316 



CISTINEvE. IV. LECHEA. VIOLARIE^. 



4 H. TOMENTOSA (Nutt. gen. 2. p. 5.) tufted and hoary-tomen- 

 tose ; stems intricate, dense ; leaves minute, densely imbricated, 

 ovate, acute ; flowers aggregate, almost sessile ; calyxes rather 

 cylindrical, with obtuse partitions; capsules 1 -seeded; valves 

 ovate, smooth. Jj . F. Native of New Jersey, Delaware, and 

 Maryland, &c. in the sea-sand. Sweet, cist. t. 57. Stamens 14- 

 1 8. Flowers yellow. 



Tomentose Hudsonia. Fl. May, July. Clt. 1826. Shrub 1 foot. 



5 H. AUSTRA V LIS (Spreng. syst. 2. p. 452.) smoothish, erect; 

 leaves linear-lanceolate, clothed beneath with scattered spread- 

 ing hairs ; flowers terminal, solitary, stalked ; calyx taper- 

 pointed, rather hairy. Jj . G. Native of Monte Video. 



Southern Hudsonia. Shrub 1 foot. 



Cult. Hudsonia is a genus of pretty little shrubs, with the 

 appearance of heath, which are rather difficult to cultivate : they 

 thrive best in peat soil, in a shady situation, and should be pro- 

 tected under glass during winter, for this purpose they had 

 better be grown in pots. They may be either increased by 

 layers, or ripened cuttings planted in sand under a hand-glass. 



IV. LE'CHEA (in honour of G. Leche, a Swede, professor 

 of natural history at Abo, and author of observations on rare 

 plants; died 1764.) Lin. gen. no. 142. Gaert. fruct. 2. t. 129. 

 D. C. prod. 1. p. 285. 



LIN. SYST. Tri-Dodecdndria, Monogynia. Calyx 3-sepalled, 

 guarded by bracteas or the 2-outer sepals. Petals 3, lanceo- 

 late. Stamens 3-12, usually disposed in a ternary number. 

 Ovary 1, somewhat 3-sided. Stigmas 3, scarcely distinct. Cap- 

 sules 3-valved ; valves bearing a dissepiment or nerve in the 

 middle of each. Seeds very few, usually 8, fixed to the dis- 

 sepiment or nerve. Albumen fleshy. Embryo straightish, 

 dorsal with an inferior radicle. Cotyledons ovate-oblong. In- 

 conspicuous North American herbs, with numerous small white 

 or yellow flowers ; lower branches usually differing from the 

 floriferous ones, they are like those of Thymus serpyllum. 



1 L. VILLOSA (Ell. sketch. 184.) hairy; leaves oblong-lan- 

 ceolate, mucronate ; panicle leafy, pyramidal ; branches bearing 

 flowers at the top ; flowers disposed in fascicled-racemes, se- 

 cund, on very short pedicels, y.. H. Native from Canada to 

 Florida in gravelly woods. L. major, Pursh, fl. amer. sept. 1. 

 p. 90. but not of Lin. L. minor, Lin. from Smith. Lam. ill. 

 t. 52. f. 2. from Pursh. Flowers white or yellow. 



Far. /3, mucronata (Raf. prec. 37.) pilose; stem straight, 

 simple ; racemes compound ; flowers bracteolate. 7 . H. Na- 

 tive of New Jersey in woods. 



Fillous Lechea. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1780. Plant 2 feet. 



2 L. MINOR (Pursh, fl. amer. sept. 1. p. 91.) smoothish ; 

 leaves linear-lanceolate, acute ; panicle leafy ; branches elon- 

 gated, bearing flowers on all sides ; flowers on very short 

 pedicels; stems assurgent. 1}.. H. Native from Canada to 

 Pennsylvania on dry gravelly hills Lam. ill. t. 52. f. 1. from 

 Pursh. Flowers white or yellow. This plant is lower in growth 

 and larger in fruit than the preceding. 



Smaller Lechea. Fl. July, Aug. tit. 1802. Plant ^ foot. 



3 L. RACEMULOSA (Mich. fl. bor. amer. 1. p. 77.) covered 

 with appressed pubescence ; leaves linear, acute, ciliated ; pa- 

 nicle slender, much branched, pyramidal ; racemes nakedish ; 

 flowers small, alternate, pedicellate ; stem erect. I/ . H. Native 

 of sandy fields from New Jersey to Carolina. Pursh. fl. amer. 

 sept. 1. p. 91. suppl. 3. p. 340. Guara, Lam. ill. t. 281. f. 3. 

 Flowers white or yellow. 



Racemulose Lechea. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. ? PI. ^ foot. 



4 H. THYMIFOLIA (Mich. fl. bor. amer. 1. p. 77.) covered 

 with appressed white villi ; leaves linear, acute ; panicle leafy, 



elongated, with short branches ; flowers disposed in lateral and 

 terminal fascicles ; pedicels very short ; flowers small, hoary- 

 tomentose ; stem erect. I/. H. Native of dry barren woods 

 on slate hills, from Virginia to Carolina. Lower branches creep- 

 ing, very like those of 7'hymus serpyllum, which is the case 

 with most of the species of this genus. Pursh. fl. amer. sept. 1. 

 p. 91. L. minor, Walt. car. 83. from Ell. sketch, p. 185. 

 Flowers white or yellow. 



Thyme-leaved Lechea. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1823. Pl.|ft. 



5 L. TENUIFOLIA (Mich. fl. bor. amer. 1. p. 77.) sparingly 

 pilose ; leaves very narrow ; panicle divaricate, nakedish ; 

 branchlets alternate ; pedicels elongated, spreading ; stem erect. 

 I/ . H. Native of dry gravelly hills from Virginia to Georgia. 

 L. juncifolia, Walt. car. 83? from Ell. sketch. 185. Lower 

 branches furnished with linear leaves, by which it is easily dis- 

 tinguished from the rest. Pursh. fl. amer. sept. 1, p. 91. 

 Flowers white or yellow. 



Fine-leaved Lechea. Fl. May, July. Clt. 1823. PI. foot. 



6 L. ? VERTiciLLA'iA(Willd. spec. 1. p. 495.) stem hispid; 

 leaves oblong-ovate, serrulated ; flowers in whorles. 3/ . S. 

 Native of the East Indies. Habit of Spermacocce, and most 

 likely a species of the latter genus. Flowers white ? 



JFAorferf-flowered Lechea. PI. ^ foot. 



N. B. Lechea Chinensis of Lour, is a species of Commelina. 



Cull. Lechea is a genus of small herbaceous perennial plants, 

 which succeed best when grown in small pots planted in a mix- 

 ture of light turfy loam and peat. They may be either in- 

 creased by seeds or by cuttings planted in sand under a hand- 

 glass. 



ORDEK XXI. VIOLARIE'^E (plants agreeing with Ftola in 

 many important characters.) D. C. fl. fran. 4. p. 801. Juss. 

 ann. du mus. 18. p. 4. p. 476. 



Calyx of 5 permanent sepals, equal (f. 65. a. f. 66. c.) or un- 

 equal, (f. 64. c. f. 62. a.) usually with membranous margins, free or 

 connected at the base, imbricate in the bud ; and therefore they 

 are disposed in a double series, as in Tribe Vwleae, 3 in the outer 

 series, and 2 in the inner. Petals 5, alternating with the sepals 

 (f. 65. 6.) hypogynous, inserted in the thalamus, usually mar- 

 cescent, and obliquely convolute in the bud, sometimes equal (f. 

 66. b. f. 65. 6.) sometimes unequal (f. 62. c. f. 63. c.), but when 

 they are unequal the lower one is in the form of a labellum (f.64. c.), 

 furnished with a spur or hollow at its base (f. 64. b. f. 63. c.). 

 Sometimes there is a staminiferous urceolus and sometimes fili- 

 form appendages between the petals and the stamens. Stamens 

 5, inserted in the thalamus or calyx, alternating with the petals ; 

 anthers 2-celled (f. 65. e.) opening inwards by 2 longitudinal 

 chinks ; these are appressed to the ovary, usually free, but 

 sometimes they are more or less connate at the base into a mona- 

 delphous disk ; filaments usually dilated, sometimes from the base 

 in this case, bearing the anthers at the very base (f. 64. d.), some- 

 times they are unguiculated at the base, but they are dilated 

 at the top, and therefore bearing the anthers a little higher up 

 at the tops of the claws (f. 66. a.), in either case the filaments are 

 drawn out beyond the anthers into an arid membrane, more 

 or less imbricately girding the style, rarely awl-shaped but 

 never terminated by the anthers ; two of which in the irregular 

 flowers are usually drawn out downwards into a filiform ap- 



