^nisToLocniA. UV. ARISTOLOCHIACEiE. 465 



SUBCLASS III. A PETALS. 



Corolla none ; the floral envelops consisting of a single series of 

 organs (calyx) only, or sonietiuies wholly wanting. 



Order CV. ARISTOLOCHIACE^.— Birthworts. 



Plants herlmceoiis or shrubby, the latter often climbing. Wood without concentric layers. 



Li'». alternate, simple, petiolate, often with a stipule opposite the leaf, or exslipulute. 



F/s. perfect, axillary, solitary, brown or of some dull color. 



Ca/.— Tube adiierent to the ovary, senrment.s 3, valvate in a-stivatioii. 



Sta. 6— !•.'. epicynou.s or adhering to the base of the short and thick styles. 



Ot'rt. 3— 6-ct'lk-d. fitiir. ra<liate, a-s many as the cells of the ovary. 



Fr. capsule or berr>-, 3— 6-celled many-seeded. 



Embryo minute, in the base of fleshy albumen. 



Genera 8. species 130, most abundant in the tropical countries of S. America, and thinly diffused through- 

 out the northern hemisphere. 



Properties.— Tonics and stimulants. Both the following genera are successfully employed in medicine. 



Conspectus of the Genera. 



^ equal. Asarinn. 1 

 Calyx limb I unequal. Arvitolochia. 2 



1. asArum. 



Said to be from the Gr. a, not, and atiQO)^ to bind ; because not used in garlands. 



Calyx campanulate ; stamens 12, placed upon the ovary; anthers 

 adnate to the middle of the filaments : style very short ; stigma 6- 

 rayed ; capsule 6-celled, crowned with the calyx. — Herbs with creeping 

 rhizomas and 1 — 2 Ivs. on each branch. Fls. solitary. 



1. A. Canadense. Wild Ginger. Asarabacca. 



L/vs. 2, broad-reniform ; cal. woolly, deeply 3-cleft, the segments reflected. 

 — % A small, aeaulescent plant, growing in rich, shady soil, Can. to Ga. and 

 W. States. The leaves are radical, large, 2 — 4' by 3—5', with a deep sinus at 

 base, on long, hairy stalks, and having a soft, velvet-like surface. The flower 

 grows from between the bases of the leaf-stalks, solitary, on a nodding pedun- 

 cle, and is close to the ground, sometimes even buried just beneath the surface. 

 Calyx purplish, of 3, broad, long-pointed divisions abruptly spreading. The 

 12 filaments bear the anthers on their sides just below the extremity. The root 

 or rhizoma is aromatic, and has been considered useful in whooping-cough. 

 May — July. 



2. A. ViRGiNicuM. Michx. Sweet-scented Asarabacca. 



Lis. .solitary, orbicular-ovate, glabrous, coriaceous, cordate, entire, obtuse; 

 /. subsessile ; cal. short, subcampanulate, glabrous externally. — Grows in light 

 soils among rocks, N. J. to Ga. A low, stemless plant, very similar in habit to 

 the preceding. Each branch of the rhizoma bears a terminal leaf and a flower. 

 Leaf 3 — 4' diam., v^ery smooth, clouded with spost, the petiole 2 or 3 times 

 longer, lobes at base rounded and nearly closed. Flower many times shorter 

 than the petiole. Calyx segments obtuse, of a dusky purple, greenish outside. Apr. 



2. ARISTOLOCHIA. 



G/'. aptSTOi, excellent, Xo^eog, pertaining to parturition ; alluding to the medicinal properties. 



Calyx ligulate, with an inflated base and an unequal border : an- 

 thers 6, subsessile upon the style ; stigma 6-cleft ; capsule 6-celled, 

 many-seeded. — St. erect or twining. 



1. A. Serpentaria. Virginia Snake-root. 



St. erect, flexuous ; Ivs. oblong, cordate, acuminate ; pcd. radical ; lip of the 

 cal. lanceolate.-;-A curious vegetable of low growth, in hedges and tliickets, 

 Penn. to 111. and La. Stem 8 — 13' high, subsimple, jointed, herbaceous. Leaves 

 &— 4' by 1—2', rarely larger, petioles 3—9" in length. Flowers few, near the 



