leaves often opposite.
4. OEnothera. Seeds naked. Flowers mostly yellow. Leaves alternate.
[+][+] Fruit dry and indehiscent, 1--4-seeded. Leaves alternate.
5. Gaura. Calyx-tube obconical. Filaments appendaged at base.
6. Stenosiphon. Calyx-tube filiform. Filaments not appendaged.
[*][*] Parts of the flower in twos. Leaves opposite.
7. Circaea. Petals 2, obcordate or 2-lobed. Stamens 2. Fruit 1--2-seeded,
bristly.
1. JUSSIAEA, L.
Calyx-tube elongated, not at all prolonged beyond the ovary; the lobes
4--6, herbaceous and persistent. Petals 4--9. Stamens twice as many as
the petals. Capsule 4--6-celled, usually long, opening between the
ribs. Seeds very numerous.--Herbs (ours glabrous perennials), with
mostly entire and alternate leaves, and axillary yellow flowers, in
summer. (Dedicated to _Bernard de Jussieu_, the founder of the Natural
System of Botany.)
1. J. decurrens, DC. _Stem erect_ (1--2 deg. high), branching, _winged_ by
the decurrent lanceolate leaves; _calyx-lobes 4_, as long as the petals;
_capsule oblong-club-shaped, wing-angled_; seeds in several rows in each
cell.--Wet places, Va. to Fla., west to S. Ill., Ark., and La.
2. J. repens, L. _Stem creeping, or floating and rooting_; leaves
oblong, _tapering into a slender petiole_; flowers large,
long-peduncled; _calyx-lobes and obovate petals 5_; pod woody,
cylindrical, with a tapering base; seeds quadrate, in 1 row in each
cell, adherent to the spongy endocarp.--In water, Ill. and Ky. to
E. Kan., Ark., and Tex.
2. LUDWIGIA, L. FALSE LOOSESTRIFE.
Calyx-tube not at all prolonged beyond the ovary; the lobes 4, usually
persistent. Petals 4, often small or wanting. Stamens 4. Capsule short
or cylindrical, many-seeded. Seeds minute, naked.--Perennial herbs, with
axillary (rarely capitate) flowers, through summer and autumn. (Named
for _C. G. Ludwig_, Professor of Botany at Leipsic, contemporary with
Linnaeus.)
[*] _Leaves all alternate, sessile or nearly so._
[+] _Flowers peduncled in the upper axils, with conspicuous yellow
petals (4--8'' long), equalling the ovate or lanceolate foliaceous lobes
of the calyx._
1. L. alternifolia, L. (SEED-BOX.) _Smooth_ or nearly so, branched (3 deg.
high); _leaves lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, acute or pointed at both
ends_; capsules cubical, rounded at base, wing-angled.--Swamps, E. Mass.
to Fla., west to Mich., E. Kan., and La.
2. L. hirtella, Raf. _Hairy_ all over; stems nearly simple (1--2 deg. high);
_leaves oblong, or the upper lanceolate, blunt at both ends_; capsules
nearly as in the last, but scarcely wing-angled.--Moist pine barrens,
N. J. to Fla. and Tex.
[+][+] _Flowers small, sessile (solitary or sometimes clustered) in the
axils, with very small greenish petals (in n. 5) or mostly none; leaves
mostly lanceolate or linear on the erect stems (1--3 deg. high) and numerous
branches; but prostrate or creeping sterile shoots often produced from
the base, thickly beset with shorter obovate or spatulate leaves. (Our
species glabrous, except n. 3.)_
3. L. sphaerocarpa, Ell. Minutely pubescent, especially the calyx, or
nearly glabrous; leaves lanceolate or linear, acute, tapering
at base, those of runners obovate with a wedge-shaped base and
glandular-denticulate; _bractlets minute, obsolete, or none; capsules
globular or depressed_ (sometimes acute at base), not longer than the
calyx-lobes (less than 2'' long).--Water or wet swamps, E. Mass. to Fla.
and La. Bark below often spongy-thickened.
4. L. polycarpa, Short & Peter. Leaves narrowly lanceolate, acute at
both ends, those of the runners oblong-spatulate, acute, entire;
_bractlets linear-awl-shaped and conspicuous on the base of the 4-sided
somewhat top-shaped capsule_, which is longer than the calyx-lobes.--Wet
places, E. Mass. and Conn. to Mich., Minn., E. Kan., and Ky.
5. L. linearis, Walt. Slender, mostly low; leaves narrowly linear, those
of the short runners obovate; minute petals usually present; _bractlets
minute at the base of the elongated top-shaped 4-sided capsule_, which
is 3'' long and much longer than the calyx-lobes.--Bogs, pine barrens of
N. J., and southward.
6. L. cylindrica, Ell. Much branched; leaves oblong- or
spatulate-lanceolate, much tapering at the base or even petioled;
_bractlets very minute at the base of the cylindrical capsule_, which is
3'' long, and several times exceeds the calyx-lobes.--Swamps, S. Ill. to
Fla. and Tex.
[*][*] _Leaves all opposite; stems creeping or floating._
7. L. palustris, Ell. (WATER PURSLANE.) Smooth; leaves ovate or oval,
tapering into a slender petiole; petals none, or small and reddish when
the plant grows out of water; calyx-lobes very short; capsules oblong,
4-sided, not tapering at base, sessile in the axils (2''
long).--Ditches, common. (Eu.)
8. L. arcuata, Walt. Smooth, small and creeping; leaves oblanceolate,
nearly sessile; flowers solitary, long-peduncled; petals yellow,
exceeding the calyx (3'' long); capsules oblong-club-shaped, somewhat
curved ({1/3}' long).--Swamps, Va. to Fla.
3. EPILOBIUM, L. WILLOW-HERB.
Calyx-tube not or scarcely prolonged beyond the ovary; the limb 4-cleft
or -parted, deciduous. Petals 4. Stamens 8; anthers short. Capsule
linear, many-seeded. Seeds with a tuft of long hairs at the end.--Mostly
perennials, with nearly sessile leaves, and violet, purple, or white
flowers; in summer. A large genus, many of its species of difficult
limitation. The following provisional arrangement has been made by Prof.
W. TRELEASE, mainly in accordance with Haussknecht's revision of the
genus. (Name composed of [Greek: e)pi/], _upon_, and [Greek: lo/bion],
_a little pod_.)
Sec. 1. _Flowers large, purple, in a long raceme; calyx-limb deeply parted;
petals entire; stamens and style successively deflexed; stigma of 4 long
lobes._
1. E. angustifolium, L. (GREAT WILLOW-HERB. FIRE-WEED.) Stem simple,
tall (4--7 deg.); leaves scattered, ample, lanceolate, nearly entire.--Low
grounds, especially in newly cleared lands; N. Eng. to N. C., west to
Minn. and E. Kan., and far north and westward. (Eu., Asia.)
Sec. 2. _Flowers mostly small and corymbed or panicled; calyx-limb 5-cleft;
petals mostly deeply notched; stamens and style erect._
[*] _Stigma 4-parted; stem terete._
E. HIRSURUM, L. Densely soft-hairy, stout, branching (3--5 deg. high);
leaves mostly opposite, lance-oblong, serrulate, sessile; flowers in the
upper axils or in a leafy short raceme; petals 6'' long,
rose-purple.--Waste grounds, Mass. to N. Y. and Ont. (Nat. from Eu.)
[*][*] _Stigma clavate; stem terete, without decurrent lines (or with
traces in n. 2); leaves numerous, the lower opposite, subentire, with
revolute margins._
2. E. lineare, Muhl. Usually much branched above and minutely
hoary-pubescent, 1--2 deg. high; leaves linear-lanceolate, tapering to a
short but distinct petiole, acutish; flowers numerous, pale; capsules
hoary, on pedicels as long as the leaves. (E. palustre, var. lineare,
_Gray_, mainly.)--Bogs, N. Eng. to Penn., Iowa, and northward.
3. E. strictum, Muhl. Erect, 1--21/2 deg. high, densely beset with soft
spreading somewhat glandular white hairs; leaves broader, more obtuse
and with evident veins, very short-petioled or sessile; pubescence of
the capsule soft and spreading. (E. molle, _Torr._)--Bogs, Mass. to
Minn., south to Va. and Ill.
[*][*][*] _Stigma clavate; stem somewhat quadrangular with 2--4 ridges
or hairy lines decurrent from some of the leaves._
[+] _Tall and mostly branching, many-flowered; leaves rather large,
toothed, not revolute, the lower opposite; seeds papillose._
4. E. coloratum, Muhl. Somewhat hoary-pubescent above or glandular,
1--3 deg. high; leaves lanceolate, sharply serrulate or denticulate, acute,
narrowed to conspicuous petioles; flowers pale, more or less nodding;
peduncles shorter than the leaves; seeds dark, unappendaged; coma
cinnamon-color.--Wet places, common.
5. E. adenocaulon, Haussk. Differs in its more glandular pubescence
above, the often blunter and less toothed leaves abruptly contracted to
shorter petioles, flowers erect, paler seeds with a slight prolongation
at top, and a merely dingy coma.--Wet places through the Northern
States.
6. E. glandulosum, Lehm. Subsimple; pubescence above not glandular;
leaves ovate-lanceolate, mostly abruptly rounded to a sessile base and
more glandular-toothed; seeds larger.--Canada to the mountains of N. C.
(_fide_ Haussknecht). (Asia.)
[+][+] _Mostly low, slender and simple (except forms of n. 10); leaves
chiefly opposite, less toothed; flowers few, nodding; seeds appendaged
at the apex._
[++] _Seeds areolate but not papillose; leaves not revolute._
7. E. anagallidifolium, Lam. Glabrate, a span high or less; leaves erect
or ascending, about equalling the internodes, elliptical-oblong to
narrowly obovate, entire or the upper denticulate, tapering to short
petioles; flowers purple; sepals rather obtuse; capsules glabrous on
peduncles exceeding the leaves.--White Mts. and Adirondacks (_fide_
Haussknecht). (Eu.)
8. E. lactiflorum, Haussk. Glabrous except the pubescent lines, 6--12'
high, with elongated internodes; leaves elliptical or the lowest
round-obovate, slightly repand-denticulate, obtuse, tapering into mostly
elongated petioles; flowers smaller, white; sepals more acute; seeds
more prominently appendaged.--White Mts., and northward (_fide_
Haussknecht). (Eu.)
[++][++] _Seeds papillose-roughened._
9. E. Hornemanni, Reichenb. Glabrate, 8--18' high; leaves mostly
horizontal, ovate, the upper acutish, remotely denticulate, abruptly
contracted to winged petioles, not revolute; seeds often only
slightly roughened, short and shortly appendaged. (E. alpinum,
_Man._)--White Mts., dells of the Wisconsin River (_Lapham_), and
northward. (Eu.)
10. E. palustre, L. Slender, 1 deg. high or less, often branched, finely
pubescent; leaves erect or ascending, about equalling or longer than the
internodes, sessile, linear to linear-lanceolate or elliptic-oblong,
obtuse, with revolute margins; capsules pubescent to nearly glabrous,
mostly shorter than the slender peduncles; seeds fusiform, with long
beak. (E. palustre, var. lineare, _Man._, in part.)--Penn. to Minn. and
the White Mts., north and westward. (Eu.)
4. OENOTHERA, L. EVENING PRIMROSE.
Calyx-tube prolonged beyond the ovary, deciduous; the lobes 4, reflexed.
Petals 4. Stamens 8; anthers mostly linear and versatile. Capsule
4-valved, many-seeded. Seeds naked.--Leaves alternate. Flowers yellow,
white or rose-color. (An old name, of unknown meaning, for a species of
Epilobium.)
Sec. 1. _Stigma-lobes linear, elongated (except in n. 7); calyx-tube
linear, slightly dilated at the throat; anthers linear._
[*] _Caulescent annuals or biennials; flowers erect in the bud,
nocturnal, yellow, the calyx-tips free; capsules sessile, coriaceous;
seeds in two rows in each cell._
[+] _Flowers in a leafy spike; capsules stout, oblong, slightly narrowed
above._
1. OE. biennis, L. (COMMON EVENING PRIMROSE.) Rather stout, erect (1--5 deg.
high), usually simple, more or less pubescent and hairy; leaves
lanceolate to oblong- or rarely ovate-lanceolate (2--6' long), acute or
acuminate, repandly denticulate, the lowest petioled; calyx-tube 1--21/2'
long, the tips of the sepals contiguous; petals 1/2--3/4' long; capsule more
or less pubescent or hirsute.--Throughout the U. S.--Var. CRUCIATA,
Torr. & Gray, with small narrow petals, appears to be merely a rare
garden (?) sport. E. Mass.
Var. grandiflora, Lindl., has petals as long as the calyx-tube (1--21/2'
long).--Same range as the type, but not so common east.
2. OE. Oakesiana, Robbins. Annual, more slender, not hairy, the
puberulence mainly appressed; calyx-tips not contiguous at base;
otherwise nearly as in the typical form of the last. (OE. biennis, var.
Oakesiana, _Gray._)--Dry places, E. Mass., R. I., and Conn.
[+][+] _Flowers in a leafy spike or axillary; capsules linear._
3. OE. rhombipetala, Nutt. Rarely branching, appressed-puberulent and
subcanescent; leaves narrowly lanceolate, acuminate, denticulate, the
lowest attenuate to a petiole and rarely pinnatifid, diminishing upward
into the close, elongated, conspicuously bracted spike; calyx
silky-canescent (tube 11/2' long); petals rhombic-ovate (6--10'
long).--Ind. to Minn. and Ark.
4. OE. humifusa, Nutt. Stems decumbent or ascending (1/2--2 deg. long);
_hoary-pubescent with short dense appressed hairs; leaves_ narrowly
lanceolate or oblanceolate (1/4--1' long), _sparingly repand-dentate or
entire_, the radical leaves pinnatifid, the floral not reduced; capsule
1/2--1' long, silky, curved; seeds smooth.--On the sea-coast, N. J. to
Fla.
5. OE. sinuata, L. Stems ascending or decumbent, simple or branched (1 deg.
high or more), _more or less strigose-pubescent_ and puberulent;
_leaves_ oblong or lanceolate (1--2' long), _sinuately toothed or often
pinnatifid_, the floral similar; capsule 1--11/2' long; _seeds strongly
pitted_.--N. J. to Fla., west to E. Kan. and Tex. Very variable.
[*][*] _Caulescent perennial; flowers axillary, nodding in the bud,
white turning rose-color; capsules sessile, linear; seeds in a single
row._
6. OE. albicaulis, Nutt. Stems erect (1/2--4 deg. high), simple or branched,
white and often shreddy, glabrous or puberulent; leaves linear to
oblong-lanceolate (1--3' long), entire or repand-denticulate, or
sinuate-pinnatifid toward the base; calyx-tips free, throat naked; pods
1/2--2' long, often curved or twisted; seeds lance-linear,
smooth.--W. Minn. to N. Mex., and westward.
[*][*][*] _Caulescent; flowers diurnal, yellow and erect in the bud
(except in n. 11); capsules obovate or clavate, quadrangular, the valves
ribbed and the angles more or less strongly winged (except in n. 7)._
7. OE. linifolia, Nutt. Annual or biennial, erect, very slender, simple
or diffuse (6--15' high), glabrous, the branchlets and capsules
puberulent; radical leaves oblanceolate, _cauline linear-filiform_ 1/2--1'
long; spikes loosely flowered; corolla 2--3'' long; _stigmas short;
capsules_ obovate to oblong-clavate, 2--3'' long, _not winged_, nearly
sessile.--Ill. to E. Kan., La., and Tex.
8. OE. pumila, L. Biennial, puberulent, 1--2 deg. high; _leaves_ mostly
glabrous, _entire_, obtuse, the radical spatulate, the _cauline narrowly
oblanceolate_; _flowers loosely spiked_; corolla 4--12'' long; _capsule
glabrous_, oblong-clavate, 3--6'' long, sessile or on a short pedicel,
_slightly winged_. (Incl. OE. chrysantha, _Michx._)--Dry fields,
N. Scotia to N. J., west to Minn. and Kan. June.
9. OE. fruticosa, L. (SUNDROPS.) Biennial or perennial, erect, often
tall and stout (1--3 deg. high), villous-pubescent or puberulent or nearly
glabrous; leaves oblong- to linear-lanceolate, _mostly denticulate;
raceme corymbed or loose_; petals 9--12'' long; _capsule subsessile or
with a pedicel shorter than itself_, prominently ribbed and _strongly
winged_.--Common and very variable.
Var. linearis, Watson. Leaves linear to linear-lanceolate; capsule
usually shorter than the pedicel, rather less broadly winged. (OE.
linearis of _Man._, in part. OE. riparia, _Nutt._)--Conn. to Fla., west
to Mo. and La.
Var. humifusa, Allen. Low, decumbent, somewhat woody, diffusely
branched, puberulent; branches slender, flexuous; leaves narrow; flowers
few, small; capsules pubescent, about equalling the pedicel. (OE.
linearis of _Man._, in part.)--Suffolk Co., L. Island.
10. OE. glauca, Michx. Perennial, erect (2--3 deg. high), _glabrous
and glaucous; leaves ovate to ovate-oblong_ (2--4' long),
repand-denticulate; _flowers in short leafy corymbs; petals 9--15''
long; capsule_ glabrous, ovoid-oblong, _very broadly winged_, usually
abruptly contracted into a pedicel equalling or shorter than
itself.--Mountains of Va. to Ala., west to Ky. and E. Kan.
11. OE. speciosa, Nutt. Perennial, erect or subdecumbent, finely
pubescent; leaves oblong-lanceolate to linear, repand-denticulate, or
more or less deeply sinuate-pinnatifid; _flowers large, white or rose_;
capsule clavate-obovate, strongly 8-ribbed, rigid, acute, stoutly
pedicelled.--Mo. to Kan. and Tex.
[*][*][*][*] _Capsule oblong to ovate or orbicular, broadly winged,
rigid and sessile._
[+] _Acaulescent or nearly so; flowers white or rose-color._
12. OE. triloba, Nutt. Biennial or perennial, nearly glabrous; leaves
2--10' long, somewhat ciliate, long-petioled, runcinate-pinnatifid or
oblanceolate and only sinuate-toothed; calyx-tips free, the tube slender
(2--4' long); petals 6--12'' long; capsule ovate, 1/2--1' long, strongly
winged, net-veined.--Ky. to Miss. and Tex., west to the Pacific.
Var. (?) parviflora, Watson. Flowers very small (1--2' long), fertilized
in the bud and rarely fully opening; fruit abundant, forming at length a
densely crowded hemispherical or cylindrical mass nearly 2' in diameter
and often 2--3' high.--Plains of Kan. and Neb.
[+][+] _Low caulescent perennials; flowers axillary, yellow._
13. OE. Missouriensis, Sims. Stems decumbent; pubescence short and
silky, closely appressed, sometimes dense or wholly wanting; leaves
thick, oval to linear, mostly narrowly lanceolate (2--5' long),
acuminate, entire or repand-denticulate; calyx-tube 2--5' long; petals
broad, 1--21/2' long; capsules orbicular, very broadly winged (1--3'
long).--Mo. and Kan. to Tex.
14. OE. Fremontii, Watson. Hoary with appressed silky pubescence; leaves
linear, pointed, entire; calyx-tube 1--2' long; petals 1/2--1' long;
capsule hoary, oblong, narrowed at base, 9'' long.--Central Kan.
Sec. 2. _Stigma discoid; calyx-tube more broadly dilated above; anthers
oblong-linear; capsule mostly sessile, linear-cylindric; perennial,
somewhat woody, with axillary yellow flowers._
15. OE. Hartwegi, Benth., var. lavandulaefolia, Watson. Stems numerous
from a woody base, 3--6' high; _leaves numerous, hoary-puberulent_,
mostly linear, 1/4--1' long; _calyx-tube 1--2' long_; capsule 8--10''
long.--Central Kan. to Col. and N. Mex.
16. OE. serrulata, Nutt. Slender (3--15' high), simple or branched,
canescent or glabrous; leaves linear to lanceolate (1--3' long),
_irregularly and sharply denticulate; calyx-tube broadly funnnelform
(2--4' long)_, strongly nerved; petals broadly obovate (3--4'' long),
crenulate; capsule 9--15'' long.--Wisc. and Minn. to Mo., Tex., and
N. Mex.
5. GAURA, L.
Calyx-tube much prolonged beyond the ovary, deciduous; the lobes 4
(rarely 3), reflexed. Petals clawed, unequal or turned to the upper
side. Stamens mostly 8, often turned down, as is also the long style. A
small scale-like appendage before the base of each filament. Stigma
4-lobed, surrounded by a ring or cup-like border. Fruit hard and
nut-like, 3--4-ribbed or angled, indehiscent or nearly so, usually
becoming 1-celled and 1--4-seeded. Seeds naked.--Leaves alternate,
sessile. Flowers rose-color or white, changing to reddish in fading, in
spikes or racemes, in our species quite small (so that the name, from
[Greek: gau~ros], _superb_, does not seem appropriate).
[*] _Fruit sessile or nearly so._
1. G. biennis, L. _Soft-hairy or downy_ (3--8 deg. high); _leaves
oblong-lanceolate_, denticulate; _spikes wand-like; fruit oval or
oblong_, acute at both ends; 2--3'' long, ribbed, downy.--Dry banks,
N. Y. to Minn., and southward. Aug.
2. G. parviflora, Dougl. Soft-villous and puberulent, 2--5 deg. high;
_leaves ovate-lanceolate_, repand-denticulate, _soft-pubescent; spikes
dense; fruit oblong-clavate_, narrowed to both ends, _4-nerved_,
obtusely angled above, 3--4'' long.--Mo. to La. and westward.
3. G. coccinea, Nutt. _Canescent, puberulent or glabrate_ (6--12' high),
very leafy; _leaves lanceolate, linear-oblong or linear_,
repand-denticulate or entire; flowers in simple spikes, rose-color
turning to scarlet; _fruit terete below, 4-sided and broader above_,
2--3'' long.--Minn. to Kan., and westward.
[*][*] _Fruit slender-pedicelled._
4. G. filipes, Spach. Nearly smooth; stem slender (2--4 deg. high); leaves
linear, mostly toothed, tapering at base; branches of the panicle very
slender, naked; fruit obovate-club-shaped, 4-angled at the summit.--Open
places, Va. to Fla., west to Ill., Kan., and Ark.
6. STENOSIPHON, Spach.
Calyx prolonged beyond the ovary into a filiform tube. Filaments (8) not
appendaged at base. Fruit 1-celled, 1-seeded. Otherwise as Gaura, which
it also resembles in habit. (From [Greek: steno/s], _narrow_, and
[Greek: si/phon], _a tube_.)
1. S. virgatus, Spach. Slender, 2--4 deg. high, glabrous, leafy, leaves
narrowly lanceolate to linear, pointed, entire, much reduced above;
flowers numerous in an elongated spike, white, 1/2' long; fruit pubescent,
oblong-ovate, 8-ribbed, small.--E. Kan. to Col. and Tex.
7. CIRCAEA, Tourn. ENCHANTER'S NIGHTSHADE.
Calyx-tube slightly prolonged, the end filled by a cup-shaped disk,
deciduous; lobes 2, reflexed. Petals 2, inversely heart-shaped. Stamens
2. Fruit indehiscent, small and bur-like, bristly with hooked hairs,
1--2-celled; cells 1-seeded.--Low and inconspicuous perennials, in cool
or damp woods, with opposite thin leaves on slender petioles, and small
whitish flowers in racemes, produced in summer. (Named from _Circe_, the
enchantress.)
1. C. Lutetiana, L. Taller (1--2 deg. high); _leaves ovate_, slightly
toothed; _bracts none_; hairs of the _roundish 2-celled fruit
bristly_.--Very common. (Eu.)
2. C. alpina, L. _Low_ (3--8' high), _smooth and weak; leaves
heart-shaped, thin, shining, coarsely toothed; bracts minute_; hairs of
the obovate-oblong _1-celled fruit_ soft and slender.--Deep woods,
N. Eng. to Ga., Ind., and Minn. (Eu.)
ORDER 43. LOASACEAE. (LOASA FAMILY.)
_Herbs, with a rough or stinging pubescence, no stipules, the
calyx-tube adherent to a 1-celled ovary with 2 or 3 parietal
placentae_;--represented here only by the genus
1. MENTZELIA, Plumier.
Calyx-tube cylindrical or club-shaped; the limb 5-parted, persistent.
Petals 5 or 10, regular, spreading, flat, convolute in the bud,
deciduous. Stamens indefinite, rarely few, inserted with the petals on
the throat of the calyx. Styles 3, more or less united into one; stigmas
terminal, minute. Capsule at length dry and opening by valves or
irregularly at the summit, few--many-seeded. Seeds flat, anatropous,
with little albumen.--Stems erect. Leaves alternate, very adhesive by
the barbed pubescence. Flowers terminal, solitary or cymose-clustered.
(Dedicated to _C. Mentzel_, an early German botanist.)
[*] _Seeds few, oblong, not winged; petals 5, not large; filaments all
filiform._
1. M. oligosperma, Nutt. Rough and adhesive (1--3 deg. high), much branched,
the brittle branches spreading; leaves ovate and oblong, cut-toothed or
angled, often petioled; flowers yellow (7--10'' broad), opening in
sunshine; petals wedge-oblong, pointed; stamens 20 or more; capsule
small, about 9-seeded.--Prairies and plains, Ill. to Kan. and Col.,
south to Tex.
[*][*] _Seeds numerous, rounded and wing-margined; petals 10, large and
showy; outer filaments petaloid in n. 3; capsule large, oblong; leaves
sessile._
2. M. ornata, Torr. & Gray. Stout, 1--2 deg. high; leaves oblong-lanceolate,
deeply repand-toothed or pinnatifid, the segments acute; calyx-tube
leafy-bracteate; petals 2--3' long, yellowish-white; filaments all
filiform or the outer dilated below; capsule 1{1/2}--2' long; seeds
narrowly margined.--On the plains, W. Dak. to central Kan. and Tex.