[ 785 3 



DionjEA Muscipula. Venus's Fly-Trap. 



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C/iz/i tftfi Order. 



DECANDRIA (rc^/wPoLYANDRIA) MoNOCYNIA. 



Generic Character. 



Cat. 5-phyllus. Petala 5. Caff, unilocularis polyfperma. 

 «SVw. obovata in receptaculo favofo partim immerfa. 



Specific Char at! er and Synonyms. 



DION^EA MufcipuJa. Willd. Sp. PL 2. 574. Hort. Kew, 2. 

 63. Syji. Vegetab. 402. Reich. 2. 281. Shaw Mifc. 

 t. 40. Mar/. Mi/I. £>/#. £//« /tf#. Up/. Nov. 1. 

 98. /. 8. Ejufd. Monog. fig. et defcrip. Ventenat 

 Hort. Malmaijon^ 29. Curtis s Leclures t t. 1. 



Desc. Root perennial. Leaves all radical, fupported on 

 long winged flefhy and ftrongly veined footfialks, the wings 

 widen upwards and terminate a little fhort of the end of the 

 footftalk, leaving a fmall portion of this next the leaf naked: 

 the leaf itfelf confifts of two femioval lobes jointed at the back, 

 fo as to allow them to fold clofe together, flefhy, -and when 

 viewed through a lens, glandular ; fometimes but not always 

 of a reddifh colour on the upper furface ; the fides of both 

 lobes but not the ends are furniflied with a row of cartilaginous 

 ciliae, which ftand nearly at right angles with the furface of 

 the leaf, and lock into each other when the lobes dofe. In 

 about the middle of each lobe are three very fmall fpines or 

 bridles. Thefe fmall fpines are mentioned and figured by 

 Ellis, and fuppofed by him to affift in destroying the entrap- 

 ped animal ; but that they are the only irritable points, and 

 that any other part of the leaf may be touched with impunity, 

 was difcovered by our draughtfman, Mr, Edwards, feveral 

 years ago, when taking a iketch of the plant flowering at Mr. 

 I.iptrap's, Mile-End, and has been fince repeatedly confirmed. 

 The fame obfervation was made, without knowing it had been 

 jircyipufly noticed, by our friend Mr. Charles K-onig, 



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