' 
FRASERA CAROLINENSIS 
THE SECONDARY CHARACTERS, 
FraserA. Flowers, mostly tetramerous. Petals united at 
base, oval, spreading, deciduous, each with one or two bearded 
or bicular glands inthe middle. Svyle one. Stigmas two, dis- 
tinct. Capsule compressed, one-celled. Seeds few, imbricate, 
large, elliptic, margined. 
Calyx deeply four-parted. Corol. four-parted, spreading. Segments with bearded 
planted in the middle. Capsule compressed, sub- -margined, one-celled, two-valved. 
Seeds few, imbricated, oval, with a membranaceous margin. 
THE SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 
Frasera Carotinensts, Stem tall, erect, glabrous, branched 
above. Leaves verticillate, oblong-lanceolate, acutish, sessile, 
feather-veined, entire or wavy. Panicle compound, pyramidal, 
leafy, verticillate. Calyx segments acute, shorter than the ob 
long, obtusish petals. Gland solitary, oval orbicular. 
Leaves whorled, or opposite. Flowers in clusters. 
THE ARTIFICIAL CHARACTERS, 
Cuass Terranpria. Stamens four. Orper Monocynta, Mono- 
petalous, Flowers inferior. Corolla regular. Herbs (rarely 
shrubby.) Stamens alternate, with petals. Fruit capsule. 
Capsule one-celled, many-seeded, 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
The American Columbo is found in great abundance in the 
rich glades of the Western States, where it grows most luxuri- 
antly, sometimes attaining the height of ten feet. It is ont of 
the tallest and handsomest of our native herbaceous plants, hav- 
ing a large pyramid of crowded flowers, sometimes three or four 
feet in length, It is a true triennial, the stalk and flowers not 
shooting up till the third year. There is, however, some differ- 
ence of opinion as to its duration, Rafinesque stating that it is 
_ Strictly a triennial, whilst other botanists agree in considering it 
_ to bea biennial. It was first discovered by ; Wm. Bartram, who 
Speaks of it in his travels under the name of Indian lettuce.. The 
habitation of this plant is variously described by different bota- 
_ nists. Michanx has observed it in wet or swampy places, in 
ao = Caroline. ” Parsh says it is found ‘‘in the swamps 
of Lower Carolina, and on the borders of the lakes of Pennsyl- 
