stems ascending (3--5' high); lower leaves thread-form, the upper short
and awl-shaped, with minute ones _fascicled in their axils so that the
branchlets appear knotty, petals much longer than the calyx._--Wet sandy
soil, along the coast of Maine and N. H., also Lake Superior, and
northward. (Eu.)
11. BUDA, Adans. SAND-SPURREY.
Sepals 5. Petals 5, entire. Stamens 2--10. Styles and valves of the
many-seeded pod 3, very rarely 5, when the valves alternate with the
sepals! Embryo not coiled into a complete ring.--Low herbs, mostly on or
near the seacoast, with filiform or linear somewhat fleshy opposite
leaves, and smaller ones often clustered in the axils; stipules
scaly-membranaceous; flowering all summer. (Named probably for the city
so called.)--Genus also known as TISSA, Adans., SPERGULARIA, Presl., and
LEPIGONUM, Wahlb. The species are very variously understood by European
botanists, and are much confused, as well as the synonymy. Our forms are
annual, or at the most biennial.
1. B. rubra, Dumort. Nearly glabrous, the summit of the prostrate
or ascending slender stems, peduncles, and sepals usually
glandular-pubescent; leaves linear, flat, scarcely fleshy; stipules
lanceolate, entire or cleft; pedicels longer than the bracts; _pods_ and
pink-red corolla small (11/2''), _hardly equalling or exceeding
the calyx; seeds rough with projecting points, semi-obovate_ or
_gibbous-wedge-shaped, wingless_. (Spergularia rubra, _Presl._)--Dry
sandy soil, New Eng. to Va., along and near the coast, but rarely
maritime. (Eu.)
2. B. marina, Dumort. More decidedly fleshy than the preceding, erect or
ascending, usually pubescent, with ovate stipules, terete leaves, and
pedicels 2--4'' long; sepals usually becoming 2--21/2'' long, little
shorter than the pod; petals pale; _seeds obovate-rounded and roughened
with points_, wingless or narrow-winged. (Spergularia salina, _Presl._
Tissa marina, _Britt._)--Brackish sands, etc., coast of N. Eng. to Va.,
and southward. A form with smooth seeds is var. LEIOSPERMA, N. E. Brown.
(S. media, _Presl._) (Eu.)
Var.(?) minor, Watson. Small, ascending or decumbent; flowers smaller,
on shorter pedicels (rarely 2'' long), the sepals and pod 1--11/2'' long;
seeds wingless, usually papillose.--Coast of N. H. and Mass.
3. B. borealis, Watson. Diffusely branched, glabrous; pedicels usually
2--4'' long; petals white; pod ovate, 2'' long, about twice longer than
the sepals; seeds usually wingless, smooth or nearly so. (Tissa salina,
_Britt._)--On the coast, E. Maine to Labrador.
12. SPERGULA, L. SPURREY.
Stamens 5 or 10. Styles 5. The 5 valves of the pod opposite the sepals.
Embryo spirally annular. Leaves in whorls. Otherwise as in Buda. (Name
from _spargo_, to scatter, from the seeds.)
S. ARVENSIS, L. (CORN SPURREY.) Annual; leaves numerous in the whorls,
thread-shaped (1--2' long); stipules minute; flowers white, in a stalked
panicled cyme; seeds rough.--Grain-fields. (Adv. from Eu.)
ORDER 16. PORTULACACEAE. (PURSLANE FAMILY.)
_Herbs, with succulent leaves, and regular but unsymmetrical flowers_;
viz., _sepals fewer than the petals; the stamens opposite the petals
when of the same number, but often indefinite, otherwise nearly as_
Chickweeds.--Sepals 2. Petals 5, or sometimes none. Stamens mostly
5--20. Styles 2--8, united below, or distinct, stigmatic along the
inside. Pod 1-celled, with few or many campylotropous seeds rising on
stalks from the base. Embryo curved around mealy albumen.--Insipid and
innocent herbs, with entire leaves. Corolla opening only in sunshine,
mostly ephemeral, then shrivelling.
1. Portulaca. Stamens 7--20, on the partly adherent calyx. Pod opening
by a lid.
2. Talinum. Stamens more numerous than the petals, hypogynous. Calyx
deciduous. Pod many-seeded.
3. Claytonia. Stamens as many as the hypogynous petals, and attached to
their base. Calyx persistent. Pod 3--6-seeded.
1. PORTULACA, Tourn. PURSLANE.
Calyx 2-cleft; the tube cohering with the ovary below. Petals 5, rarely
6, inserted on the calyx with the 7--20 stamens, fugacious. Style mostly
3--8-parted. Pod 1-celled, globular, many-seeded, opening transversely,
the upper part (with the upper part of the calyx) separating as a
lid.--Fleshy annuals, with mostly scattered leaves. (An old Latin name,
of unknown meaning.)
P. OLERACEA, L. (COMMON PURSLANE.) Prostrate, very smooth; leaves
obovate or wedge-form; flowers sessile (opening only in sunny mornings);
sepals keeled; petals pale yellow; stamens 7--12; style deeply
5--6-parted; flower-bud flat and acute.--Cultivated and waste grounds;
common. Seemingly indigenous west and southwestward. (Nat. from Eu.)
1. P. retusa, Engelm. Leaves often retuse; calyx-lobes obtuse in the
bud; petals small or minute; style shorter, 3--4-cleft; seeds larger,
sharply tuberculate; otherwise like the last.--Ark. to Tex. and
westward; reported from Kan., Iowa, and Minn.
2. P. pilosa, L. Ascending or spreading, copiously hairy in the axils;
leaves linear-subulate, nearly terete, 3--6'' long; petals red or
purple.--Kan. to Tex., etc.
2. TALINUM, Adans.
Sepals 2, distinct and free, deciduous. Petals 5, ephemeral. Stamens
10--30. Style 3-lobed at the apex. Pod 3-celled at the base when young,
3-valved, with many seeds on a globular stalked placenta. (Derivation
obscure.)
1. T. teretifolium, Pursh. Perennial; leafy stems low, tuberous at base;
leaves linear, cylindrical; peduncle long (3--6') and naked, bearing an
open cyme of pink flowers ({2/3}' broad); stamens 15--20.--Serpentine
rocks, Penn., to Ind., Minn., and southward. June--Aug. (Addendum)
Style equalling the stamens.
(Addendum) 2. T. calycinum, Engelm. Leaves somewhat broader; flowers and
capsules larger; stamens 30 or more; style twice longer than the
stamens, declined.--Central Kan. to W. Tex.
3. CLAYTONIA, Gronov. SPRING-BEAUTY.
Sepals 2, ovate, free, persistent. Stamens 5, adhering to the short
claws of the petals. Style 3-cleft at the apex. Pod 1-celled, 3-valved,
3--6-seeded.--Our two species are perennials, sending up simple stems in
early spring from a small deep tuber, bearing a pair of opposite leaves,
and a loose raceme of pretty flowers. Corolla rose-color with deeper
veins, opening for more than one day! (Named in honor of _Dr. John
Clayton_, one of our earliest botanists, who contributed to Gronovius
the materials for the Flora Virginica.)
1. C. Virginica, L. Leaves linear-lanceolate, elongated (3--6'
long).--Moist open woods; common, especially westward and southward.
2. C. Caroliniana, Michx. Flowers rather smaller and fewer; leaves
spatulate-oblong or oval-lanceolate (1--2' long).--Maine to Minn., and
southward along the Alleghanies.
(Addendum) 3. C. Chamissonis, Esch. Weak, procumbent or ascending,
rooting below and perennial by lateral and terminal filiform runners;
leaves several pairs, oblong-spatulate, 1--2' long; inflorescence
racemosely 1--9-flowered; petals pale rose-color; capsule small,
1--3-seeded.--In a cold ravine, Winona Co., Minn.; in the mountains from
Colorado north and westward.
ORDER 17. ELATINACEAE. (WATER-WORT FAMILY.)
_Little marsh annuals, with membranaceous stipules between the opposite
dotless leaves, minute axillary flowers like those of the_ Chickweeds,
_but the pod 2--5-celled, and the seeds as in_ St. John's-wort. The
principal genus is
1. ELATINE, L. WATER-WORT.
Sepals 2--4, persistent. Petals 2--4, hypogynous. Stamens as many,
rarely twice as many, as the petals. Styles, or sessile capitate
stigmas, 2--4. Pod membranaceous, globose, 2--4-celled,
several--many-seeded, 2--4-valved; the partitions left attached to the
axis, or evanescent. Seeds cylindrical, straightish or curved, marked by
both longitudinal and transverse lines.--Dwarf glabrous plants, usually
rooting at the nodes, aquatic or terrestrial. (A Greek name for some
obscure herb.)
1. E. Americana, Arn. Tufted, 1' high; leaves obovate, obtuse, 1--3''
long; flowers sessile, rarely opening in the aquatic form; sepals,
petals, stamens, and stigmas 2, rarely 3; seeds 5 or 6 in each cell,
rising from the base, marked by 9 or 10 longitudinal lines and 20--30
crossbars.--Margin of ponds, etc., N. H. to Ill., Va., and
southwestward. Pod very thin and delicate; the seeds large in
proportion, straightish.
2. E. triandra, Schkuhr. Leaves oblanceolate or nearly lanceolate;
petals and stamens commonly 3; seeds more slender, covering the
axis.--Ponds, Ill., Neb., and westward. (Eu.)
3. E. brachysperma, Gray. Leaves oblong or oval with narrowed base;
flowers mostly dimerous; seeds short-oblong, with 6 or 7 longitudinal
lines and 10--12 crossbars.--Ill. and southwestward.
ORDER 18. HYPERICACEAE. (ST. JOHN'S-WORT FAMILY.)
_Herbs or shrubs, with opposite entire dotted leaves and no stipules,
regular hypogynous flowers, the petals mostly oblique and convolute in
the bud, and many or few stamens commonly collected in 3 or more
clusters or bundles. Pod 1-celled with 2--5 parietal placentae, and as
many styles, or 3--7-celled by the union of the placentae in the centre;
dehiscence mostly septicidal._--Sepals 4 or 5, imbricated in the bud,
herbaceous, persistent. Petals 4 or 5, mostly deciduous. Styles
persistent, at first sometimes united. Seeds numerous, small,
anatropous, with no albumen. Embryo cylindrical.--Plants with a resinous
juice, dotted with pellucid or dark glands, usually smooth. Leaves
mostly sessile. Flowers solitary or cymose.
[*] Petals oblique, convolute, yellow; hypogynous glands none.
1. Ascyrum. Sepals 4, in 2 very unequal pairs. Petals 4. Stamens many,
distinct.
2. Hypericum. Sepals 5, alike. Petals 5. Stamens usually many and in 3
or 5 clusters.
[*][*] Petals equal, imbricate, purplish; glands alternating with the 3
stamen-clusters.
3. Elodes. Sepals and petals 5. Stamens usually 9. Ovary 3-celled.
1. ASCYRUM, L. ST. PETER'S-WORT.
Sepals 4; the two outer very broad and leaf-like; the inner much
smaller. Petals 4, oblique, very deciduous, convolute in the bud.
Stamens numerous; the filaments distinct and scarcely in clusters. Pod
strictly 1-celled, 2--4-valved.--Low, rather shrubby, smooth plants,
with pale black-dotted leaves, and nearly solitary light yellow flowers.
(An ancient Greek name of some plant, from [Greek: a-], _without_, and
[Greek: sky/ros], _roughness_.)
1. A. stans, Michx. (ST. PETER'S-WORT.) Stem rather simple, 2-edged,
1--2 deg. high, stout; _leaves oval or oblong, somewhat clasping_, thickish;
flowers showy; outer sepals round-cordate, inner lanceolate; _petals
obovate_; styles 3 or 4.--Pine barrens, Long Island to Penn., and
southward. July, Aug.
2. A. Crux-Andreae, L. (ST. ANDREW'S CROSS.) Low, much branched and
decumbent; _leaves narrowly obovate-oblong, contracted at the base_,
thin; _petals linear-oblong_; styles 2, very short; pod
flat.--Nantucket; pine barrens of N. J. to S. Ill., Neb., and southward.
July--Sept.--Petals scarcely exceeding the outer sepals, approaching
each other in pairs over them, in the form of a St. Andrew's cross.
2. HYPERICUM, Tourn. ST. JOHN'S-WORT.
Sepals 5, somewhat equal. Petals 5, oblique, convolute in the bud.
Stamens commonly united or clustered in 3--5 parcels; no interposed
glands. Pod 1-celled or 3--5-celled. Seeds usually cylindrical.--Herbs
or shrubs, with cymose yellow flowers. (An ancient Greek name, of
obscure meaning.)
Sec. 1. _Stamens very numerous, 5-adelphous; styles 5, united below, the
stigmas capitate; pod 5-celled, the placentae turned far back into the
cells; perennial herb; flowers very large._
1. H. Ascyron, L. (GREAT ST. JOHN'S-WORT.) Stems 2--5 deg. high; branches
2--4-angled; leaves (2--5' long) ovate-oblong, partly clasping; petals
narrowly obovate (1' long), not deciduous until after they wither; pod
3/4' long, conical. (H. pyramidatum, _Ait._)--Banks of rivers, New Eng.
and Penn. to Iowa and Minn. July.
Sec. 2. _Stamens very numerous, obscurely if at all clustered; styles 3
(n. 2 excepted), more or less united into one, the stigmas not capitate
except in n. 10; sepals mostly foliaceous._
[*] _Bushy shrubs, 1--6 deg. high, leafy to the top._
[+] _Styles 5; pod completely 5-celled._
2. H. Kalmianum, L. (KALM'S ST. JOHN'S-WORT.) Branches 4-angled;
branchlets 2-edged; leaves crowded, glaucous, linear to oblanceolate
(1--2' long); flowers few in a cluster (1' wide); pods ovate.--Wet
rocks, Niagara Falls and northern lakes. Aug.
[+][+] _Styles 3; pod completely 3-celled._
3. H. prolificum, L. (SHRUBBY ST. JOHN'S-WORT.) Branchlets 2-edged;
leaves narrowly oblong (1--2' long), mostly obtuse, narrowed at the
base; flowers numerous, in single or compound clusters; pods lanceolate
to ovate, 4--6'' long.--N. J. to Mich., Minn., and southward.
July--Sept.--Varies greatly in size, etc.
4. H. densiflorum, Pursh. Exceedingly branched above, 1--6 deg. high, the
branches slender and crowded with smaller leaves; flowers smaller
(1/2--{2/3}' in diameter) and more numerous, in crowded compound cymes;
pod 2--3'' long. (H. prolificum, var. densiflorum, _Gray_.)--Pine
barrens of N. J. to glades of Ky., Ark., and southward.
[*][*] _Perennial herbs or a little woody at the base._
[+] _Pod incompletely 3--4-celled_.
5. H. galioides, Lam. Slender, branching, woody below; _leaves
linear-oblanceolate_, narrowed downward, 1/2--3' long, mostly acute;
flowers small in terminal and axillary cymes; sepals very narrow,
11/2--3'' long; pod as long, ovate.--Del. to Ga. and E. Tenn.
6. H. adpressum, Barton. Stem simple, herbaceous, from a slightly woody
creeping base (1--2 deg. high), obscurely 4-angled below and 2-edged above;
_leaves ascending, lanceolate_ or linear-oblong, often acute, thin; cyme
terminal, leafy at the base, few-flowered; sepals linear-lanceolate,
pods ovoid-oblong.--Moist places, Nantucket and R. I. to Penn., and
southwestward. July--Aug.--Leaves 11/2' long. Petals bright yellow, 3--5''
long.
[+][+] _Pod 1-celled with 3 parietal placentae._
7. H. dolabriforme, Vent. Stems branched from the decumbent base, woody
below (6--20' high), terete; _leaves linear-lanceolate_, widely
spreading, veinless; cyme leafy, few-flowered; _sepals oblong or
ovate-lanceolate_, about the length of the very oblique petals (5--6''
long); _pods ovate-conical, pointed_, the walls very thick and
hard.--Dry hills and rocks, barrens of Ky. and Tenn. June--Aug.
8. H. cistifolium, Lam.! Stems mostly simple, herbaceous, with a
somewhat woody base, angled with 4 very narrow salient lines (1--2 deg.
high); leaves narrowly oblong to nearly linear (1--3' long), sessile
with a somewhat clasping base; the cyme naked, compound, usually
many-flowered; _sepals ovate; pods depressed-globular or ovoid-conical_;
seeds large, oblong, very rough-pitted. (H. sphaerocarpon,
_Michx._)--Rocky river-banks, S. W. Ohio, to Iowa and southward.
July--Sept.--Flowers small.
9. H. ellipticum, Hook. Stem simple, herbaceous (10--20' high),
obscurely 4-angled; _leaves spreading, elliptical-oblong_, obtuse,
usually narrower toward the subclasping base, thin; cyme nearly naked,
rather few-flowered; _sepals oblong; pods ovoid, very obtuse_; seeds
minutely striate.--Wet places, New Eng. and Penn. to Minn., and
northward. July, Aug.--Petals light yellow, 3'' long.
10. H. virgatum, Lam. Stem slender, strict, simple, sharply 4-angled,
herbaceous (1--2 deg. high); _leaves ascending_, opaque, ovate or
oblong-lanceolate, acute (1/2--1' long), closely sessile by a broad base;
cyme compound, naked, the scattered flowers racemose on its ascending
branches; _sepals herbaceous, erect_, enclosing the ovoid pod; _styles
3, separate_, with capitate stigmas. (H. angulosum, _Michx._)--Wet pine
barrens of N. J. and southward; Ky. July--Sept.--Petals copper-yellow,
4--5'' long.
Sec. 3. _Stamens very many, in 3 or 5 clusters; styles 3, separate and
usually diverging; pod 3-celled; calyx erect; petals and anthers with
black dots; perennials._
H. PERFORATUM, L. (COMMON ST. JOHN'S-WORT.) Stem much branched and
corymbed, somewhat 2-edged (producing runners from the base); leaves
elliptical-oblong or linear-oblong, with pellucid dots; petals (deep
yellow) twice the length of the _lanceolate acute sepals_; flowers
numerous, in open leafy cymes.--Fields, etc. June--Sept.--Too well known
as a pernicious weed, which it is difficult to extirpate. Juice very
acrid. (Nat. from Eu.)
11. H. maculatum, Walt. Conspicuously marked with both black and
pellucid dots; stem terete, sparingly branched; leaves oblong or
lance-ovate, the base either obtuse or somewhat clasping; _flowers
crowded_ (small); _petals pale yellow_, much longer than the _oblong
sepals_, styles mostly not longer than the pod. (H. corymbosum,
_Muhl._)--Damp places; common. July--Sept.--Leaves larger and flowers
much smaller than in the last; petals 2--3'' long, marked with black
lines as well as dots. The ordinary northern form differs from the
typical southern one in the shorter style and the more oblong less
clasping leaves.
Sec. 4. _Stamens 5--12, distinct or in 3 clusters; pod 1-celled, with 3
strictly parietal placentae; styles short, distinct, with capitate
stigmas; petals oblong or linear; sepals narrow, erect; slender annuals,
with 4-angular branches; flowering all summer._
[*] _Stem simple or loosely branched; leaves linear to ovate,
spreading._
12. H. multilum, L. Stem flaccid, widely branching (6--20' high);
_leaves ovate to narrowly oblong, obtuse, partly clasping, 5-nerved_;
cymes leafy; flowers 2'' broad; _pods ovate-conical, rather longer than
the calyx_.--Low grounds, everywhere.
13. H. gymnanthum, Engelm. & Gray. Almost simple, with strict stem and
branches (1--3 deg. high); leaves clasping, heart-shaped, acute or obtuse;
cyme naked, the floral leaves reduced to small awl-shaped bracts; in
aspect approaching the next. (H. mutilum, var. gymnanthum,
_Gray_.)--Del. and Penn. to Minn., and southward.
14. H. Canadense, L. Stem strict (6--15' high), with the branches erect;
_leaves linear, 3-nerved_ at the base, obtuse; cymes naked; flowers deep
yellow, 2--3'' broad when expanded; _pods conical-oblong, usually much
longer than the calyx_.--Wet, sandy soil; common. June--Oct.--Var.
MAJUS, Gray, is a large form, 1--2 deg. high, with lanceolate leaves 11/2'
long, 3'' wide, the upper acute. L. Superior, _Robbins_; S. New York and
southward.--Var. MINIMUM, Chois., a simple few-flowered form, 1--3'
high, with oblong obtuse leaves. On wet rocks, Wisc., and northward.
[*][*] _Stems fastigiately branched; leaves linear or bract-like,
ascending or appressed._
15. H. Drummondii, Torr. & Gray. Stem and the mostly alternate bushy
branches rigid, erect (10--18' high); _leaves linear-subulate_, nearly
erect, _1-nerved_ (3--9'' long); _flowers scattered_ along the upper
part of the leafy branches, _short-pedicelled; pods ovoid, not longer
than the calyx_.--W. Ill., Iowa, Kan., and southward, in dry soil.
16. H. nudicaule, Walt. (ORANGE-GRASS. PINE-WEED.) Stem and bushy
branches thread-like, wiry (4--9' high); _leaves minute awl-shaped
scales, appressed; flowers minute, mostly sessile_ and scattered along
the erect branches; _pods ovate-lanceolate_, acute, _much longer than
the calyx_. (H. Sarothra, _Michx._)--Sandy fields, N. Eng. to Ill., Mo.,
and southward; common. June--Oct.
3. ELODES, Adans. MARSH ST. JOHN'S-WORT.
Sepals 5, equal, erect. Petals 5, equal-sided, oblong, naked, imbricated
in the bud. Stamens 9 (rarely more), united in 3 sets; the sets
separated by as many large orange-colored glands. Pod 3-celled, oblong,
styles distinct.--Perennial herbs, in marshes or shallow water, with
small close clusters of flesh-colored flowers in the axils of the leaves
and at the summit of the stem. (Name [Greek: e(lo/des], _growing in
marshes_, accidentally changed to ELODEA by Jussieu, who was followed by
Pursh, etc.)
1. E. campanulata, Pursh. _Leaves closely sessile or clasping by a broad
base_, oblong or ovate, very obtuse; filaments united below the middle.
(E. Virginica, _Nutt._)--Common in swamps; 1--2 deg. high. July, Aug.
2. E. petiolata, Pursh. Taller, more branching; _leaves tapering into a
short petiole, oblong_; filaments united beyond the middle.--From Va.
south and westward.
ORDER 19. TERNSTROEMIACEAE. (TEA OR CAMELLIA FAMILY.)
_Trees or shrubs, with alternate simple feather-veined leaves, and no
stipules, the regular flowers hypogynous and polyandrous, the sepals and
petals both imbricated in aestivation, the stamens more or less united at
the base with each other (monadelphous or 3--5-adelphous) and with the
base of the petals._--Anthers 2-celled, introrse. Fruit a woody
3--5-celled loculicidal pod. Seeds few, with little or no albumen.
Embryo large, with broad cotyledons.--A family with showy flowers, the
types of which are the well-known CAMELLIA and the more important TEA
PLANT,--represented in this country by the two following genera.
1. STUARTIA, L.
Sepals 5, rarely 6, ovate or lanceolate. Petals 5, rarely 6, obovate,
crenulate. Stamens monadelphous below. Pod 5-celled. Seeds 1 or 2 in
each cell, crustaceous, anatropous, ascending. Embryo straight, nearly
as long as the albumen; radicle longer than the cotyledons.--Shrubs with
membranaceous deciduous oblong-ovate serrulate leaves, soft-downy
beneath, and large short-peduncled flowers solitary in their axils.
(Named for _John Stuart_, Marquis of Bute.)
1. S. Virginica, Cav. Petals 5, white (1' long); sepals ovate; style 1;
stigma 5-toothed; pod globular, blunt; seeds not margined.--Woods, Va.,
and southward.
2. S. pentagyna, L'Her. Leaves larger, 5--6' long; sepals acute; petals
often 6; styles 5, distinct; pod angled, pointed; seeds
wing-margined.--Mountains of Ky., Car., and southward.
2. GORDONIA, Ellis. LOBLOLLY BAY.
Sepals 5, rounded, concave. Petals 5, obovate. Stamens 5-adelphous, one
cluster adhering to the base of each petal. Style 1. Pod ovoid,
5-valved; the valves separating from the persistent axis; cells
2--8-seeded. Seeds pendulous. Embryo straightish, with a short radicle,
and thin longitudinally plaited cotyledons.--Shrubs or small trees, with
large and showy white flowers on axillary peduncles. (Dedicated by Dr.
Garden to his "old master, _Dr. James Gordon_ of Aberdeen," and by Ellis
to a London nurseryman of the same name.)
1. G. Lasianthus, L. (LOBLOLLY BAY.) Leaves coriaceous and persistent,
lanceolate-oblong, narrowed at the base, minutely serrate, smooth and
shining; pod pointed; seeds winged above.--Swamps near the coast, Va.
and southward. May--July.--Petals 11/2' long.
ORDER 20. MALVACEAE. (MALLOW FAMILY.)
_Herbs or shrubs, with alternate stipulate leaves and regular flowers,
the calyx valvate and the corolla convolute in the bud, numerous stamens
monadelphous in a column, and united at base with the short claws of the
petals, 1-celled anthers, and kidney-shaped seeds._--Sepals 5, united at
base, persistent, often involucellate with a whorl of bractlets forming
a sort of exterior calyx. Petals 5. Anthers kidney-shaped, opening along
the top. Pistils several, the ovaries united in a ring or forming a
several-celled pod. Seeds with little albumen; embryo curved, the leafy
cotyledons variously doubled up.--Mucilaginous, innocent plants, with
tough bark and palmately-veined leaves. Flower-stalks with a joint,
axillary.
Tribe I. MALVEAE. Columns of stamens anther-bearing at the top. Ovaries
and carpels 5--20 or more, closely united in a ring around a central
axis, from which they separate after ripening.
[*] Stigmas occupying the inner face of the styles; carpels 1-seeded,
falling away separately.
1. Althaea. Involucel of 6 to 9 bractlets.
2. Malva. Involucel of 3 bractlets. Petals obcordate. Carpels rounded,
beakless.