246 
Windsor, Conn., finds Campanula aparinoides, with four and five 
stigmas, say out of rog specimens 61 with four stigmas, twenty-nine 
with three, and pineteen with five stigmas. Has any one else noticed 
this ? A. G. 
§ 251. Rafinesque’s Lechea.—In the absence of other matter, 
attention is invited to this much neglected monograph, which, with 
all its faults, is a real addition to our knowledge of that little noticed 
and difficult genus. One species at least, described sufficiently for 
identification, has been overlooked during all these years, and some 
points important for distinction seem here first to have been used, 
The introduction is abridged, and some varieties omitted, otherwise 
the monograph down to the end of the specific descriptions, is copied 
entire from the New Flora of North America, Part I., Philadelphia, 
1836. My object in calling attention to it at this time, which is 
most seasonable for gathering specimens, is to solicit the assistance 
of collectors, particularly in the regions referred to by Rafinesque 
for many of his species. A good specimen Of Lechea should have 
the mature capsule, the sterile stems, 7. ¢., the prostrate or assurgent 
shoots which spring from the base of ‘the stem when the fruit is 
about mature, and stem leaves if possible. Specimens in earlier 
flower are also desirable, chiefly for the form of growth and the 
more abundant stem leaves, as flowers are generally to be found till 
the end of the season. 
MONOGRAPH OF LECHEA. - 
Linnaeus had only two species of Lechea. His L. minor and 
L, major have been applied at random by nearly all the botanists to 
any other species, till Michaux added three species. I shall now 
increase it to 21 species and divide it into 3 subgenera. _ 
Characters of LecHEA. Cflyx double and persistent ; external, 
bipartite, seldom lacking [never], sepals narrower ; internal, tripartite. 
Petals 3, small, narrow, equal, obtuse and fugacious. Stamens 3 to 
12, filiform ; anthers bilobe. Stigma large, sessile, capitate, trilobe, 
floccose or plumose or papillose. Capsule unilocular, trivalve; 3 to 
9 [6] seeds inserted on 3 small free placentas, sometimes only one by 
abortion. Small annuals or perennials, with terete stiff branching stem ; 
leaves ternate or opposite, scattered, simple entire and subsessile ; flowers 
aestival, evanescent, paniculate or racemose, not yellow.—Vulgar name 
Pin-weed. 
I. Menanpra, FI. Virg. of Gronovius. External calyx with two 
short sepals or almost lacking. Stamens 6 to 9g; seeds 1 to 3 
Leaves often ternate, and flowers racemose. Perennials. 
Il. Lecnea. External calyx equal in length to the internal. 
Stamens 6 to 12; seeds 1 to 3; flowers spicate, some stems sterile. 
Ill. Euprexa, Raf., (well 2 external). Exterior calyx longer 
than the internal. Stamens 3 to 6; seeds 3 to 9 [?]. Chiefly annuals. 
The mistakes about these plants have arisen from few botanists 
seeing their anthesis or full bloom, which only lasts a few hours 
towards noon ; the petals soon after wither and the stamens collapse 
or are glued to the stigma. But the characters now assumed on the 
persistent respective length of the calyx will always be perspicuous. 
I have specimens of all the described species. : 
