92 POLYGAI.A KAMILY. 



deeply .">-lohed leaves -ilver\ -white ami when yonn^ downy beneath, the narrow 

 Ioli"-'co.ir.-cly cut ami toothed: (lowers --iv. ui-li, in carlie-t spring, without 

 petals; fruit woolly when MUIHL;, Imt -oon smooth, 2' 3' long including the 

 ;;n-at 1 11 \ '.T- in ir wind's. 



A. rilbrum, Ui-i> f SWAMP M. Rather small tree, in wet grounds, 

 with soft white wood, iv.ldi-h twin-, moderately 3 - 5-lobed leaves whitish be- 

 neath, the middle lobe lon-e-t, all irregularly serrate; (lowers scarlet, crimson, 

 or sometimes yello\vi-h (later than in the tore-oin- species) : t'ruit smooth, with 

 the slightly spreading win-- 1' or less in leu-ili, often reddish. 



7. NEGUNDO, ASH-LEAVED MAPLE, BOX-ELDER. (Obscure 



or unmeaning name.) 



N. aceroidcs. A hands.. ..... , rather small tree, common from 1'enii. S. 



& \V., with li-ht jrreeu twi-s, and drooping clusters of small -r.M-ni.~h (lowers, 

 in spring, rather earlier than the leaves, the fertile ones in drooping racemes, 

 the olilonu fruits half the length of the very veiny wini: ; leallets ovate, pointed, 

 coarsely toothed, very veiny. A variety with white-variegated leave- is lately 

 cult, for ornament. 



36. POLYGALACE.SS, POLY GAL A FAMILY. 



Bitter, some of thi-in medicinal plants, represented mainly, and 

 here wholly, by the genus 



1. POLYGALA, MILK WORT. (Name from Greek word-, meaning much 

 milk; Imt the plants have no milky juice at all: they are thought to have 

 h.-en so named from a notion that in pa-mira-v they increased the milk of 

 cows.) Flowers remarkahly irregular, in outward appearance as if papiliona- 

 ceous like those of the next family, but really of a <|iiitc ditf'eivnt structure. 

 Calvx persistent, of 5 sepals ; three of them small, vi/.. two on the lower, and 

 one'on the upper, sid" of the blossom ; and otic on each >ide called ///</.> which 

 are larger, colored, and would be taken for petals. Within the-e. on tho 

 lower side, are three petals united into one body, the middle one keel-shaped 

 and often bearing a crest or appendage. Stamens 8 or sometimes : their 

 tilaments united b-.-low into a split sheath, separating above usually in tw.i 

 eipial sets, concealed in the hooded middle petal : anthers I -celled, Opening by 

 a hole at the top. Stvle curved and commonly enlarged above or variously 

 irregular. Ovarv 2-eelleil, with a single ovule han-'inu' from the top of each 

 cell, becoming a small tlattish 2-seeded pod. Seed with an appendage at thy 

 attachment (caruncli ) : embrvo -Irai-ht. with Hat cotyledon.- in a little albu- 

 men. Leaves simple, entire, without stipules. Our nathe -]-eie- are nu- 

 m<-roii-, mostly with small or even minute tlowers, ami are rather difficult to 

 studv. The following are the eommone^t. 



1. .\iitii-i- s/Mi-iix. Inn- In rli*, ;;/<<s7/// smooth. 



/'II//T/-S i/i //i/-, sniiii fiiriiiiii/ i/rt i >i in drying, in dense spikes or -heads : Imrt-s 

 nil* mull . < Iriiirim/ in /mi' <'/ ii-il filn;^ in /,/,i, -luim-iis, >'. /'.'. Fl. ainium r. 



-t- \iiiin roiis xliort si/V.-rs "/' i/nl<!.< ill it 



P. Cym6sa. Stem l-3 hi-h, hrauchinj: at top into a (Mmipouml corymb 

 of -]iikes ; leaves linear, acute, the uppermost small : u caruncle to the >eed. 

 From North ( 'arolina S. 



P. rambsa. Stem (I'- 12' hi-h, more branched ; lowest leavis obovate or 

 spatulate, upper ones lanceolate ; a caruncle at base of -e.-d. Delaware ami S. 

 -- H- Short and thick spila or head singlt : root-leaves clustered. 



P. liltea, YI:I.I.>W H vcnf.i.oi;'s-l?!TT<>N of S. Stem .V- 12' hijrh ; lower 

 leaves s|iatulaie or obovate, upper lanceolate ; (lowers bri-ht orange. 



P. nana. Stems 1>' - 4' hiuh. in a cluster from the spatulate or linear root- 

 leaves ; tlowers lighter yellow. 



* # /'/(/<;> jir[>le or rom-<'nli>r, in u xin<il> (l,>isi s/>i/.-t terminating the stem of 

 : no subtt.rninf an flowers. Fl. all summer. i 



