^o.lS. ASOI.EPIAJS. 75 



beneath, entire or undulate, oblong or lanceolate, or 

 nearly linear, obtuse or acute* 



Several terminal or lateral umbels, divaricate, with 

 subulate bracts for involucre. Flowers erect, pedun- 

 cled, and of a bright orange color. Calix small re- 

 flexed, five parted. Corolla reflexed, five parted, seo-- 

 ments oblong ; auricles erect, nearly as long, cuculate, 

 with incurved appendages or horns. Stegyne tough^ 

 pyramidal, having five coalescent stamina around, 

 each with two cells and two masses of pollen suspend- 

 ed by a threat Two pistils completely concealed bv 

 the stegyne ; germs ovate with short styles, stigmas 

 obtuse. — Follicles two^ often abortive^ lanceolate, 

 acute, erect, downy, dehiscent ]ateral]y ; seeds many, 

 imbricate, flat, ovate, connected to a longitudinal re- 

 ceptacle by long silken hairs. 



HISTORY — The beautiful genus Asclepia^ be- 

 longs to the natural order of Apocynes, section JIs- 

 clcpides. In the Linnean system, it has been put in 

 Pentandkia digynia; but the singular structure of 

 the flower is such as to puzzle Botanists, and It mi^ht 

 as well be considered as decandrous, or monadcl- 

 phous ! the flowers appear to have a double corolla, the 

 inner one has five lobes called nectaries or auricles. 

 This structure renders, however, the genus very na- 

 tural and easily recognizable. It is dedicated to Es- 

 €ulapius^ the ancient god of medicine, under his 

 Grecian name of Aselepias. 



This species is easily known at first sight by its 

 bright orange flowers blossoming in July and Au- 

 gust, among all the numerous American congeneric 



