198 FKASSRA. No. 3^ 



stamina opposite to the sinuses and inserted on them^ 

 filaments short, subulated^ anthers oval oblong, base 

 notched- Germen central oval, compressed, desinent 

 into a style as long, and having two thick glandular 

 stigmas, Capsul yellowish, borne. on the persistent 

 calix, oval, acuminate, very compressed, margin thin, 

 sides subconvex, with a suture, opening in two flat 

 valves, one celled. Seeds flat, elliptic, imbricated, 

 winged around, inserted on the sutures of the valves^ 

 Sometimes a few flowers have five or six stamina, and 

 as many segments to the Corolla, 



Locality — It grows West, South and North of 

 the Alleghany mountains j but neither on them, nor 

 East of them. It is spread from the western parts of 

 New Ydrk to Missouri and thence to Alabama and 

 Carolina. It is found in rich woody lands, open 

 glades and meadows. Rsire in some places, in others 

 extremely ubunil^int. 



HISTORY — One of the handsomest native plants 

 of America: I have seen it in the w^estern glades of 

 Kentucky ten feet high, wuth a pyramid of crowded 

 blossoms 4 or 5 feet long. They are scentless and In 

 full bloom, from May to July. It is a true triennial,, 

 the root sending only on the third year a stem and 

 flow^ers. 



Linnasus did not know well this plant, and called 

 it Swertia difformU: it is so large that botanical spe- 

 cimens of it are generally defective like the patched 

 figure of Barton. Walter gave it the name of Frasera, 

 thinking that it w\is new, and dedicating it to an En- 

 glish gardener, Mesadenim would have been a bettet 



