342 ASCLEPIADACEJE. (MILKWEED FAMILY.) 



subcordate at hasr-, nearlij sessile ,- umbels 2-3, densely mauy-flowered, on short 

 peduncles, corolla-lobes ovate, greenish ; hoods truncate, entire. — Plains of 

 central Kansas and southwestward. 



12 A. phytolaccoides, Pursh. (Poke-Milkweed.) Stem 3-5° 

 high ; lea res hroadlij orate, or the upper oral-lanceolate and pointed at both ends, 

 short-petioled, smooth or slightly downy underneath (b - 8' long) ; lateral um- 

 bels several; pedicels loose and nodding, numerous, long and slender (1 -3' long), 

 equalling the peduncle; corolla-lobes ovate-oblong, greenish; hoods (white) 

 truncate, the margins 2-toothed at the summit, the horn with a long projecting 

 curl-shaped point. — Moist copses, N. Eng. to Minn., south to Ga. and Ark. 



13. A. variegata, L. Stem 1-2° high; leaves (4-5 pairs) orate,' oval, 

 or obovate, somewhat wavy, contracted into short petioles, middle ones sometimes 

 whorled ; pedicels {numerous and crowded) and peduncle short, downy ; divi.s- 

 ions of the corolla ovate (ivhite) ; hoods orbicular, entire, purplish or reddish, 

 the horn semilunar with a horizontal point. — Dry woods, southern N. Y. to 

 Ind., south to Fla., Ark., and W. La, July — Remarkable for its compact 

 umbels of nearly white flowers. 



6. Leaves mostly pubescent or puberulent ; hoods obtuse, entire, twice or thrice 



the length of the anthers. 



14. A. OValif61ia, Decaisne. Low (6-18' high), soft-downy, especially 

 the lower surface of the ovate or lanceolate-oblong acute short-petioled leaves 

 (1^-3' long); umbels loosely 10- 18-flowered, sessile orpeduucled; pedicels 

 slender , hoods oblong, yellowish, with a small horn, about the length of the 

 oval greenish- white corolla-lobes (tinged with purple outside). — Prairies and 

 oak-openings, N. 111. and Iowa, to Wise, and S. Dak. 



++ ++ Follicles and pedicels erect ; leaves often whorled ; glabrous or nearly so. 



= Leaves ovate to broadly lanceolate, thin, rather slender-petioled. 



15. A- quadrifolia, L. Stem slender (1-2° high), mo.stly leafless be- 

 low, bearing usually ojie or two irhorls of four in the middle and one or two 

 pairs of ovate or ovate-lanceolate taper-pointed petioled leaves (2 - 4' long) ; 

 pedicels slender ; corolla-lobes (pale pink) oblong ; lioods white, elliptical-ovate, 

 the incurved horn short and thick. — Dry woods and hills, X. Eng. to Minn., 

 south to N. C. and Ark. 



16 A. perennis, Walt. Stems (I -2° high) persistent or somewhat woody 

 at the base ; leaves lanceolate or lanceolate-ovate, tapering to both ends, thin, rather 

 slender-petioled ; y?o«'ers white, small; the small hoods of the crown shorter 

 than the needle-shaped horn ; seeds sometimes destitute of a coma ! — Low 

 grounds, S. Ind. and 111. to Tex., and eastward. 



^=^ ^^ Leaves narrowly linear to fliform ; horn subulate, exserted ; column con- 

 spicuous, 



17. A. verticillata, L. Stems slender, simple or sparingly branched, 

 very leafy to tlie summit; leaves filiform-linear, with revolute margins (2-3' 

 long, 1" wide), 3 - 6 in a whorl ; umbels small, lateral and terminal ; divisions 

 of the corolla ovate (greenish-white) ; hoods roundish-oval, about half the 

 length of the incurved claw-.shaped horns. — Dry hills, common, especially 

 southAvard. — Var ptj:kiiLA, Gray, is low and many-stemmed from a fascicled 

 root; leaves much crowded, filiform. — Dry plains, Neb. to Kan and N. Mex 



