64 SAXIFRAGE/E. [Saxifraga. 



with a head of four verticillate flowers, and a fifth terminal one. " Sta- 

 mens united in pairs, or they may be considered as four to five forked 

 stamens, each ramification terminated by the single cell of an anther, 

 and all springing from a fleshy ring that surrounds the upper part of 

 the germen. The flowers have an evident musky smelly in the eve- 

 ning, or early in the morning, while the dew is on them." Hooker. 



3. Parnassia. Linn. Grass of Parnassus. 



Calyx deeply 5-cleft. Petals 5. Nectaries 5, heart-shaped, 

 fringed with glandular- headed filaments. Capsule 1 -celled, 

 4-valved, each valve bearing a longitudinal linear receptacle 

 with numerous seeds. — Named from Mount Parnassus, to 

 which place indeed, the plant is by no means peculiar. 



Pentandria. Tetragynia. 



1. P. palustris, Linn. Common Grass of Parnassus. Bris- 

 tles of the nectary 9 — 13 ; leaves cordate ; cauline one am- 

 plexicaul. Br. Fl. \.p. 144. E. Fl.v. ii. p. 114. E. Bot. 

 t. 82. 



Boggy grounds and moist gravelly places, frequent. Fl. Aug. — 

 Oct. If.. — Leaves mostly radical, on long footstalks, cordate, entire, 

 nerved ; one on the stem below the middle, sessile. Stem angular, 

 from four to six inches high. Flowers solitary, terminal, large, yel- 

 lowish white, handsome. Petals broadly obovate. Nectaries each, 

 an obcordate scale, opposite the petals, fringed with white hairs along 

 the margin, which are terminated by a yellow pellucid globular 

 gland. 



4. Saxifraga. Linn. Saxifrage. 



Calyx superior or inferior or one-half inferior, in five segments. 

 Corolla of five petals. Caps, with two beaks, 2-celled, many- 

 seeded, opening between the beaks. Seeds upon a receptacle 

 attached to the dissepiment. — Named from saxum, a stone, and 

 frango, to break ; in allusion to the supposed medicinal vir- 

 tues of this plant ; or, perhaps, to its roots penetrating the 

 crevices of rocks and stones, among which the different spe- 

 cies generally grow. JDecandria. Digynia. 



* Calyx rejlexed, inferior. Leaves undivided. Scape panicled, 

 erect, much taller than the stems. 



1. S. Geum, Linn. Kidney-shaped Saxifrage. Leaves ro- 

 tundato-reniform, acutely crenate, more or less hairy ; foot- 

 stalks linear, channelled ; scape panicled ; capsules superior. 

 Br. FL 1. p. 191. E.Fl.v.ii.p. 261. 



«. leaves hairy on both sides, their under surface beautifully 

 reticulated with purple. 



ft. leaves glabrous on both sides, more sharply toothed. S. 



