No. 43. 



«) 



39 



1 



four to eight inches long, invested at the base with 

 several membranaceous sheaths, hairy, round^ bear- 

 ing a single fiou-er. 



Flowers termlnalj drooping at first, spreading ^xhen 

 unfolded. Involucre resembling a calix, very hairy, 

 hairs ^rey and long, segments very deep, oval, entire, 



obtuse. Perigone like a Corolla bluish, purplish oi 

 white, sepals elliptic obtuse, equal, but in two or 

 three series. Filaments subulate, anthers elliptic, 

 pale yellow. Pistils and seeds oval, acute. 



Locality — A boreal plant, native of the northern 

 parts of Europe, Asia and America, spreading in this 

 last continent from Labrador to Virginia and the 

 Pacific Ocean, common in woods, hills and moun- 

 tains of the United States from New England to 



Kentucky. 



HISTORY — A pretty vernal plant, the leaves stared 

 the winter, and early in the spring the flowers come 

 out, even when snow is yet falling: they last from 

 March to May, are ratlier pretty and deserving culti- 

 vation. The varieties are 1. ^Ibijlora. 2. ^Q.cidiloha, 

 S. Farvijlora, flowers half the usual size and blue. 

 In Kentucky, perhaps a peculiar species. 



Tournefort established this genus, Linnaeus wrongly 

 klended it with Anemone, it has again been sepa- 

 rated lately. The name derives from its hepatic pro- 

 perties. It belongs to the Natural Order of Adxats* 

 cr Ranunculaceous, and to Folyandria polygynia. 



QuALiTins— Scentless and nearly insipid, not bitter; 

 fcut a little astringent and mucilaginous. It contaiuf 

 tannin, mucilage, extractive, &c. 



