JuNcus. CLVl. JUNCACEiE. 559 



2. H. DioiCA. Ph. (Veratrum liitcum. Linn.) Unicorn Hoot. 



St. leafy; /r.v. lajiceolatr, radical oni's ohlanccolate ; rar. spiked, nodding, 

 dioecious; pcti. .sliurt, williuui brads; sfu. exserled ; sn^nicnt.'; linear. — In low 

 ^round.s, Can, to Ga. and La. Uoc^t prcniorsc. Stem or scape 12 — 30' hif^h, 

 furrowed. Radical leaves i — 8' by i — i', in a sort of whorl at the base of the 

 scape. Flowers small, very numerous, greenish-white, in loni?, terminal, spi- 

 cate racemes which are more slender and weak on the barren plants. Ovaries 

 as long as the linear petals, subtriangular. Capsule 3-furrowed, oblong, taper- 

 ing to the ba.se, opening at tlie top. The fertile plants are taller, more erect, 

 but with fewer flowers. June. 



7. TOFIELDIA. Hudson. 



In honor of Mr. Tofield, a Scotch gentleman, residing near Doncaster. 



Flowers s? , calyculutc, with 3 remotish, uuitcd bracts ; Ifts. of the 

 perianth petaloid, spreading, sessile and without bracts ; sta. 6 ; auth. 

 roundish-cordate, introrse ; ovaries 3, united ; styles distinct, short ; 

 caps. 3-lobed, 3-partible ; capsule 00-seeded. — Lvs. equitanty subradi- 

 ca'l. Scape not bulbous. Fls. spicate or racemose. 



T. GLUTINOSA. Nutt. 



S!. lealy below, glandular-scabrous, simple : lvs. shorter than the stem, 

 linear-ensilorm, glabrous, obtuse; rac. oblong, few-flowered, close, composed 

 of 3-flowered, alternate fascicles ; caps, longer than the perianth. — Woods, Ohio, 

 Sullivant I io W\s. Lapham ! N. to Arctic Am. A plant remarkable for its 

 glutinous-glandular .stem. Stem slender, scape-like, 1 — Uf high, dotted with 

 its dark-colored glands. Leaves 3 — 6' by 3 — 6", conduplicate. Spicate raceme 

 1 — 1§' long, 9 — 18-flowered. Pedicels nearly as long as the flowers. Involucre 

 truncate, 3-toothed, a little below the perianth. Petals and sepals subequal, ob- 

 lanceolate, less than 2" long. Cajjsule of 3, half-united, inflated carpels, twice 

 longer than the perianth. 



Order CLVI. JUNCACE^.— Rushes. 



PZa«?s herbaceous, generalb' grass-like, often leafless, with small, dry, green flowers. 

 Lvs. fistuiar, or flat and channeled, with veins parallel. Inflorescence cymose, capitate or fascicled. 

 Perianth more or less glume-like, regular, 6-leaved, in 2 series (sepals and petals) 

 Sta. 6, rarely 3, hypogynous. Ant/i 2 celled. 



Ova. 3-catpeled, 3 (or by the dissepiments not reaching the centre l)-celled. 

 Styles united into 1. Stiir//ias 3. 



Fr.— Capsule 3-valved, with the dissepiments from the middle of the valves. 

 Seeds lew or many, with a fle.-hy albumen. 

 Genera 13, species 200, chiefly natives of the cool parts of the earth. Properties unimportant. 

 Conspectus of the Genera. 



J Capsule mostly 3-ceIled. Seeds numerous Juncus. 1 



^ green. { Capsule 1-celled. Seeds 3, fixed to the bottom of cell. . . . Luzula. 2 



Perianth I colored, yellow Nartheciitm. 3 



1. JUNCUS. 



L.at. jun^o, to join ; because ropes were anciently made of these plants. 



Perianth persistent ; stamens 6 ; capsule mostl}^ 3-celled ; seeds 

 numerous, attached to the inner edge of the dissepiments. 

 * Leaves none. Cymes apparently lateral. 



1. J. BAi.Ticrs. Willd. Baltic Rush. 



Rhizoma creeping, prostrate, rooting ; scapes numerous, sheathed at base, 

 opaque, terete, rigid, slender, pungently acute; panicle small, short, lateral; 

 perianth segments s\\he<\\\?i\, ovate-lanceolate, very acute, equaling the elliptical, 

 mucronate cap-sule. — Sandy shores, Milwaukie, Wis., Lapham I N. to the 

 Saskatchawan and Labrador. Scape leafless, 12 — 18' high, hard, tough, clo.^ely 

 arranged along the .scaly rootstock, the sheaths 3" — 3' long. Panicle 2 — 3' be- 

 low the apex of the .scape, 1' long. Flowers 20 — 10, reddish-brown. 



2. J. ACUTUS. 



Caespitose; scapes numerous, tall, rigid, terete, sheathed at base; panicle 



