ICOSANDRIA— POLYGYNIA. Dryas. 431 



Root somewhat woody, blackish, creeping, and running deep into 

 the ground ; astringent, with the flavour of cloves. Herbage 

 hairy, deep green. Stem 8 to 12 inches high, slightly panicled, 

 otherwise simple. Radical leaves stalked ■ their terminal lobe 

 very large, rounded, lobed, and sharply crenate ; stem-leaves 

 few, stalked, ternate or 3-lobed. Stipulas of the latter ovate, 

 acute, cut, purplish. Fl. almost pendulous, singularly elegant, 

 growing upright as the seeds ripen. Cal of a rich purplish 

 brown, erect 3 subsequently reflexed. Pe^. erect, cloven, of a 

 tawny brown, altogether peculiar. Germen, and lowest part of 

 the sti/le, bearing several long hairs, above which are some 

 shorter and glandular ones ; but a considerable space under 

 the very strong and remarkable curvature is smooth. Above the 

 curvature is a rather long, very hairy portion, which falls off 

 with the stigma, leaving a hook behind. When compared before 

 the fall of this part with more advanced specimens, the plant 

 might be taken for two distinct species, and I have received it 

 as such from a very skilful botanist. 



Whatever the variety /3 of the foregoing species may be, that of 

 the present, at least, is no hybrid, as I can vouch from experi- 

 ence. It is readily produced by transplanting the wild roots 

 into a dry gravelly soil, by which the Jlowers become red, as well 

 as double and proliferous, with many strange changes of leaves 

 into petals, and the contrary. This variation happens, not un- 

 frequently, in mountainous countries. 



The foreign species of Geum, montanum and reptans not excepted, 

 require examination as to the structure and progress of their 

 styles, which must decide whether they properly belong to this 

 genus or the next. 



260. DRYAS. Dryas. 



Linn. Gen. 256. Juss.338. FLBr.ooo. Lam. t. 443. Gisrtn. t.74. 



Nat Ord. see n. 254. 



Cal. inferior, of 1 leaf, flat, permanent; limb in 8 or 10 

 deep, spreading, equal or une(|ual, permaneiit segments. 

 Pet. 8, occasionally 10, in some })erhaps 5 only, roundish, 

 undivided, spreading, longer than the calyx, attached by 

 their claws to its rim. Filam. numerous, capillary, from 

 the rim of the calvx, much shorter than the corolla. 

 Anth. small, roundish, of 2 lobes. Germens superior, 

 numerous, small, oblong. Slijlca lateral, long and capil- 

 lary, straight, contiruious. S/t'i^mas simple, smooth. 

 Seeds obovate-oblong, hairy, each with a very long, hairy, 

 lateral /a//, straight at the extremity. Reccpt. depressed, 

 downy, minutely cellular. 



Root jx'rennial, woody, much dividid at the crown. .S7<7//5 



