514 MELANTHACE^E. (COLOHICUM FAMILY.) 



at the apex. Feeds fe\v, obovoid, half encircled by the tumid raphe. Low 

 herbs, from a slender creeping rhizoma. Leaves sessile or perfoliate. Flowers 

 nodding, solitary, lateral or at the apex 'of a 1 -leaved branch, yellow. 



* Leaves rounded at ike base, perfoliate. 



1. U. perfoliata, L. Leaves ovate or oblong, glaucous beneath, the 

 sides revolute when young ; leaves of the perianth lanceolate, acute, granular- 

 roughened within, pale yellow ; capsule obovate, truncate. Woods and thick- 

 ets. April. Stem 8'- 12' high. Leaves H'- 2' long. Flowers 1' long. 



2. IT. grandiflora, Smith. Leaves oblong, pale or closely pubescent 

 beneath, the young ones revolute on the margins ; leaves of the perianth linear- 

 lauceolate, acute, smooth within, greenish yellow; anthers obtuse; capsule 

 obovate. Woods and thickets in the upper districts of Georgia, aud north- 

 ward. April. Larger than the preceding. Leaves 2' -5' long. Flowers 



H' long. 



* * Leaves narrowed at the bane, sessile. 



3. IT. sessilifolia, L. Smooth ; leaves lanceolate-oblong, glaucous be- 

 neath ; flowers on short naked peduncle-like branches, opposite the leaves; 

 leaves of the perianth lanceolate, obtuse, barely longer than the 3 -cleft style ; 

 anthers obtuse; capsule obovate, stalked. Rich soil in the middle and upper 

 districts. April. Stem 6'- 12' high. Leaves l'-l' long. Flowers 8" long. 



4. IT. Floridana, Chapm. Smooth; leaves oblong, slightly clasping, 

 glaucous beneath ; flowers on a slender 1 -leaved branch ; leaves of the perianth 

 linear-lanceolate, acuminate, twice as long as the 3-cleft style ; anthers pointed. 



-Low shady woods, Middle Florida. March. Stem 4' -6' high. Leaves 

 thin, 1' long. Flowers 8" long, pale yellow. 



5. IT. puberula, Michx. Slightly pubescent ; leaves green on both 

 sides, oval, rounded at the base and somewhat clasping, rough on the margins; 

 style 3-parted nearly to the base, as long as the short-pointed anthers; capsule 

 ovate, sessile. Mountains of North Carolina. Flowers yellowish white 



2. PROSARTES, Don. 



Perianth bell-shaped, corolla-like, the divisions distinct, deciduous. Fila- 

 ments filiform, much longer than the linear-oblong obtuse anthers. Styles 

 united : stigmas spreading. Berry ovoid, acute, 3 - 6-seeded. A low forking 

 herb. Peduncles terminal, not bent nor twisted. 



1. P. lanuginosa, Don. Leaves 2' -3' long, sessile, ovate-oblong, acu- 

 minate, oblique or slightly cordate at the base, 5-nerved, pubescent. Pedun- 

 cles 1-2, terminal, slender, pubescent. Leaves of the perianth 4-' long, 

 lanceolate, acuminate, 3-nerved, greenish. Style smooth. Berry red. 

 Mountains of Georgia and North Carolina. June. 



2. P. maculata, Buckley. Stem and leaves of the preceding ; flowers 

 rather larger; leaves of the perianth yellowish, dotted with fine black spots, a 

 third longer than the stamens. Mountains of North Carolina. 



3. STREPTOPUS, Michx. 



Perianth bell-shaped, corolla-like, with the divisions distinct, deciduous, the 

 inner ones keeled. Anthers sagittate, fixed near the base, entire, or 2-pointed 



