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XIV. — On two new Genera of Calif ornian Plants. 

 By Thomas Nuttall, Esq. 



ANEMIA*. 



Natural Order, Saurure^e. Linnaean Class and Order, 

 Hexandria Trigynia. 



Involucrum 5 — 8 phyllum, coloratum. Spadix simplex ; floribus herma- 

 phroditis bracteatis. Cal. et Cor. 0. Stamina 6 — 8. Styli 3 — 4, ex- 

 serti. Fructus cum spadice coalescens. Capsules imiloculares, 3- 

 valves, apice solo dehiscentes, sub-6-spermae. Semina subrotunda, 

 punctulata. — Herba perennis, subaquatica. Stolonifera ; scapo mono- 

 phyllo, prolifero, unifloro. Capitula involucrata. Anemonis fades, 

 unde nomen. 



Anemia Californica. — Root perennial, creeping, reddish, 

 possessing the aromatic smell and spicy taste of the Acorus 

 and Saururus. Leaves clustered round the crown of the root, 

 oblong-oval, cordate at the base and rounded at the extremity, 

 smooth and somewhat glaucous beneath, the petioles and 

 scapes pubescent, the leaves 3 to 5 inches long and 1 J to 2 

 broad, with the base of the petiole evidently dilated and sheath- 

 ing. From the axils of the leaves come forth either stolons 

 or one-flowered scapes ; on the latter, about the centre arises 

 a single, amplexicaul, roundish, cordate leaf beyond which 

 the stem or scape sends out a solitary peduncle, and from the 

 same sheathing leaf also issues commonly one or two leaves 

 of an imperfect or restrained stolon. The involucrum consists 

 of from 5 to 7 or 8, though most commonly 6, white, roundish- 

 oval, petaloid leaves, that finally fade, after long persistence, 

 into a brownish red colour. The spadix is a cylindric cone, 

 covered with flowers, so as, with its involucrum, completely 

 to resemble an Anemone ; these flowers, as well as the succeed- 

 ing fruit, are all ingrafted together on the spadix ; still each 

 one, consisting of an area of 6 to 8 stamens and 3 to 4 styles, 

 is subtended by a small round coloured bract. Filaments 

 very short, and united with the linear-oblong, 2-celled anthers. 

 Styles long, thickish, subulate, at length diverging. Capsules, 

 or utriculi, of a spongy texture when dry, ingrafted together 



* There being already an Anemia among the Ferns, perhaps Anemopsis 

 might with propriety be adopted by Mr. Nuttall. — Ed. 



