34 



Isopyrum capnoides Fisch. in litt. ex DC. Prodr. I. p, 48. 



Isopyrum japonicum Sieb. et Zucc. Fl. Jap. Fam. Nat. in Abhandl. 

 Akad. Mnench. IV. 2, (1842) p. 181 ; Walp. Ann. Bot. Syst. I. (1849) 

 p. 954; A. Gray in Perry's Exped. Jap. (1856) p. 306, et Bot. Jap. in 

 Mem. Amer. Acad. Art et So. n. s. VI. (1859) p. 379. 



Boot tuberous, ovoid to oblong, vertical or oblique, often lengthened and 

 subflexuous and sometimes forked or ramose above, smooth, or uneven with 

 annular wrincles or small protuberances, brownish-black, thick, solid, white 

 internally, attaining about 15 nmi. in diameter, with fibrous roots towards 

 the end; fibrous roots delicate, many, often dense, dark-brown, with very fine 

 rootlets. Badical leaves tufted, numerous, long-petioled, simply trisected, 

 reniform-orbicular in outline, 1-3^ cm. long, 2-4^ cm. broad ; segments shortly 

 petiolulate, fiabellately 3-parted with closed sinuses, subrhombeo-rounded, 

 6-26 mm, long, very broadly cuneate at the base in the middle segment, 

 but truncato-cuneate in the lateral ones, lobes obovato- cuneate, commonly 

 tri-bi-l()bulate into rounded ovato-rounded or elliptical and very minutely 

 mucronate teeth, green and often albo- variegated above, glaucous and often 

 shaded with purple ; main-nerves flabellate, delicate ; veinlets loosely anas- 

 tomosing ; pedicel 3-12 mm. long, gracile, thinly pubescent with delicate 

 patent hairs as is the petiole ; petiole slender, gracile, terete, 4-13 cm. long, 

 vagina ovate, oval-ovate, ovate-deltoid, thinly membranaceous, entire, with 

 3 main nerves in the middle portion, about 5-10 mm. long. Cauline 

 leaves distantly alternate, shortly petiolate in the lower ones, but sessile 

 in the upper ones, similar to the radical one in their forms, divisions and 

 venations, but the upper ones sira[)ler and smaller, green, often shaded with 

 purple, glaucous beneath ; vagina short, i-4 mm. long, ovato-square or 

 transversely obovate, obovate, membranaceous towards the margin, the 

 upper edges often minutely erosulate. Stems 8-40 cm. high, one to several, 

 erect, much exceeding the radical leaves in height, gracile, subfistulose, very 

 laxly ramose with erect-patent branches, terete, often subangular, thinly pubes- 

 cent with delicate patent subglandular white hairs (which are enlarged towards 

 the base), the lower portion free from the leaves, green, often purpurascent, 

 herbaceous. Flowers minute, terminating the elongated filiform thin-pubes- 

 cent pedicel, nodding, 4-6i mm. long ; receptacle thick, depressed. Sepals 

 5, campanulately semipatent, imbricated in bud, petaloid, oblong-lanceolate, 

 obtuse, sometimes acutish, entire, shortly attenuated as to form a broad 

 unguis at the base, membranaceous, laxly nervate, white, shaded with 

 purple externally, 4-6i mm. long. Petals 5, alternate with and shorter 

 than sepals, sessile, imbricated erect, spathulately obovato-cuneate, truncate 



