S4 PENTANDRIA— DIGYNIA. Erynoium. 



less convex, eitliei' naked, downy, prickly, or scaly, va- 

 riously ribbed, with flat, or concave, rarely convex, in- 

 terstices, the ribs sometimes compressed, acute, or winged, 

 sometimes prickly, or scaly. Alhumeii large, fleshy, com- 

 posing the bulk of the seed. Embryo dicotyledonous, in- 

 verted, from near the upper end of the albumen. 



Inflorescence (except in Erynginm) a simple, or more usually 

 compound, limhel., of many rays^ with or without several 

 hracteas at the origin of the several rays. The absence 

 or presence of these hracteas^ and in some cases their 

 shape, is resorted to by Linnaeus for generic characters; 

 to excuse which he denominates them involucra and in- 

 volucellay as being supposed a kind o^ cali/x, remote from 

 ihe^otvcr. But they are found in practice to lead to the 

 formation of unnatural genera, and to be variable in the 

 same species ; affording an example of the treacherous 

 nature of every thing belonging to the injiorescencc, and 

 not to ihefriictification, for generic discrimination. 



Umbclliferons Plants are generally herbaceous, with leaves 

 for the most part repeatedly compound. Florvcrs white, 

 reddish, or yellow. Such as grow in dry or mountainous 

 places are aromatic and wholesome ; the marsh or aquatic 

 kinds are virulent and dangerous.] 



136. ERYNGIUM. Eryngo. 



Linn. Gen. 127. Juss.226. FLBr.288. Tourn.tA72>. Law.t.\87. 

 Gartn. t. 20. 



Floiscicrs aggregate. Common Heceptacle conical, scaly, many- 

 flowei'ed, having a rigid, simple or three-cleft, acute scale, 

 to each sessile perfect floiaer. Cal. of each flower su- 

 perior, of 5 erect, pointed, equal leaves. Pet. 5, equal, 

 oblong, channelled, taper-pointed, inflexed about the 

 middle. Filam. capillary, straight, prominent. Anth. 

 roundish-oblong, incumbent. Germen simple, inferior, 

 oblong-ovate, clothed with erect bristles. Styles thread- 

 shaped, straight, nearly erect and parallel, shorter than 

 the stamens, permanent. Stigmas simple. Frtiit ovate, 

 slightly compressed transversely, bristly, separable length- 

 wise into 2 parts. Seeds oblong, nearly cylindrical, coated; 

 the coat either permanent or deciduous. 



Hei'baceous, mostly perennial, glaucous or blueish, prickly, 

 very rigid, scarcely at all hairy or downy. Leaves alter- 

 nate, often pinnatifid, with spinous lobes or teeth ; radical 



