58 KORTH AMERICAN 



oblong leaves ; the name of platycarpa is an 

 absurdity in a Genus having always turgid 

 pods : if really with flat pods it is not of this 

 Genus ! 



358. GERARDIA and akin genera — Sir 

 James Smith has stated in Rees Cycl. that 

 this Genus of l*lumier was based on the G. tw 

 herosa only, and that Linneus in adopting it had 

 united thereto many plants that ought to be 

 separated if with different characters : this is 

 the fact with all our North American sp. which 

 must even form 3 or 4 peculiar Genera. Nuttal 

 deemed them confused, forming 2 sections with 

 purple and yellow flowers as near Digitalis as 

 Gerardia ! 1 have reformed this G. in flora 

 Tellur. I now mean to revise all our species, 

 which I mostly possess and amount to over 20. 

 Some of these were once united to Rhinanthus 

 Chelone and Erinus ! birt Seymeria, Pagesia, 

 Dasistema,and others, have been already distin- 

 guished. I shall add many others. 



Character of real Gerardia. Calix5fid, co- 

 rolla tubulose bilabiate, upper lip emarg. erect, 

 lower 31obe, reflexed, middle lobe bifid, lateral 

 lobes emarginate. Stamens 4 didynamous 

 smooth, anthers smooth, a style, stigma obtuse. 

 Capsule bilocular oligosperm, partitions con- 

 trary to valves, dehiscent below. Roots tube- 

 rose^ leaves opposite entire^ flowers axillary 

 yellow. Several tropical sp. blended in G. tu- 

 berosa. 



359. Lophanthera Raf differs by corolla 

 campan. 5lobed, the anthers crested, leaves 

 divided Slc. Type G. delphinifolia of Asia 

 ^•c. The African sp. form the G. melasma of 

 Berg. 



360. AUREOLARIA Raf. calix campanuL 



