LINACEAE 661 



the lateral pair on each side united, deciduous. Receptacle without glands. 

 Androecium of 5 perfect stamens. Filaments appendaged and partially united. 

 Anthers more or less united or converging. Gynoecium of 5 united carpels. 

 Ovary 5-celled, somewhat elongated. Styles very short or wanting. Stigmas 5. 

 Ovules several in each cavity. Fruit a more or less elongated capsule, with 

 elastically bursting and coiling valves. Seeds ribbed. Endosperm wanting. 

 Embryo with nearly flat cotyledons. 



1. IMPATIENS L. 



Herbs, with commonly pellucid watery stems. Leaves alternate or opposite: 

 blades mostly toothed: petioles without stipules, or these represented by glands. 

 Flowers of various colors, often mottled, solitary or several on axillary peduncles. 

 Sepals mostly 3, imbricated, the two lateral ones flat, the lower one spurred or 

 saccate. Petals mostly 5, the lateral pair on each side united. Stamens 5: filaments 

 very short, each furnished with a scale: anthers often cohering to the pistil, introrse. 

 Ovary elongated, 5-celled: stigma sessile, 5-lobed. Ovules numerous in each cavity, 

 in 1 series. Capsules various, loculicidally opening by the elastic valves. Seeds 

 numerous, 4-ribbed, with a glabrous or pubescent testa. Embryo straight. TOUCH- 

 ME-NOT. 



Flowers orange: saccate sepal contracted into a spur one-half as long as the body. 1. /. bijlora. 



Flowers pale yellow: saccate sepal contracted into a spur % or Vs as long as the body. 2. /. pallida* 



1. Impatiens biflora Walt. Foliage deep green. Stem at length much branched, 

 1-2 m. tall, enlarged at the nodes: leaf -blades ovate or elliptic, 2-12 cm. long, obtuse 

 or acutish, distantly and shallowly crenate, somewhat obliquely narrowed at the base 

 into a sletider petiole which is J- as long as the blade: flowers orange, with reddish 

 brown spots, or rarely white, loosely panicled and gracefully pendulous from the 

 slender pedicels: saccate sepal conic, longer than broad, 1.7-2.4 cm. long, gradually 

 prolonged into a slender incurved spur about ^ as long as the body. [I. fulva Nutt. ?] 



In moist soil, Nova Scotia to Oregon, Florida and Missouri. Summer to fall. 



2. Impatiens pallida Nutt. Foliage glaucescent. Stems 1-2 m. tall, swollen at 

 the nodes, finally much branched: leaf -blades oval, ovate or elliptic, 2-14 cm. long, 

 obtuse or apiculate, coarsely crenate-serrate, narrowed into short petioles ~J as long 

 as the blade: flowers pale yellow, often slightly mottled, loosely panicled, gracefully 

 pendant from slender scaly pedicels: saccate sepal cup-like, about as broad as long, 

 1.5-2. cm. long, abruptly contracted into a short deflexed spur, J-l as long as the 

 body. 



In shaded places, Quebec to Oregon, Georgia and Kansas. Summer. 



FAMILY 3. LINACEAE Dumort. FLAX FAMILY. 



Herbs or shrubby plants, usually caulescent and branching. Leaves alter- 

 nate or opposite, without stipules: blades narrow, commonly sessile. Flowers 

 perfect, regular and usually symmetrical, solitary in the axils or in terminal 

 racemes, or paniculate or corymbose cymes. Calyx of 4-6 imbricated persistent 

 or deciduous sepals. Corolla of 4-6 imbricated generally convolute petals, 

 ephemeral. Androeeium of as many stamens as there are petals and alternate 

 with them. Filaments monadelphous at the base. Anthers 2-celled, versatile. 

 Gynoecium of 2-5 united carpels. Ovary 2-5-celled or by false partitions 4-10- 

 celled. Styles 2-5, distinct, at least above. Ovules 1 or 2 in each cavity. 

 Fruit capsular. Seeds 1 or 2 in each cavity, oily. Endosperm little or want- 

 ing. Embryo with flat cotyledons. 



Stigmas introrse, more or less elongated: sepals glandless. 1. LINUM. 



Stigmas terminal and capitate: sepals, at least the inner ones, with marginal 



glands. 2. CATHARTOLINUM. 



