COMMON GILLENIA. 13 
which I think would prevent any one, at first sight, 
from considering the plant a Spirzea; and which 
may afford sufficient ground for following the — 
example of Mcench in considering it a distinct 
genus. 
The Gillenia trifoliata grows in woods, in a 
light soil, from Canada to Florida. In the mari- 
time states I have not met with it north of the 
Hudson. Its flowering time is in June and July. 
_ The generic character, which distinguishes. 
this plant from Spirza, is as follows : Calyx cam- 
panulate, five toothed; corolla irregular, petals 
lanceolate, contracted near the claws ; capsules 
jive, The species trifoliata has ternate, lanceolate, 
serrate leaves, and stipules which are minute, linea- 
lanceolate and nearly entire. | | 
Class Icosandria, order Pelitnagnine: Natural 
orders Senticose, Lin. Rosacew, Juss. 
This plant has commonly a number of stems 
from the same root, which are a foot or two in 
height, erect, slender, flexuous, smooth, commonly 
of a reddish tinge, and considerably branched. 
The leaves are alternate, trifoliate, with very short 
petioles, furnished with small lanceolate, slightly 
toothed stipules at the base. Leafets ovate, lan- 
ceolate, acuminate, sharply toothed, the upper 
ones often single. ‘The flowers are few in num- 
