Nelumbium. Vin. NELUMBIACEiE. 153 



beneath. Scape as long as the petioles. Dowers large, regular, white. The 

 capsule opens only halt'rtjund, and has therslbre a persistent lid. Apr. — This 

 plant has in Ohio the reputation of a stimulant and antispasmodic, and is there 

 significantly termed rhcumalhni root. 



4. LEON T Ice. 



Gr. Xewv, a lion ; the leaf is likened to a lion's foot-track. 



Calyx free from the ovary, of 3 — G green sepals ; corolla of 6 

 petals, each bearing a scale attached to the claw at base within; sta- 

 mens 6 ; cells of the anther dehiscent at edge ; pericarp membrana- 

 ceous (caducous), 2 — 4-seeded ; seeds erect, globose. 



L. TnAi.icTRoiDEs. (Caulophyllum. Mlchx.) Poppoose Root. 



Smooth ; lis. biternatc and triternate ; Ifts. oval, petiolate, unequally lobed, 

 the terminal one equally 3-lobed. — A smooth, handsome plant, in woods. Can. 

 to Ky. Plant glaucous, purple when young. Stem 1 — 2^t' high, round, 

 dividing above into 2 parts, one of which is a 3-ternate leal-stalk, the other 

 bears a 2-ternate leaf and a racemose panicle of greenish flowers. Leaflets 

 paler beneath, 2 — 3' long, lobed like those of the Thalictrum or Aquilegia. 

 Seeds 2 (mostly 1 by abortion), naked after having burst the caducous, thin 

 pericarp, resembling berries on thick stipes. May. 



Order YII. CABOMBACEJE.— Watershields. 



iTer&s aquatic, with floating, entire, centrally peltate leaves. 



ifert»s aquatic, with tloatin", entire, centrally peltate lei 

 Fls. axillary, solitary, small. Sep. 3—4, colored inside. 

 Cor.— Petals 3—4, alternate with the sepals. 



Sta. hypogynous, either 6, or more than 17. Anth. adnate. 

 Ova. 2 or more. Stig. simple. 

 Fr. indehiscent, tipi)ed with the hardened style. 



Sds. globular, pendulous. Emuruo minute, 2-lobed, external to an abundant, fleshy albumen. 

 Genera 2, species 3. American water-plants, extending from Cayenne, S. America, to N. England. 

 Proper^;/- Slightly astringent. 



BRASENIA. Schreb. 

 Calyx of 3 — 4 sepals, colored within, persistent ; corolla of 3 — 4 

 petals; stamens 18 — 36; ovaries 6 — 18; carpels oblong, 2-(or by- 

 abortion l-)seeded. — % Aquatic. Hie stem., peduncles^ and under sur- 

 face of the leaves are covered with a viscid jelly. 



B. PELTAT.v. Pnrsh. (Hydropeltis purpurea. Mr.) Water Target. 

 It inhabits muddy shores and pools, often in company with the water-lily, 

 Can. to Ga. and Ark. "Leaves peltate, elliptical, entire, 2 — 3' by 1 — li', with 

 the long, flexible petioles inserted exactly in the centre, floating on the surface 

 of the water, smooth and shining above"! Flowers arising to the surface, on 

 long, slender, axillary peduncles. Petals purple, about 3" long. July. 



Order YIII.—NELUMBIACE^.— Water-Beans. 



Herhs aquatic, with peltate, fleshy, radical Ivs. Rhizojiia prostrate. 



Fls. large, solitary, on long, erect scapes. Sep. 4—5. 



Cor.— Petals 00. in many rows, arising from without the disk. 



Sta. 00, in several rows ; tilaments petaloid ; anth. adnate, introrse. 



Oi'ff. 00, separate, each with a simple style and stigma. 



FV-.- Nuts generally 1-seeded, half sunk in hollows of the very large torus. 



Sds. destitute of albumen, and with a highly developed embryo. 



This order comprises but a sinele genus with 3 species, two of which inhabitthe still waters of tropical 

 regions, and the olher, of the U. S. The nuts are eatable, and indeed all the other parts of the plant. 



NELUMBIUM. Juss. 

 Characters of the genus the same as those of the order. 



N. LCTKCM. 



Lv.'<. peltate, orbicular, entire ; aiith. with a linear appendage. — A magnifi- 

 cent flowering plant, peculiar to the stagnant waters of the south and west! 



