns.—Dry hills, common, especially southward.—Var. pùmila, Gray, is low and many-stemmed from a fascicled root; leaves much crowded, filiform.—Dry plains, Neb. to Kan. and N. Mex.

18. A. stenophýlla, Gray. Puberulent, but foliage glabrous; stems slender (1–2° high), leaves narrowly linear (3–7´ long, 1–2½´´ wide), the upper alternate, lower opposite; umbels several, short-peduncled, 10–15-flowered; corolla-lobes oblong, greenish; hoods whitish, equalling the anthers, conduplicate-concave; follicles erect on ascending pedicels.—Dry prairies, Neb. to E. Kan., south and westward.

3. ACERÀTES, Ell. Green Milkweed.

Nearly as in Asclepias; but the hoods destitute of crest or horn (whence the name, from α privative, and κέρας, a horn).—Flowers greenish, in compact many-flowered umbels. Leaves opposite or irregularly alternate, short-petioled or sessile. Pollen-masses slender-stalked. Follicles smooth, slender.

[*] Crown upon a short column and shorter than the globular mass of anthers and stigma, leaves mainly alternate-scattered.

1. A. longifòlia, Ell. Minutely roughish-hairy or smoothish; stem erect (1–3° high), very leafy; leaves linear (3–7´ long); umbels lateral, on peduncles of about the length of the slender pedicels; flowers 3´´ long when expanded.—Moist prairies and pine-barrens, Ohio to Minn., south to Fla. and Tex. July–Oct.

[*][*] Crown sessile, the oblong hoods nearly equalling the anthers; leaves often opposite and broader.

2. A. viridiflòra, Ell. Minutely soft-downy, becoming smoothish; stems ascending (1–2° high); leaves oval to linear, thick (1½–4´ long); umbels nearly sessile, lateral, dense and globose; flower (when the corolla is reflexed) nearly ½´ long, short-pedicelled.—Dry soil, common, especially southward. July–Sept.—Runs into var. lanceolàta, Gray, with lanceolate leaves 2½–4´ long;—and var. lineàris, Gray, with elongated linear leaves and low stems; umbels often solitary. The latter form from Minn., Dak., and southward.

3. A. lanuginòsa, Decaisne. Hairy, low (5–12´ high); leaves lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate; umbel solitary and terminal, peduncled; flowers smaller; pedicels slender.—Prairies, N. Ill. to Minn., and westward. July.

4. ENSLÉNIA, Nutt.

Calyx 5-parted. Corolla 5-parted; the divisions erect, ovate-lanceolate. Crown of 5 free membranaceous leaflets, which are truncate or obscurely lobed at the apex, where they bear a pair of flexuous awns united at base. Anthers nearly as in Asclepias; pollen-masses oblong, obtuse at both ends, fixed below the summit of the stigma to the descending glands. Follicles oblong-lanceolate, smooth. Seeds with a tuft, as in Asclepias.—A perennial twining herb, smooth, with opposite heart-ovate and pointed long-petioled leaves, and small whitish flowers in raceme-like clusters, on slender axillary peduncles. (Dedicated to A. Enslen, an Austrian botanist who collected in the Southern United States early in the present century.)

1. E. álbida, Nutt. Climbing 8–12° high; leaves 3–5´ wide.—River-banks, S. Penn. and Va. to Ill., Mo., and Tex. July–Sept.

Calyx 5-parted. Corolla 5-parted, wheel-shaped. Crown flat and fleshy, disk-like, 5–10-lobed, simple. Anthers, smooth follicles and seeds much as in Asclepias.—Herbs, often twining. (Name from vincens, binding, and toxicum, poison.)

V. nìgrum, Moench. More or less twining, nearly smooth; leaves ovate or lance-ovate; flowers small, dark purple, in an axillary cluster, on a peduncle shorter than the leaves.—N. Eng. to Penn.; a weed escaping from gardens. (Adv. from Eu.)

6. GONÓLOBUS, Michx.

Calyx 5-parted. Corolla 5-parted, wheel-shaped, sometimes reflexed-spreading; the lobes convolute in the bud. Crown small and fleshy, annular or cup-shaped, in the throat of the corolla. Anthers horizontal, partly hidden under the flattened stigma, opening transversely. Pollen-masses 5 pairs, horizontal. Follicles turgid, mostly muricate with soft warty projections, sometimes ribbed. Seeds with a coma.—Twining herbs or shrubs (ours herbaceous), with opposite heart-shaped leaves, and corymbose-umbelled greenish or dark purple flowers, on peduncles rising from between the petioles. Our species belong to the typical section, with the crown simple and unappendaged, and the corolla nearly veinless. (Name composed of γωνία, an angle, and λοβός, a pod, from the angled follicles of some species.)

[*] Crown a low undulately 10-lobed fleshy disk; follicles unarmed, glabrous, 3–5-costate or angled.

1. G. suberòsus, R. Br. Leaves cordate with an open shallow or sometimes deeper and narrow sinus, pointed, glabrate or hairy (3–5´ long); umbels 3–9-flowered, much shorter than the petiole; corolla broadly conical in bud, abruptly pointed, twisted; lobes ovate or triangular-lanceolate, acute, pubescent inside; calyx half as long. (G. macrophyllus, Chapman.)—Near the coast, Va. to Fla.

2. G. læ̀vis, Michx. Leaves oblong-cordate with a deep and narrow open sinus, conspicuously acuminate (3–6´ long); umbels 5–10-flowered, barely equalling the petiole; corolla elongated-conical in bud, not twisted; lobes narrowly or linear-lanceolate, obtuse, glabrous inside, 3–4 times as long as the calyx.—South of our range.—Passes into var. macrophýllus, Gray, with larger broadly cordate leaves, the sinus often closed, finely pubescent beneath. (G. macrophyllus, Michx.)—River-banks, Va. to S. Ind., Mo., S. C., and Tex.

[*][*] Crown cup-shaped, as high as the anthers; follicles muricate, not costate.

[+] Crown fleshy, merely 10-crenate, or the crenatures bidentate.

3. G. oblìquus, R. Br. Leaves rounded- to ovate-cordate with a narrow sinus, abruptly acuminate (3–8´ long); umbel many-flowered; corolla in bud oblong-conical; its lobes linear-ligulate (5–6´´ long, 1´´ wide), crimson-purple inside, dull or greenish and minutely pubescent outside.—River-banks, mountains of Penn. and Va., to Ohio and Mo. Flowers said to be fragrant.

4. G. hirsùtus, Michx. Commonly more hairy; leaves with the basal lobes sometimes overlapping; peduncles fewer-flowered; corolla in bud ovate, its lobes elliptical-oblong (3–4´´ long), barely puberulent outside, dull or brownish-purple.—Md. and Va. to Tenn. and Fla.

5. G. Shórtii, Gray. Resembles n. 3, but larger-leaved; corolla oblong-conical in bud, dark crimson-purple, its lobes ligulate (fully 6´´ long); crown about 10-toothed, the alternate teeth thinner, narrower and longer, either emarginate or 2-parted.—Along the mountains, E. Ky. (Short) to N. W. Ga. (Chapman).

6. G. Carolinénsis, R. Br. Flower-bud oblong; corolla brownish-purple; its lobes oblong or linear-oblong (4–5´´ long); crown undulately and very obtusely 5-lobed and with a longer bifid subulate process in each sinus.—From Va. to La., extending north to Ark. and central Mo.

Order 68. LOGANIÀCEÆ. (Logania Family.)

Herbs, shrubs, or trees, with opposite and entire leaves, and stipules or a stipular membrane or line between them, and with regular 4–5-merous 4–5-androus perfect flowers, the ovary free from the calyx; a connecting group between Gentianaceæ, Apocynaceæ, Scrophulariaceæ (from all which they are known by their stipules) and Rubiaceæ, from which they differ in their free ovary; our representatives of the family are all most related to the Rubiaceæ, to which, indeed, they have been appended.

[*] Woody twiners; leaves evergreen, stigmas 4.

1. Gelsemium. Corolla large, the 5 lobes imbricated in the bud. Style slender.

[*][*] Herbs; stigma single, entire or 2-lobed.

2. Polypremum. Corolla 4-lobed, not longer than the calyx, imbricated in the bud.

3. Spigelia. Corolla 5-lobed, valvate in the bud. Style single, jointed in the middle.

4. Mitreola. Corolla 5-lobed, valvate in the bud. Styles 2, short, converging, united at the summit, and with a common stigma.

1. GELSÉMIUM, Juss. Yellow (False) Jessamine.

Calyx 5-parted. Corolla open-funnel-form, 5-lobed; the lobes imbricated in the bud. Stamens 5, with oblong sagittate anthers. Style long and slender; stigmas 2, each 2-parted, the divisions linear. Capsule elliptical, flattened contrary to the narrow partition, 2-celled, septicidally 2-valved. Seeds many or several, winged. Embryo straight, in fleshy albumen; the ovate flat cotyledons much shorter than the slender radicle.—Smooth and twining shrubby plants with ovate or lanceolate leaves, minute deciduous stipules, and showy yellow flowers, of two sorts as to relative length of stamens and style. (Gelsomino, the Italian name of the Jessamine.)

1. G. sempérvirens, Ait. (Yellow Jessamine of the South.) Stem climbing high; leaves short-petioled, shining, nearly persistent; flowers in short axillary clusters; pedicels scaly-bracted; flowers very fragrant (the bright yellow corolla 1–1½´ long); capsule flat, pointed.—Low grounds, E. Va. to Fla. and Tex. March, April.

2. POLYPRÈMUM, L.

1. P. procúmbens, L.—Dry fields, mostly in sandy soil, Md. to Tex.; also adventive in Penn. June–Oct.

3. SPIGÈLIA, L. Pink-root. Worm-grass.

Calyx 5-parted; the lobes slender. Corolla tubular-funnel-form, 5-lobed at the summit, valvate in bud. Stamens 5; anthers linear. Style 1, slender, hairy above, jointed near the middle. Capsule short, 2-celled, twin, laterally flattened, separating at maturity from a persistent base into 2 carpels, which open loculicidally, few-seeded.—Chiefly herbs, with opposite leaves united by stipules, and the flowers spiked in one-sided cymes. (Named for Adrian Spiegel, latinized Spigelius, who wrote on botany early in the 17th century, and was perhaps the first to give directions for preparing an herbarium.)

1. S. Marilándica, L. (Maryland Pink-root.) Stems simple and erect from a perennial root (6–18´ high); leaves sessile, ovate-lanceolate, acute; spike simple or forked, short; corolla 1½´ long, red outside, yellow within; tube 4 times the length of the calyx, the lobes lanceolate; anthers and style exserted.—Rich woods, N. J. to Wisc. and Tex. June, July.—A well-known officinal anthelmintic, and a showy plant.

4. MITRÈOLA, L. Mitrewort.

Calyx 5-parted. Corolla little longer than the calyx, somewhat funnel-form, 5-lobed, valvate in the bud. Stamens 5, included. Ovary at the base slightly adnate to the bottom of the calyx, 2-celled; styles 2, short, converging and united above by a common stigma. Capsule exserted, strongly 2-horned or mitre-shaped, opening down the inner side of each horn, many-seeded.—Annual smooth herbs, 6´–2° high, with small stipules between the leaves, and small white flowers spiked along one side of the branches of a terminal petioled cyme. (Diminutive of mitra, a mitre, from the shape of the pod.)

1. M. petiolàta, Torr. & Gray. Leaves thin, oblong-lanceolate, petioled.—Damp soil, from E. Va. to Tex.

Order 69. GENTIANÀCEÆ. (Gentian Family.)

Smooth herbs, with a colorless bitter juice, opposite and sessile entire and simple leaves (except in Tribe II.) without stipules, regular flowers with the stamens as many as the lobes of the corolla, which are convolute (rarely imbricated and sometimes valvate) in the bud, a 1-celled ovary with 2 parietal placentæ, or nearly the whole inner face of the ovary ovuliferous; the fruit usually a 2-valved and septicidal many-seeded capsule.—Flowers solitary or cymose (racemose in n. 8). Calyx persistent. Corolla mostly withering-persistent; the stamens inserted on its tube. Seeds anatropous, with a minute embryo in fleshy albumen. (Bitter-tonic plants.)

[*] Lobes of corolla convolute in the bud.

[+] Style filiform, usually deciduous; anthers oblong to linear, mostly twisting or curving in age.

1. Erythræa. Parts of flower 5 or 4; corolla salver-form; anthers twisting spirally.

2. Sabbatia. Parts of flower 5–12; corolla rotate; anthers recurved or revolute.

3. Eustoma. Parts of flower 5 or 6; corolla campanulate-funnel-form; anthers versatile, straight or recurving; calyx-lobes long-acuminate.

[+][+] Style stout and persistent or none; anthers remaining straight.

4. Gentiana. Corolla funnel-form or bell-shaped, mostly plaited in the sinuses, without spurs or glands. Calyx 4–5-cleft.

5. Frasera. Corolla 4-parted, rotate; a fringed glandular spot on each lobe.

6. Halenia. Corolla 4–5-cleft, campanulate, and 4–5-spurred at the base.

[*][*] Lobes of corolla imbricate in the bud; no appendages.

7. Bartonia. Calyx 4-parted. Corolla deeply 4-cleft, somewhat campanulate.

8. Obolaria. Calyx of 2 foliaceous sepals. Corolla 4-lobed, oblong-campanulate.

Suborder II. Menyantheæ. Leaves all alternate and mostly petioled, sometimes trifoliolate or crenate. Æstivation of corolla induplicate-valvate. Marsh or aquatic perennials.

9. Menyanthes. Corolla bearded inside. Leaves 3-foliolate.

10. Limnanthemum. Corolla naked, or bearded on the margins only. Leaves simple, rounded.

1. ERYTHRÆ̀A, Richard. Centaury.

Calyx 4–5-parted, the divisions slender. Corolla funnel-form or salver-form, with slender tube and 4–5-parted limb. Anthers exserted, erect, twisting spirally. Style slender, single; stigma capitate or 2-lipped.—Low and small branching annuals, chiefly with rose-purple or reddish flowers (whence the name, from ἐρυθρός, red); in summer.

E. Centaùrium, Pers. (Centaury.) Stem upright (6–12´ high), corymbosely branched above; leaves oblong or elliptical, acutish, the basal rosulate, the uppermost linear; cymes clustered, flat-topped, the flowers all nearly sessile; tube of the (purple-rose-colored) corolla not twice the length of the oval lobes.—Waste grounds, shores of Lakes Ontario and Michigan. (Adv. from Eu.)

E. ramosíssima, Pers. Low (2–6´ high); stem many times forked above and forming a diffuse cyme; leaves ovate-oblong or oval, not rosulate below; flowers all on short pedicels; tube of the (pink-purple) corolla thrice the length of the elliptical-oblong lobes.—Wet or shady places, N. J., E. Penn., and southward. (Nat. from Eu.)

E. spicàta, Pers. Stem strictly upright (6–10´ high); the flowers sessile and spiked along one side of the simple or rarely forked branches; leaves oval and oblong, rounded at base, acutish; tube of the (rose-colored or whitish) corolla scarcely longer than the calyx, the lobes oblong.—Sandy sea-shore, Nantucket, Mass., and Portsmouth, Va. (Nat. from Eu.)

2. SABBÀTIA, Adans.

Calyx 5–12-parted, the divisions slender. Corolla 5–12-parted, wheel-shaped. Stamens 5–12; anthers soon recurved. Style 2-cleft or -parted, slender.—Biennials or annuals, with slender stems, and cymose-panicled handsome (white or rose-purple) flowers, in summer. (Dedicated to L. Sabbati, an early Italian botanist.)

[+] Branches all opposite and stems more or less 4-angled; flowers cymose; calyx with long and slender lobes.

[++] Corolla white, often turning yellowish in drying.

1. S. paniculàta, Pursh. Stem brachiately much-branched (1–2° high); leaves linear or the lower oblong, obtuse, 1-nerved, nearly equalling the internodes; calyx-lobes much shorter than the corolla.—Low grounds, Va. to Fla.

2. S. lanceolàta, Torr. & Gray. Stem simple (2–3° high) bearing a flat-topped cyme; leaves ovate-lanceolate or ovate, 3-nerved, the upper acute, much shorter than the internodes; calyx-lobes longer and flowers larger than in n. 1.—Wet pine barrens, N. J. to Fla.

[++][++] Corolla rose-pink, rarely white, with a yellowish or greenish eye.

3. S. brachiàta, Ell. Stem slightly angled, simple below (1–2° high); leaves linear and linear-oblong, obtuse, or the upper acute; branches rather few-flowered, forming an oblong panicle; calyx-lobes nearly half shorter than the corolla.—Dry or low places, Ind. and N. C. to La. and Fla.

4. S. angulàris, Pursh. Stem somewhat 4-winged-angled, much branched above (1–2½° high), many-flowered; leaves ovate, acutish, 5-nerved, with a somewhat heart-shaped clasping base; calyx-lobes one third or half the length of the corolla.—Rich soil, N. Y. to Ont. and Mich., south to Fla. and La.

[+][+] Branches alternate (or the lower opposite in n. 5); peduncles 1-flowered.

[++] Calyx-lobes foliaceous.

5. S. calycòsa, Pursh. Diffusely forking, pale, 1° high or less; leaves oblong or lance-oblong, narrowed at base; calyx-lobes spatulate-lanceolate ({2/3}–1´ long), exceeding the rose-colored or almost white corolla.—Sea-coast and near it, Va. to Tex.

[++][++] Calyx-lobes slender and tube very short (prominently costate in n. 6, and longer, nearly or quite enclosing the retuse capsule).

6. S. campéstris, Nutt. Span or two high, divergently branched above; leaves ovate with subcordate clasping base (½–1´ long), on the branches lanceolate; calyx equalling the lilac corolla (1½–2´ broad).—Prairies, S. E. Kan. and W. Mo. to Tex.

7. S. stellàris, Pursh. Loosely branched and forking; leaves oblong to lanceolate, the upper narrowly linear; calyx-lobes awl-shaped-linear, varying from half to nearly the length of the bright rose-purple corolla; style nearly 2-parted.—Salt marshes, Mass. to Fla. Appears to pass into the next; corolla in both at times pink or white.

8. S. grácilis, Salisb. Stem very slender, at length diffusely branched; branches and long peduncles filiform; leaves linear, or the lower lance-linear, the uppermost similar to the setaceous calyx-lobes, which equal the rose-purple corolla; style cleft to the middle.—Brackish marshes, Nantucket, Mass., and N. J., to Fla. and La.

[*][*] Corolla 8–12-parted, large (about 2´ broad).

10. S. chloroìdes, Pursh. Stem (1–2° high), loosely panicled above; peduncles slender, 1-flowered; leaves oblong-lanceolate; calyx-lobes linear, half the length of the deep rose-colored (rarely white) corolla.—Borders of brackish ponds, Mass. to Fla. and Ala.

3. EÙSTOMA, Salisb.

Calyx 5- (rarely 6-) parted; its lobes long-acuminate, with carinate midrib. Corolla campanulate-funnel-form, deeply 5–6-lobed. Anthers oblong, versatile, straight or recurving in age. Style filiform, nearly persistent; stigma of 2 broad lamellæ.—Glaucous large-flowered annuals, with more or less clasping and connate leaves, and slender terminal and more or less paniculate 1-flowered peduncles. (From εὖ, well, and στόμα, mouth, alluding to the open-mouthed corolla.)

1. E. Russelliànum, Griseb. One or two feet high; leaves from ovate- to lanceolate-oblong; lobes of lavender-purple corolla obovate (1½´ long), 4 times longer than the tube; anthers hardly curving in age.—Neb. to Tex.

4. GENTIÀNA, Tourn. Gentian.

Calyx 4–5-cleft. Corolla 4–5-lobed, regular, usually with intermediate plaited folds, which bear appendages or teeth at the sinuses. Style short or none; stigmas 2, persistent. Capsule oblong, 2-valved; the innumerable seeds either borne on placentæ at or near the sutures, or in most of our species covering nearly the whole inner face of the pod.—Flowers solitary or cymose, showy, in late summer and autumn. (Name from Gentius, king of Illyria, who used some species medicinally.)

§ 1. GENTIANÉLLA. Corolla (not rotate) destitute of extended plaits or lobes or teeth at the sinuses; root annual.

[*] (Fringed Gentians.) Flowers large, solitary on long terminal peduncles, mostly 4-merous; corolla campanulate-funnel-form, its lobes usually fimbriate or erose, not crowned; a row of glands between the bases of the filaments. Autumn-flowering.

1. G. crinìta, Froel. Stem 1–2° high; leaves lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate from a partly heart-shaped or rounded base; lobes of the 4-cleft calyx unequal, ovate and lanceolate, as long as the bell-shaped tube of the blue corolla (2´ long), the lobes of which are wedge-obovate, and strongly fringed around the summit; ovary lanceolate.—Low grounds, N. Eng. to Dak., south to Iowa, Ohio, and in the mountains to Ga.

2. G. serràta, Gunner. Stem 3–18´ high; leaves linear or lanceolate-linear; lobes of the 4- (rarely 5-) cleft calyx unequal, ovate or triangular and lanceolate, pointed; lobes of the sky-blue corolla spatulate-oblong, with ciliate-fringed margins, the fringe shorter or almost obsolete at the summit; ovary elliptical or obovate. (G. detonsa, Manual.)—Moist grounds, Newf. and W. New York, to Iowa and Minn., north and westward.

3. G. Amarélla, L. Stems 2–20´ high; leaves lanceolate to narrowly oblong, or the lowest obovate-spatulate, the margins minutely scabrous; calyx-lobes (4–5) foliaceous, lanceolate or linear; corolla mostly blue, ½´ long or more, with a fimbriate crown at the base of the oblong acute lobes; capsule sessile.—Var. acùta, Hook. f. Calyx almost 5-parted; crown usually of fewer and sometimes very few setæ.—Lab. to N. Vt. and N. Minn., west and northward.

4. G. quinqueflòra, Lam. Stem rather slender, branching (1–2° high); leaves ovate-lanceolate from a partly clasping and heart-shaped base, 3–7-nerved, tipped with a minute point; branches racemed or panicled, about 5-flowered at the summit; lobes of the small 5-cleft calyx awl-shaped-linear; corolla pale blue, 6–9´´ long, its lobes triangular-ovate, bristle-pointed, without crown, but the glands at the base of the slender obconical tube manifest; capsule stipitate.—Moist hills, Maine to Ont., Ill., and south along the mountains to Fla.—Var. occidentàlis, Gray. Sometimes 2–3° high, and paniculately much-branched; calyx-lobes more leaf-like, linear-lanceolate, reaching to the middle of the broader funnel-form corolla.—Va. and Ohio to Minn., south to Tenn. and La.

§ 2. PNEUMONÁNTHE. Corolla (funnel-form or salver-form) with thin-membranaceous toothed or lobed plaits in the sinuses; no crown nor glands, capsule stipitate; autumn-flowering perennials, the flowers large, sessile or short pedunculate and bibracteate (except in n. 12).

[*] Anthers unconnected or soon separate; leaves rough-margined; seeds winged.

5. G. affìnis, Griseb. Stems clustered, 1° high or less; leaves oblong or lanceolate to linear; flowers numerous and thyrsoid-racemose or few or rarely almost solitary; calyx-lobes unequal, the longest rarely equalling the tube, the shortest sometimes minute; corolla (blue or bluish) 1´ long or less, rather narrowly funnel-form, with ovate spreading lobes, the plaits with conspicuous laciniate appendages sometimes equalling the lobes.—Minn. to the Pacific.

6. G. pubérula, Michx. Stems (mostly solitary) erect or ascending (8–16´ high), mostly rough and minutely pubescent above; leaves rigid, linear-lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate (1–2´ long); flowers clustered, rarely solitary; calyx-lobes lanceolate, much shorter than the bell-funnel-form open bright-blue corolla, the spreading ovate lobes of which are twice or thrice the length of the cut-toothed appendages.—Dry prairies and barrens, western N. Y., Ohio, and Ky., to Minn. and Kan. Oct.

[*][*] Anthers cohering in a ring or short tube; flowers in terminal and often axillary clusters.

[+] Calyx-lobes and bracts ciliolate-scabrous; seeds conspicuously winged; leaves rough-margined.

8. G. Andréwsii, Griseb. (Closed G.) Stems upright, smooth; leaves ovate-lanceolate and lanceolate from a narrower base, gradually pointed; calyx-lobes lanceolate to ovate, recurved, shorter than the top-shaped tube, and much shorter than the more oblong and truncate mostly blue corolla, which is closed at the mouth, its proper lobes obliterated, the apparent lobes consisting of the broad fringe-toothed and notched appendages.—Moist ground, N. Eng. to Minn., south to N. Ga. Corolla blue with white plaits, or sometimes all white.

[+][+] Margins of leaves, bracts, etc., smooth and naked; terminal flower-cluster leafy-involucrate; seeds winged.

9. G. álba, Muhl. Stems upright, stout; flowers sessile and crowded in a dense terminal cluster; leaves ovate-lanceolate from a heart-shaped closely clasping base, gradually tapering; calyx-lobes ovate or subcordate, many times shorter than the tube of the corolla, reflexed-spreading; corolla white more or less tinged with greenish or yellowish, inflated-club-shaped, at length open, its short and broad ovate lobes twice the length of the broad toothed appendages.—Low grounds and mountain meadows, Ont. to Ill., Ky., and Va.

10. G. lineàris, Froel. Stems slender and strict, 1–2° high; flowers 1–5 in the terminal cluster; leaves linear or narrowly lanceolate, with somewhat narrowed base; bracts sometimes very finely scabrous; calyx-lobes linear or lanceolate; corolla blue, narrow funnel-form, its erect roundish-ovate lobes little longer than the triangular acute appendages. (G. Saponaria, var. linearis, Gray.)—Bogs, mountains of Md. to N. Y., N. Eng., and northward.

Var. lanceolàta, Gray. Leaves lanceolate, or the upper and involucrate ones almost ovate-lanceolate, appendages of corolla sometimes very short and broad.—Minn. and L. Superior; also Herkimer Co., N. Y.

Var. latifòlia, Gray. Stout; leaves closely sessile, not contracted at base, the lowest oblong-linear, the upper ovate-lanceolate; appendages broad, acute or subtruncate.—L. Superior; N. Brunswick (flowers blue).

[+][+][+] Calyx-lobes and bracts with smooth margins or nearly so; seeds completely marginless.

11. G. ochroleùca, Froel. Stems ascending, mostly smooth; leaves obovate-oblong, the lowest broadly obovate and obtuse, the uppermost somewhat lanceolate, all narrowed at base, calyx-lobes linear, unequal, much longer than its tube, rather shorter than the greenish-white open corolla, which is painted inside with green veins and lilac-purple stripes; its lobes ovate, very much exceeding the small and sparingly toothed oblique appendages.—Dry or damp grounds, Penn. to Fla. and La.

[*][*][*] Anthers not connected; flowers terminal, solitary, commonly peduncled and naked; seeds wingless.

12. G. angustifòlia, Michx. Stems slender and ascending (6–15´ high), mostly simple; leaves linear or the lower oblanceolate, rigid; corolla open-funnel-form (2´ long), azure-blue, also a greenish and white variety, about twice the length of the thread-like calyx-lobes, its ovate spreading lobes twice as long as the cut-toothed appendages.—Moist pine barrens, N. J. to Fla.

5. FRÀSERA, Walt. American Columbo.

Calyx deeply 4-parted. Corolla deeply 4-parted, wheel-shaped, each division with a glandular and fringed pit on the face. Filaments awl-shaped, usually somewhat monadelphous at base; anthers oblong, versatile. Style persistent; stigma 2-lobed. Capsule oval, flattened, 4–14-seeded. Seeds large and flat, wing-margined.—Tall and showy herbs, with a thick root, upright and mostly simple stems, bearing whorled leaves, and numerous peduncled flowers in open cymes, disposed in an ample elongated panicle. (Dedicated to John Fraser, an indefatigable collector in this country toward the close of the last century.)

1. F. Carolinénsis, Walt. Smooth biennial or triennial (3–8° high); leaves mostly in fours, lance-oblong, the lowest spatulate, veiny; panicle pyramidal, loosely flowered; corolla (1´ broad) light greenish-yellow, marked with small brown-purple dots, its divisions oblong, mucronate, longer than the narrowly lanceolate calyx-lobes, each with a large round gland below the middle; capsule much flattened parallel with the flat valves.—Rich dry soil, western N. Y. to Wisc., south to Ga.

6. HALÈNIA, Borkh. Spurred Gentian.

Calyx 4–5-parted. Corolla short bell-shaped, 4–5-cleft, without folds or fringe, prolonged at the base underneath the erect lobes into spurs, which are glandular in the bottom. Stigmas 2, sessile, persistent on the oblong flattish capsule. Seeds rather numerous, oblong.—Small and upright herbs, with yellowish or purplish panicled-cymose flowers. (Named for John Halen, a German botanist.)

1. H. defléxa, Grisebach. Leafy annual or biennial (9–18´ high), simple or branched above; leaves 3–5-nerved, the lowest oblong-spatulate and petioled, the others oblong-lanceolate, acute; spurs cylindrical, obtuse, curved, descending, half the length of the acutely 4-lobed corolla.—Damp and cool woods, from N. Maine and W. Mass. to L. Superior, Minn., and northward.

7. BARTÒNIA, Muhl.

Calyx 4-parted. Corolla deeply 4-cleft, destitute of glands, fringes, or folds. Stamens short. Capsule oblong, flattened, pointed with a large persistent at length 2-lobed stigma. Seeds minute, innumerable, covering the whole inner surface of the pod.—Small annuals or biennials (3–10´ high), with thread-like stems, and little awl-shaped scales in place of leaves. Flowers small, white, peduncled. (Dedicated to Prof. Benjamin Smith Barton, of Philadelphia.)

1. B. tenélla, Muhl. Stems branched above, the branches or peduncles mostly opposite, 1–3-flowered; lobes of the corolla oblong, acutish, rather longer than the calyx, or sometimes twice as long; anthers roundish; ovary 4-angled, the cell somewhat cruciform.—Open woods, Newf. to Wisc., south to Va. and La. Aug.—Scales and branches occasionally alternate.

8. OBOLÀRIA, L.

Calyx of 2 spatulate spreading sepals, resembling the leaves. Corolla tubular-bell-shaped, withering-persistent, 4-cleft; the lobes oval-oblong, or with age spatulate, imbricated in the bud! Stamens inserted at the sinuses of the corolla, short. Style short, persistent; stigma 2-lipped. Capsule ovoid, 1-celled, the cell cruciform; the seeds covering the whole face of the walls.—A low and very smooth purplish-green perennial (3–8´ high), with a simple or sparingly branched stem, opposite wedge-obovate leaves; the dull white or purplish flowers solitary or in clusters of three, terminal and axillary, nearly sessile; in spring. (Name from ὀβολός, a small Greek coin, from the thick rounded leaves.)

1. O. Virgínica, L. Herbaceous and rather fleshy, the lower leaves scale-like; flowers 4´´ long.—Moist woods, N. J. to Ill., south to Ga. and Tex.

9. MENYÁNTHES, Tourn. Buckbean.

Calyx 5-parted. Corolla short funnel-form, 5-cleft, deciduous, the whole upper surface white-bearded, valvate in the bud with the margins turned inward. Style slender, persistent; stigma 2-lobed. Capsule bursting somewhat irregularly, many-seeded. Seed-coat hard, smooth, and shining.—A perennial alternate-leaved herb, with a thickish creeping rootstock, sheathed by the membranous bases of the long petioles, which bear 3 oval or oblong leaflets; the flowers racemed on the naked scape (1° high), white or slightly reddish. (The ancient Theophrastian name, probably from μήν, month, and ἄνθος, a flower, some say from its flowering for about that time.)

1. M. trifoliáta, L.—Bogs, N. J. and Penn. to Ind. and Iowa, and far north and westward. May, June. (Eu., Asia.)

10. LIMNÁNTHEMUM, Gmelin. Floating Heart.

Calyx 5-parted. Corolla almost wheel-shaped, 5-parted, the divisions fringed or bearded at the base or margins only, folded inward in the bud, bearing a glandular appendage near the base. Style short or none; stigma 2-lobed, persistent. Capsule few–many-seeded, at length bursting irregularly. Seed-coat hard.—Perennial aquatics, with rounded floating leaves on very long petioles, which, in most species, bear near the summit the umbel of (polygamous) flowers, along with a cluster of short and spur-like roots, sometimes shooting forth new leaves from the same place, and so spreading by a sort of proliferous stolons, flowering all summer. (Name compounded of λίμνη, a marsh or pool, and ἄνθεμον, a blossom, from the situations where they grow.)

1. L. lacunòsum, Grisebach. Leaves entire, round-heart-shaped (1–2´ broad), thickish, petioles filiform; lobes of the (white) corolla broadly oval, naked, except the crest-like yellowish gland at the base, twice the length of the lanceolate calyx-lobes; style none; seeds smooth and even.—Shallow water, from Maine to Minn., south to Fla. and La.

Order 70. POLEMONIÀCEÆ. (Polemonium Family.)

Herbs, with alternate or opposite leaves, regular 5-merous and 5-androus flowers, the lobes of the corolla convolute in the bud, a 3-celled ovary and 3-lobed style; capsule 3-celled, 3-valved, loculicidal, few–many-seeded, the valves usually breaking away from the triangular central column.—Seeds amphitropous, the coat frequently mucilaginous when moistened and emitting spiral threads. Embryo straight in the axis of copious albumen. Calyx persistent, imbricated. Corolla with a 5-parted border. Anthers introrse. (Insipid and innocent plants; many are ornamental in cultivation.)

1. Phlox. Corolla salver-form. Calyx narrow. Leaves opposite, entire.

2. Gilia. Corolla tubular-funnel-form or salver-form. Calyx narrow, partly scarious. Leaves mostly alternate, entire.

3. Polemonium. Corolla open-bell shaped. Calyx herbaceous, bell-shaped. Filaments slender, equal. Leaves alternate, pinnate or pinnately parted.

1. PHLOX, L.

Calyx narrow, somewhat prismatic, or plaited and angled. Corolla salver-form, with a long tube. Stamens very unequally inserted in the tube of the corolla, included. Capsule ovoid, with sometimes 2 ovules but ripening only a single seed in each cell.—Perennials (except a few southern species, such as P. Drummondii of the gardens), with opposite and sessile perfectly entire leaves, the floral often alternate. Flowers cymose, mostly bracted; the open clusters terminal or crowded in the upper axils. (Φλόξ, flame, an ancient name of Lychnis, transferred to this North American genus.) Most of our species are cultivated in gardens.

§ 1. Herbaceous, with flat (broad or narrow) leaves.

[*] Stem strictly erect; panicle pyramidal or oblong, many-flowered; peduncles and pedicels very short; corolla-lobes entire. (Very common in gardens.)

1. P. paniculàta, L. Stem stout (2–4° high), smooth; leaves oblong-lanceolate and ovate-lanceolate, pointed, large, tapering at the base, the upper often heart-shaped at the base; panicle ample, pyramidal-corymbed; calyx-teeth awn-pointed; corolla pink-purple varying to white.—Open woods, Penn. to Ill., south to Fla. and La. June, July.

2. P. maculàta, L. (Wild Sweet-William.) Smooth, or barely roughish; stem spotted with purple, rather slender (1–2° high); lower leaves lanceolate, the upper nearly ovate-lanceolate, tapering to the apex from the broad and rounded or somewhat heart-shaped base, panicle narrow, oblong, leafy below; calyx-teeth triangular-lanceolate, short, scarcely pointed; corolla pink-purple.—Rich woodlands and along streams, N. J. and N. Penn. to Minn., south to Fla. and Ark.—Var. cándida, Michx., is a white-flowered form, commonly with spotless stem. With the ordinary form.

[+] Calyx-teeth triangular-subulate; corolla-lobes rounded, entire; glabrous or nearly so.

3. P. ovàta, L. Stems ascending (½–2° high), often from a prostrate base; leaves oblong-lanceolate, or the upper ovate-lanceolate, and sometimes heart-shaped at the base, acute or pointed; flowers pink or rose-red, crowded, short-peduncled; calyx-teeth short and broad, acute. (P. Carolina, L.)—Open woods, in the mountain region from Penn. to Ala. June, July.

4. P. glabérrima, L. Stems slender, erect (1–3° high); leaves linear-lanceolate or rarely oblong-lanceolate, very smooth (except the rough and sometimes revolute margins), tapering gradually to a point (3–4´ long); cymes few-flowered and loosely corymbed; flowers peduncled (pink or whitish); calyx-teeth narrower and very sharp-pointed.—Prairies and open woods, N. Va. to Ohio and Minn., south to Fla. and Mo. July.

[+][+] Calyx-teeth long and slender; more or less hairy or glandular-pubescent.

[++] No runners or prostrate sterile shoots.

5. P. pilòsa, L. Stems slender, nearly erect (1–1½° high), usually hairy, as are the lanceolate or linear leaves (1–4´ long), which commonly taper to a sharp point; cymes at length open; calyx-teeth slender awl-shaped and awn-like, longer than the tube, loose or spreading; lobes of the pink-purple or rose-red (rarely white) corolla obovate, entire.—Dry or sandy woods, prairies, etc., N. J. to Minn., south to Fla. and Tex. May, June.

6. P. amœ̀na, Sims. Stems ascending (½–1½° high), mostly simple; leaves broadly linear, lanceolate or ovate-oblong, abruptly acute or blunt (½–1½´ long), on sterile shoots often ovate; cyme mostly compact and sessile, leafy-bracted; calyx-teeth awl-shaped or linear, sharp-pointed, but seldom awned, rather longer than the tube, straight; lobes of the corolla obovate and entire (or rarely notched), purple, pink, or sometimes white. (P. procumbens, Gray; not Lehm.)—Dry hills and barrens, Va. to Ky., south to Fla.

[++][++] Sterile shoots from the base creeping or decumbent; leaves rather broad.

7. P. réptans, Michx. Runners creeping, bearing roundish-obovate smoothish and thickish leaves; flowering stems (4–8´ high) and their oblong or ovate obtuse leaves (½´ long) pubescent, often clammy; cyme close, few-flowered; calyx-teeth linear-awl-shaped, about the length of the tube; lobes of the reddish-purple corolla round-obovate, mostly entire.—Damp woods, in the Alleghany region, Penn. to Ky. and Ga. May, June.

8. P. divaricàta, L. Stems spreading or ascending from a decumbent base (9–18´ high); leaves oblong- or lance-ovate or the lower oblong-lanceolate (1½´ long), acutish; cyme corymbose-panicled, spreading, loosely-flowered; calyx-teeth slender awl-shaped, longer than the tube; lobes of the pale lilac or bluish corolla obcordate or wedge-obovate and notched at the end, or often entire, ½-{2/3}´ long, equalling or longer than the tube, with rather wide sinuses between them.—Rocky damp woods, W. Canada and N. Y. to Minn., south to Fla. and Ark. May.—A form occurs near Crawfordsville, Ind., with reduced flowers, the narrow entire acuminate corolla-lobes scarcely half as long as the tube.

9. P. bífida, Beck. Minutely pubescent; stems ascending, branched (5–8´ high); leaves linear, becoming nearly glabrous (½–1½´ long, 1½´´ wide); flowers few, on slender peduncles; calyx-teeth awl-shaped, about as long as the tube; lobes of the pale purple corolla 2-cleft to or below the middle (4´´ long), equalling the tube, the divisions linear-oblong.—Prairies of Ind. to Iowa and Mo.

10. P. Stellària, Gray. Very glabrous; leaves barely somewhat ciliate at base, linear (1–2´ long, 1´´ wide or more), acute, rather rigid; flowers scattered, mostly long-peduncled; lobes of the pale blue or almost white corolla bifid at the apex into barely oblong lobes.—Cliffs of Ky. River (Short), S. Ill., and Tenn. (Gattinger). May.

§ 2. Suffruticulose and creeping-cespitose, evergreen, with mostly crowded and fascicled subulate and rigid leaves.

11. P. subulàta, L. (Ground or Moss Pink.) Depressed, in broad mats, pubescent (glabrate when old); leaves awl-shaped, lanceolate, or narrowly linear (3–6´´ long); cymes few-flowered; calyx-teeth awl-shaped, rigid; corolla pink-purple or rose-color with a darker centre (sometimes white); lobes wedge-shaped, notched, rarely entire.—Dry rocky hills and sandy banks, southern N. Y. to Mich., south to Fla. and Ky.

2. GÍLIA, Ruiz & Pav.

Calyx-lobes narrow and acute, the tube scarious below the sinuses. Corolla tubular-funnel-form or salver-form. Stamens equally or unequally inserted. Capsule with solitary to numerous seeds.—Mostly herbs with alternate leaves. Our species belongs to the § Collomia, in which the flowers are capitate-glomerate and foliose-bracted or scattered, stamens unequally inserted in the narrow tube of the salver-form corolla, ovules solitary, and leaves sessile and entire; annuals. (Dedicated to Philip Gil, a Spanish botanist.)

1. G. lineàris, Gray. Branching and in age spreading, 6–18´ high; leaves linear- or oblong-lanceolate; calyx-lobes triangular-lanceolate, acute; corolla 6´´ long, from lilac-purple to nearly white, very slender, with small limb. (Collomia linearis, Nutt.)—From Minn. west to the Pacific.

3. POLEMÒNIUM, Tourn. Greek Valerian.

Calyx bell-shaped, herbaceous. Stamens equally inserted at the summit of the very short tube of the open-bell-shaped or short funnel-form corolla; filaments slender, declined, hairy-appendaged at the base. Capsule few–several-seeded.—Perennials, with alternate pinnate leaves, the upper leaflets sometimes confluent; the (blue or white) corymbose flowers nearly bractless. (An ancient name, from πόλεμος, war, of doubtful application.)

1. P. réptans, L. Smooth throughout or slightly pubescent; stems weak and spreading (6–10´ high, never creeping as the name denotes); leaflets 5–15, ovate-lanceolate or oblong; corymbs few-flowered; flowers nodding, calyx-lobes ovate, shorter than the tube; stamens and style included; corolla light blue, about ½´ wide; capsules about 3-seeded.—Woods, N. Y. to Minn., south to Ala. and Mo. May, June.

Order 71. HYDROPHYLLÀCEÆ. (Waterleaf Family.)

Herbs, commonly hairy, with mostly alternate leaves, regular 5-merous and 5-androus flowers, in aspect between the foregoing and the next order; but the ovary entire and 1-celled with 2 parietal 4–many-ovuled placentæ, or rarely 2-celled by the union of the placentæ in the axis; style 2-cleft, or 2 separate styles; fruit a 2-valved 4–many-seeded capsule.—Seeds mostly reticulated or pitted. Embryo small in copious albumen.—Flowers chiefly blue or white, in one-sided cymes or false racemes, which are mostly bractless and coiled from the apex when young, as in the Borage Family. A small order of plants of no marked properties; some cultivated for ornament.