OF THE CLASS PENTANDRIA. 79 



from the tubular campanulate corolla of the Gentian. 

 There are also two spirally twisted stigmas, and the 

 anthers themselves are, at length, revolute. The 

 capsule, as in Gentian, 1 -celled and 2-valved. All 

 these plants have the medicinal bitter resin of the 

 Gentian, grow low, have opposite, entire smooth leaves, 

 and flowers in terminal or flat clusters or corymbs. 



The Umbelliferous plants, of which we have else- 

 where already spoken, find place also in the second 

 order of this artificial class. There is a difficulty 

 in distinguishing the genera in this tribe, common, 

 more or less, to every very natural group, for the 

 numerous links which connect the whole order so 

 closely together, at the same time diminish the minor 

 distinctions of the genera. In the Umbelliferje, 

 so intimate is this general resemblance, that but little 

 remains for generic distinction, save the form of the 

 pericarp, which is, indeed, very distinct in many 

 genera ; as, for example, it is round, flattened, and 

 nearly naked in the Parsnip : of an oblong, round- 

 ish form, with five ribs, armed with prickles in the 

 Carrot (Daucus) : ovate and solid (or not coated), 

 with 5 ribs, at first crenulate or waved, in the 

 Hemlock (Conium) : the fruit narrow, pyramidal, 

 rostrate, and sharply 5-ridged in the Myrrhis (or 

 American Chervil) : the umbel simple, and the 

 leaves undivided in Hydrocotyle, Water-rot, or Marsh 

 Pennywort,* and the fruit roundish, but compressed 

 in a reverse sense with that of the Parsnip, and each 

 seed backed with three ribs. In the Sanicle (Sani- 

 cula) the umbel is also nearly simple, the flowers 

 crowded, and of different sexes, with a distinct 5- 

 parted calyx, which is persistent, and an oblong, 



* So called, in allusion to the round peltate form of the leaves 

 in many of the common species. 



