152 VI. BERBERIDACEZ. JEFFERSONIA. 
Orpver VI. BERBERIDACE A.—Berserips. 
Flerbs or shrubs, with alternate, usually exstipulate, simple or compound leaves. 
Fis. solitary, racemose or panicled, perfect. ; g 
Cal.—Sepals 3—4—6, imbricate in 2rows, often reinforced by petaloid scales. 
Cor. hypogynous. Pet. 1—3 times as many as the sepals and opposite to them. 
Sta. as many or twice as many as the petals, and opposite to them. 
Anth. generally opening by recurved valves, extrorse. 
Ova. 1-celled, solitary, simple. Sty. often lateral. Stig. often lateral or peltate. 
Fr. berried or capsular. 
Sds. one or few, attached to the bottom of the cell, or many, attached to lateral placente. 
Genera 12, species 100, inhabiting the temperate zones. _Some genera, as the Podophyllum and Jefizr- 
sonia, possess cathartic properties. Others, as the Berberis, contain in their fruits malic and oxalic acid. 
Conspectus of the Genera. 
; Petals 8, flowersonascape. . . . . Jeffersonia. 3 
ane res not peltate. ? Petals 6, with a scale at base. . Leontice. - 4 
Herbs perennial. 2? Leaves peltate ; stamens 00. 2 F 3 y - Podophyliwm. 2 
Shrubs, with yellow flowers and irritable filaments. . Berbveris. 1 
1. BERBERIS. 
Calyx of 6, obovate, spreading, colored sepals, with the three outer 
ones smaller ; corolla of 6 suborbicular petals, with 2 glands at the 
base of each; filaments 6, flattened; anthers 2 separate lobes on 
opposite edges of the connectile; style 0; berry oblong, 1-celled ; 
seeds 2 or 3.—Fine hardy shrubs. 
B. vuneiris. Berberry Bush. . 
Spines 3-forked ; lvs. simple, serratures terminated by soft bristles; rac. 
pendulous, many-flowered ; pet. entire.—A well known bushy, ornamental shrub, 
in hard, gravelly soils, Northern States. Grows 3—8f high. Leaves 14—2’ 
long, 3} as wide, round-obtuse at apex, tapering at base into the petiole, and 
remarkably distinguished by their bristly serratures. Flowers yellow, a dozen 
or more in each hanging cluster. Stamens irritable, springing violently 
against the stigma when touched. Berries scarlet, very acid, forming an 
agreeable jelly when boiled with sugar. The bark of the root dyes yellow. 
Jn. §? 
2, PODOPHYLLUM. 
Gr. novs, Todos, a foot; PvAdov, a leaf; alluding to the long, firm petioles. 
Sepals 3, oval, obtuse, concave, caducous; petals 6—9, obovate, 
concave ; stamens 9—18, with linear anthers; berry large, ovoid, 
i-celled, crowned with the solitary stigma—2 Low, rather poisonous 
herbs. Lvs. 2. Fl. solitary. 
P. peLtTAtum. May Apple. ld Mandrake. 
In woods and fields, common in Middle and Western States, rare in N. 
Eng. Height about 1f. It is among our more curious and interesting plants. 
Stem round, sheathed at base, dividing into 2 round petioles, between which is the 
flower. Leaves oftener cordate than peltate, in 5—7 lobes, each lobe 6’ long 
from the insertion of the petiole, 2-lobed and dentate at apex. Flowers pedun- 
culate, drooping, white, about 2’ diam. Petals curiously netted with veins. 
Fruit ovoid-oblong, large, yellowish, with the flavor of the strawberry. The 
root is cathartic. May. . 
3. JEFFERSONIA. Bart. 
In honor of President Jefferson, a patron of science. 
Sepals 4, colored, deciduous ; petals 8, spreading, incurved; sta- 
mens 8, with linear anthers; stigma peltate; capsule obovate, stipi- 
tate, opening bya circumscissile dehiscence —Scape simple, 1-flowered. 
Lvs. 2-parted or binate. 
J. DIPHYLLA. Barton. = 
A singular plant, 8—14’ high, Middle and Western States. Rhizoma 
-horizontal. Each petiole bears at the top a pair of binate leaves, which are 
placed base to base, and broader than long, ending in an obtuse point, glaucous 
