38 TRIANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. lachnanthes. 



Si/sl. Veg. p. 113. H. Gmclini Mich, Fl. I. p. 21. t. 4. 



ViLATRis Heritiera P ers. Syn.l. p. 54. Boem.ir Schult. 



I. p. 483. D. tinctoria Pursh Fl. l. p. 30. 

 JRooi fibrous, perennial, of a reddish colour. Stem erect, simple, 

 about 2 feet high, hairy towards the summit. Leaves ensi- 

 form, 8 — 10 inches long and 4 or 5 lines wide, smooth, sheath- 

 ing at the base. Flowers in a terminal corymbose panicle. 

 Calyx (corolla Elliott and others) with the 3 exterior seg- 

 ments linear; the others lanceolate, all of them tomentose ex- 

 ternally, and yellow within. Filaments equal, {Elliott) in- 

 serted into the base of the inner segments of tne calyx ; an- 

 thers linear-oblong, involuted when dried. Style filiform, as 

 long as the stamens. Cafisule crowned with the persistent 

 calyx, obsoletely triquetrous, opening at the angles; apex 

 truncated. Seeds (6 — 7 in eacn cell Walt.) round, and 

 somewhat compressed. 

 Hab. In the sandy swamps of New-Jersey. Pursh. In the 

 same State, near Piiiladelphia. Barton. July. Muhlen- 

 b erg., in his Catalogue, has given New-York as a habitat of 

 this plant; but I am assured by Prof. J. Green, that the 

 only authority for this is a small Herbarium of his, in which 

 was a specimen of Lachnanthes erroneously labelled as from 

 New-York. This collection was sent to Muhlenberg for ex- 

 amination, who noted all the localities of the specimens it con- 

 tained. Red-root. 

 The genus Lachnanthes o^ Elliott is still retained in 

 DiLATRis by JVu ttall. With deference, however, I am obliged 

 to differ from this excellent botanist in this instance. The for- 

 mer appears to have sufficient characters to constitute a dis- 

 tinct genus, namely, its monopetalous corolla, equal filaments, 

 and many-seeded cells. De C and o lie thinks the Ameri- 

 can plant differs generically from the 3 species of Dilalris 

 found at the Cape of Good Hope, in the dissepiments of the 

 capsule growing from the interior margin of the valves, as well 

 asintiieequality of the stamens. De C and. afiud. Re d o ut e 

 1. c. It also differs from Argolasia, to which it has much 

 affinity, in being triandrous insiead of hexandrous. 



28. COMMELINA. L. 



Calyx 3-leaved. Corolla 3-petailed. Stamens 6 ; 

 3 — 4 stt;rile, and furnished with cruciform glands. 

 Capsule 3-celled, 3-valved ; one of the valves often 

 abonive. Gen. pi. 86. Niitt. G(?«. I. p. 27. Juss. 

 p. 45. Roem. ^ Schult. Geti. 156. Lam. 111. 

 t. XXXV. Nat. Ord. JuNci Juss. Commeline^ 

 R.Brown. Daij-fiower. 



\. C. angiistifolia Mich.: assurgent; slender; rather 

 smooth ; petals unequal, (one very minute j) leaves linear- 



