32 OF THE OTHER ORDERS &£C OF PENTANDRIA. 



duces only a single flower with the aspect of a Ra- 

 nunculus, or Butter-cup. The calyx is 5-parted 

 and persistent. The petals 5, and inferior. There 

 are 5 cordate lepanthia or nectaries, arising from 

 the claws of the petals, each edged with a variable 

 number of hairs terminated by globular glands. Stig- 

 mas 4. Capsule 1 -celled, 4-valved, the valves 

 bearing imperfect partitions in the middle. The seeds, 

 with a membranaceous margin. There appears to 

 be some affinity betwixt this genus and Passijiora, 

 but the seeds and lepanthia are still very different, 

 and would not justify its situation in the same natural 

 family. 



In the 5th order, of the 5th class, you will find 

 the Flax (Linum) of the natural family LinejE, itself 

 the type. The calyx is deeply 5-parted and per- 

 sistent. Petals 5, unguiculate. The filaments of 

 the stamina are united at the base. The capsule 

 superior, nearly globular, 10-valved, and 10-celled. 

 A single ovate, compressed seed in each cell. The 

 flowers are either blue or yellow, and some of the 

 species afford those cortical fibres, which we call 

 Flax. In nearly all the species, the leaves are nar- 

 row, alternate, and entire. The Virginian species 

 (L virginianum), a pretty common perennial, in the 

 middle states, has small, yellow, remotely situated 

 flowers. The perennial Flax of Europe (Linum 

 perenne), with blue flowers, like the cultivated species, 

 is met with on the banks of the Missouri. 



The Aralia (two of the native species called Spike- 

 nard and Angelica-tree), of the natural order Arali^e, 

 nearly allied to the umbelliferous tribe, belongs also 

 to the 5th order of this class. They are either low 

 or stout herbs or shrubs ; the A. spinosa becomes 

 almost a tree, and has its stem and branches covered 

 with sharp thorns. The flowers, small and white, 



