150 ELEMENTS OF BOTANY. 



short peduncles; sepals roundish, silky-puLescent, united below; 

 petals white, minutely pubescent below, round-obovate ; filaments 

 purple, anthers blue ; style single, 5-lobed ; capsule globose, pubes- 

 cent, seeds not margined. April-May. Shady woods. 



SO. HYPERICACE^. ST. JOim'S-WORT FAMILY. 



Herbs or shiubs; leaves simple, opposite, exstipulate, pel- 

 lucid-punctate or black-dotted ; flowers solitary or cymose ; 

 sepals 4-5, persistent, often unequal ; petals 4-5, deciduous, 

 usually oblique ; stamens hypogynous, mostly numerous, often 

 united at the base into 3 or 5 sets ; styles 1-several, distinct 

 or united ; capsule 1-celled with parietal placentae, or several- 

 celled by the meeting of the placentae in the axis, seeds very 

 numerous, small. 



I. ASCYRUM. 



Small shrubs with brown shreddy bark and smooth 2-edged 

 branches ; leaves sessile ; flowers mostly solitary, yellow ; 

 sepals 4, the outer pair orbicular or cordate, the inner nar- 

 row ; petals 4, oblique ; stamens many, distinct or slightly 

 united at tlie base; styles 2-4, ovary 1-celled with 2-4 

 parietal placentae ; capsule 2-4-valved. 



1. A. STAxs Michx. St. Petp:r's-wokt. An erect, branching 

 shrub, 2-8 ft. high ; leaves oval or oblong-oval, sessile, obtuse, entire; 

 pedicels 2-bracted below the middle ; outer sepals orbicular-cordate, 

 the inner lanceolate ; petals obovate, longer than the sepals ; capsule 

 shorter than tlie sepals. June-September. Common on pine barrens. 



2. A. HYPERicoiDES L. St. Andrew's Cross. stems branch- 

 ing, low and decumbent, 5-12 in. long; leaves oblong or narrowly 

 obovate, narrowed to the sessile base; pedicels 2-bracted above the 

 middle ; outer sepals oval, obtuse, double the length of the pedicel, 

 inner sepals very small ; petals oblong, approximate in pairs ; styles 

 2 ; capsule as long as the sepals. June-September. On dry, sandy 

 soil. 



II. HYPERICUM. 



Herbs or shrubs ; leaves opposite, sessile or short-petioled, 

 punctate or black-dotted ; flowers yellow, mostly cymose ; 



