498 
MELANTHACEiE. (COLCHICUM FAMILY.) 
styles united to the middle, exceeding the pointless anthers; pod tri- 
angular-obovate, narrowed into a stalk at the base. — Low woods, 
common. May. — Stem 6 ; -9' high when in flower: the cream-col¬ 
ored flower I' long. 
U. puberula, Michx., which has the shining green leaves minute¬ 
ly puberulent as well as the branches, the less united styles not long¬ 
er than the short-pointed anthers, and an ovate sessile pod, should be 
sought in S. Pennsylvania. It is common in the mountains of Vir¬ 
ginia and southward. 
2. PROSARTES, Don. Prosartes. 
Perianth bell-shaped, much as in UVularia. Filaments thread¬ 
like, much longer than the linear-oblong blunt anthers, which are 
fixed near the base. Ovary with 2 ovules suspended from the 
summit of each cell: styles united into one : stigmas short, re- 
curved-spreading. Berry ovoid, pointed, 3-6-seeded, red.— 
Downy low herbs, widely branched above, with closely sessile 
ovate and membranaceous leaves, and greenish-yellow drooping 
flowers on slender terminal peduncles, solitary or few in an umbel. 
(Name from irpoo-apTaea, to hang from , in allusion to the pendent 
ovules or flowers.) 
1. P. lanuginosa, Don. Leaves ovate-oblong, taper-point¬ 
ed, rounded or slightly heart-shaped at the base, closely sessile, 
downy underneath ; flowers solitary or in pairs; sepals linear-lanceo¬ 
late, taper-pointed, soon spreading, twice the length of the stamens; 
style smooth. (Streptopus lanuginosus, Michx.) — Rich woods, rare 
in Western New York, but abundant southward along the Alleghe¬ 
nies. May. — Plant 1° high, several times forked above. Sepals 
h! long, greenish, marked with conspicuous cross veinlets like the 
leaves. 
3. STREPTOPUS, Michx. Twisted-Stalk. 
Perianth recurved-spreading from a bell-shaped base ; the sepals 
lanceolate-acute, the 3 inner keeled. Anthers arrow-shaped, fix¬ 
ed near the base to the very short flattened filaments, tapering 
above to a slender entire or 2-cleft point. Ovary with many 
ovules in each cell: styles and even the stigmas united into one • 
Berry red, roundish-ovoid, with several seeds in each cell. 
Herbs with rather stout stems, divergently spreading branches, 
ovate and taper-pointed rounded-clasping membranaceous leaves, 
and small mostly solitary (extra-)axillary flowers on slender 
