MEMOIRS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY OF COLUMBIA COLLEGE. 19 
Somewhat woody, annual or perennial plants; leaves cauline, often reduced to 
foliaceous bracts above ; ocreae membranous and usually hyaline, funnelform, oblique, 
two-parted, at length lacerate; inflorescence consisting of axillary clusters, either 
widely separated or crowded into a terminal raceme; flowers subtended by ocreae ; 
calyx five-parted ; stamens mostly eight; style three-parted or wanting and stigma 
three-cleft ; achene triquetrous, included or exserted; cotyledons incumbent. 6. AVICULARIA. 
Slender, wiry, brittle annual or perennial plants; leaves narrow and reduced to 
bracts above, with two lateral nerves; ocreae funnelform, membranous, early con- 
spicuously lacerate or rarely two-parted; inflorescence spicate, the nodes of the 
shortened branches and branchlets each bearing a single flower; calyx five-cleft or 
five-parted; stamens eight; style three-parted; achene triquetrous; cotyledons 
incumbent. T. Duravia. 
Annual or perennial, more or less twining plants; leaves usually cordate or 
truncate; ocreae membranous, funnelform, oblique, naked at the summit, sometimes 
fringed at the base; inflorescence consisting of loose axillary or terminal clusters, 
racemes or panicled racemes; flowers subtended by ocreae ; calyx five-parted, the 
outer segments keeled or winged; stamens eight; style three-parted or wanting, the 
stigma three-cleft; achene triquetrous; cotyledons accumbent. 8. TINIARIA. 
Annual or perennial plants, climbing by recurved prickles; leaves mostly has- 
tate or sagittate; ocreae membranous, funnelform, oblique, mostly naked ; inflores- 
cence consisting of axillary and terminal racemes or capitate clusters; flowers sub- 
tended by ocreolae; calyx five-parted, rarely four-parted; stamens eight; style two- 
parted or three-parted ; achene lenticular or triquetrous ; cotyledons accumbent. 9. EcHINOCAULON. 
1. SUBGENUS BISTORTA. 
Herbaceous alpine or subalpine plants, mostly glabrous, bright green, perennial by a 
more or less thickened globose or elongated creeping or horizontal rootstock. Rootstock 
somewhat fleshy, covered with the chaffy remains of modified ocreae. Stem simple, 
terete or channeled, slender, strict, somewhat fleshy, usually straw-colored. Leaves 
radical and cauline, the former long-petioled, the latter short-petioled or sessile, flat or 
more or less revolute, never punctate. Ocreae cylindric, membranous, hyaline, never 
ciliate, clasping the stem, opened obliquely at the summit. Inflorescence consisting of a 
single, terminal, spicate raceme. Raceme varying from nearly globose to oblong, densely 
flowered, sometimes bearing bulblets at the base. Ocreolae bract-like, hyaline, membran- 
ous, entire or toothed. Pedicels slender, articulated at the base of the calyx. Calyx 
five-parted, colored, not glandular-punctate nor much enlarged in fruit. Stamens eight, 
rarely nine, exserted. Style three-parted, rarely two-parted, exserted. Stigmas minute 
and inconspicuous. Achene triquetrous, rarely lenticular, brown, smooth or granular, 
invested by the calyx. Albumen horny. Cotyledons accumbent. 
