94 CLASS HEPTANDRTA. 



petals, and a cluster of minute carpels or capsules, 

 each containing 1 seed, but never spontaneously open- 

 ing. The flowers appear from July to August. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



THE CLASSES HEPTANDRIA, OCTANDRIA, ENNEAN- 

 DRIA, AND DECANDRIA. 



Scarcely any plant but the Septus of the Cape of 

 Good Hope affords a genuine example of the 7th 

 class. The Trientnlis, or Chickweed Wintergreen, 

 common to Europe and North America, though some- 

 times presenting 7 parts in the flower, for which rea- 

 son it has been here classed, very commonly shows a 

 division of 6 or 8 parts in the flower. The American 

 species, having narrower and longer leaves than that 

 of Europe, is not uncommon in the shady woods of 

 the northern states, near the roots of trees. It flowers 

 about May and June, has a fleshy fibrous root, and 

 most part of the plant an acid taste. The stem is 

 scarce a span high, unbranched, and terminated by a 

 tuft of lanceolate, acuminated leaves. From t!ie bosom 

 of these arise several filiform peduncles, terminated by 

 elegant small, white, flat, stellated flowers, with 6, 7, 

 or sometimes 8 acuminated parts. The leaves of the 

 calyx and stamens bear the same number, and are 

 equally various. The berry is juiceless, and appears 

 shrunk, consisting of i cell with many seeds. It is re- 

 ferred to the natural order Primulace;e, but has no 

 very obvious affinity with the type of that order. 



The JEs'adus, or Horse-chesnut of Asia, has a better 

 claim to be classed here, than most of the American 

 species of that genus. In both, the calyx is one-leaf- 

 ed, 4 or 5-toothed, and ventricose or swelled. The 



