C 88 7 ] 



Atragene Americana. American 

 Atragene. 



C/tf/} a»J Order. 



POLYANDRIA PoLYGYNIA. 



Generic Character. 



Cal. o. Cor. 4 — 6-petala. Neffaria (T. petala interna) 4, 

 fpathulata, petalis alternantia. Filam. plurima : exteriora di- 

 latata fubantherifera. Sem. ariftata : ariftis pilofis. 



Specific Character and Synonyms. 



ATRAGENE americana j foliis quaternis ternatis : foliolis 

 cordatis integerrimis, ne&ariis acutis. 



At No. 530 of this work we have figured and defcribed the 

 Atragene aujlriaca t of which the alpina from Siberia has 

 been generally confidered as a variety ; but we there obferved 

 that thefe plants were probably diftinct. fpecies. We are now 

 able to afcertain that they really are fo, and to add a third, a 

 native of North- America, which, with ochotenfis of Pallas, 

 makes up the whole of the fpecies from which the above ge- 

 neric character is formed; Atragene capenfis and all the 

 other fpecies mentioned by Willdenow, except perhaps 

 Atragene zeylanica, probably do not belong to this genus; 

 which is chiefly diftinguifhed from Clematis by the prefence 

 of the nectaries or internal petals, and by its very Angular 

 manner of growth ; every gemma (to which there appears to be 

 nothing fimilar in Clematis) producing as it were a diftinct 

 plant, confifting of two or four leaves, with a peduncle bearing a 

 folitary flower in the centre. Thefe plants are connected together 

 by farmentous ftalks, but on very elevated mountains the Atra- 

 gene aujlriaca is entirely deftitute of thefe ftalks, and the whole 

 plant confifts merely of two radical leaves with a folitary 



flower, 



