74 PENTANDRIA— DIGYNIA. Smyrnium. 



foot high, ascending, round, leafy, but little branched. Leaves 

 on sheathing footstalks, twice ternate j leaflets uniform, above 

 an inch long, lanceolate, acute, tapering at the base. Umbels 

 dense, of many general and partial raijs. Bracteas both general 

 and partial numerous, alike in shape, ovate, acute, spreading, 

 rather short. FL white, with yellowish anthers. Styles scarcely 

 discernible in the flower, with a broad, wavy, dejnessed, white 

 base to each, in the place of ajloral receptacle, which afterwards 

 becomes pyramidal, and the st7jles a little protruded and re- 

 curved, crowning the fruit. 

 The herb makes an old-fashioned English pickle, as those know 

 who read Shakspeare's King Lear, and it is sold in the London 

 shops ; but there are many plants generally preferred for the 

 same purpose. See Salicornia, v. 1. 2. 



155. SMYRNIUM. Alexanders. 



Linn. Sp. FL 144. Juss. 219. FL Br. 328. Touriu t. 168. Lam. 

 L 204. GcBrtn. L 22. 



FL nearly unifoi'm, and regular; the innermost barren, or 

 abortive. Cal. of 5 very minute, acute, permanent leaves. 

 Pet. 5, equal, lanceolate, acute, incurved, in some inversely 

 heart-shaped. Filam. capillary, as long as the corolla. 

 Anth. roundish. Germcn inferior, ovate, angular and fur- 

 rowed. Styles thread-shaped, widely spreading, tumid, 

 and somewhat depressed, at the base. Stigiyias simple. 

 Fruit solid, somewhat orbicular, broader than long, much 

 hollowed out at each side, crowned with the styles, or 

 their small pyramidal bases. FL Rcccpt. none. Seeds 

 turgid, with 3 prominent acute ribs ; the interstices con- 

 vex; the juncture more or less contracted. 



Biennial, smooth, shining, aromatic herbs, with broad, twice 

 or thrice ternate, leaves; yellowish-white, or yeWowJlo'wei's, 

 in compound umbels ; v^ithoiit any bracteas. Fruit black. 



1. S. Oliisatrum. Common Alexanders. 

 Stem-leaves ternate, stalked, serrated. 



S. Olusatrum. Linn. Sp. PL376. Willd. v. 1. 1467. FL Br. 328. 



EngL Bot. V.4. t. 230. Hook. Scot. 94. 

 Smyrnium. Baii Stjn. 208. Matth. Falgr. v. 2. 130. f. Camer. 



Epit. 530. f. 

 Hipposelinum. Ger. Em. 10 J 9./. Dad. Pempt. 608. f. 

 H. sive Smyrnium vulgare. Moris, v. 3. 277. sect.9. t. 4.f. 1. 

 In waste ground, about anticnt ruins ; often on rocks and clifls 



near the sea. 



