348 



DROSERACE^E. VIII. PARNASSIA. POLYGALE^. 



the middle of each. Seeds arillate. Herbs very smooth. 

 Leaves ovate -cordate, cauline ones usually clasping the stem, or 

 sessile. Flowers of all white, striped with green. The tuft of 

 glands are yellow. 



1 P. PALU'STRIS (Lin. spec. 391.) appendages furnished with 

 9-13 glandular bristles ; petals almost sessile, somewhat emar- 

 ginate ; radical leaves cordate, cauline ones clasping the stem. 

 Native throughout Europe in marshes and bogs, plentiful in 

 Britain in mountainous countries. Smith, engl. bot. t. 82. Mill, 

 illustr. t. 15. Curt. fl. lond. t. 1. Fl. dan. t. 584. Flowers 

 elegant, white, marked with greenish pellucid veins. Glands of 

 appendages or scales yellow, as well as in all the rest of the species. 



Marsh or Common Grass of Parnassus. Fl. Septemb. Oct. 

 Britain. PI. J foot. 



2 P. PARVIFLO'RA (D. C. prod. 1. p. 320.) appendages fur- 

 nished with 5-7 glandular bristles ; petals sessile ; radical leaves 

 ovate, cauline ones sessile, y. . H. Native of North America 

 in Pennsylvania and Virginia in bog meadows. Perhaps P. pa- 

 lustris, Pursh. fl. amer. sept. 1. p. 208, and also perhaps P. 

 tenuis, Wahl. fl. lapp. no. 137. Flowers white, with netted 

 veins of green or pale purple. 



Small-flowered Grass of Parnassus. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 

 1820. PI. | foot. 



3 P. OVA'TA (Ledeb. act. petr. 1815. p. 514.) appendages 

 furnished with 3 glandular bristles ; radical leaves ovate, cauline 

 ones somewhat cordate, clasping the stem. If. . H. Native in 

 bogs in eastern Siberia. Flowers white. 



Far. ft, Belvisii (D. C. prod. 1. p. 320.) radical leaves 5-7- 

 nerved, cauline ones ovate. If. . H. Native of North America. 

 P. ovata, Beauv. ined. 



Ocate-leaved Grass of Parnassus. Fl. Jul. Aug. PI. -J to 1 ft. 



4 P. CAROLINIA'NA (Michx. fl. bor. amer. 1. p. 184.) append- 

 ages furnished with 3 glandular bristles ; petals almost sessile ; 

 radical leaves somewhat orbicular, cauline ones ovate, sessile. 

 %, H. Native of North America in swamps and mosses from 

 New York to Virginia, and from Carolina to Canada. Sims, 

 bot. mag. t. 1459. Flowers white, netted, with veins of green 

 or pale purple, the flowers have a greenish tint. 



Carolina Grass of Parnassus. Fl. Jul. Aug. Clt. 1802. PI. ft. 



5 P. ASARIFO'LIA (Vent. malm. t. 39.) appendages furnished 

 with 3 glandular bristles ; petals unguiculate ; radical leaves 

 kidney-shaped, cauline ones somewhat cordate, orbicular. Tf..tl. 

 Native of North America on high mountains in Virginia and Ca- 

 rolina. Flowers white, and are as well as leaves larger than 

 those of the preceding species. 



Asarabacca-leaved Grass of Parnassus. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 

 1812. PI. i foot. 



6 P. GRANDIFO'LIA (D. C. prod. 1. p. 320.) appendages fur- 

 nished with 3 glandular bristles ; petals oblong, sessile ; radical 

 leaves ovate, somewhat cordate, 7-nerved, cauline ones somewhat 

 cordate, orbicular. If. . H. Native of North America at Che- 

 rokee. Flowers white. Leaves larger than in any other species. 



Great-leaved Grass of Parnassus. Fl. Jul. Aug. PI. f ft. 



7 P. FIMBRIA'TA (Banks, in Keen. ann. 1. p. 391.) appendages 

 palmate, glandless ; petals obovate, unguiculated, fringed at the 

 base ; radical leaves kidney-shaped, cucullate at the base, many- 

 nerved, cauline ones cordate. ^. H. Native on the western 

 coast of North America. Flowers white. The leaves of this 

 species are remarkably hollowed out at the base, close to the 

 lateral ribs, which are connected with one another by a com- 

 mon base, like the divisions of a pedate leaf, and have conse- 

 quently a very elegant appearance. Hook. bot. misc. part. 1. 

 t. 23. 



Fringed-petn\]ed Grass of Parnassus. Fl. Jul. Aug. PI. ^ ft. 



8 P. KOTZEBUEI (Cham, ex Spreng. syst. 1. p. 951.) ra- 

 dical as well as cauline leaves ovate, tapering to both ends, 



nerved ; petals linear-oblong ; appendages furnished with nu- 

 merous glandular bristles? 1(.. F. Native of the north-west 

 coast of America, round the Arctic Circle, plentiful in Escholtz 

 Bay. Flowers white. 



Kotzebue's Grass of Parnassus. Fl. Jul. Aug. PI. \ to-|- ft. 



Cult. The species of this beautiful genus thrive best in a 

 peat soil in a moist situation. They may be also grown in pots, 

 which should be placed in pans of water. They may be all in- 

 creased by dividing the plants at the roots or by seed, which 

 ripen in plenty. Plants must be introduced, as seeds do not 

 vegetate after a voyage. 



ORDER XXIII. POLYGA'LEjE (plants agreeing with Po- 

 ly gala in many important characters). Juss. ann. mus. 14. 

 p. 386. mem. mus. 1. p. 385. D. C. prod. 1. p. 321. 



Calyx of 5 sepals, which are imbricate in aestivation, the two 

 inner ones usually petal-formed (f. 70. a.), the three outer ones 

 smaller, of these last two are connected. Petals 3-5, hypogy- 

 nous, more or less connected with the staminiferous tube, which 

 is usually cleft in front (f. 70. 6.), rarely distinct. Filaments united 

 with the petals (f. 70. &.), monadelphous ; these are divided at 

 the top into 2 equal bundles, containing 4 anthers each. Anthers 

 8, 1-celled (f. 71. rf.) inserted by the base, opening by a pore at 

 the top. Ovary 1, free, 2-celled (f. 69. 6.), rarely 1, (f. 70. a.) 

 3-celled. Style 1, incurved (f. 70. e.). Stigma funnel-shaped 

 or 2-lobed (f. 70. e.\ Pericarp capsular (f. 71. f. f. 69. &.), or 

 drupaceous (f. 70. d.\ 2-celled (f. 69. 6.), or only 1-celled from 

 abortion (f. 70. a.); valves bearing a dissepiment in the middle. 

 Seeds solitary in the cells, pendulous (f. 70. rf.), usually with an 

 arillate caruncle at the base (f. 7 1./.), sometimes pilose or with 

 a tuft of hairs (f. 69. c.). Embryo straight, flat. Albumen 

 thin but rarely wanting, with the endopleura sometimes tumid. 

 Herbs or subshrubs, sometimes abounding in cream-coloured 

 juice, but more especially in the roots. Leaves entire, for the 

 most part alternate, articulated above the stem. Flowers dis- 

 posed in racemes. The affinities of this truly natural order 

 are extremely doubtful. The habit of the flowers is refer- 

 able to Leguminosce and Fumariacece. The situation, dispo- 

 sition, and number of the stamens nearly agree with Fwmariacece. 

 But if the sepals are admitted as 5, and the petals 5, and 3 

 of which are supposed to be connected into a keel, Poly- 

 galece is more nearly related to Leguminbsce than to any other 

 Order. 



Most of the plants of this order are interesting, and deserving 

 of the attention of gardeners, some for their neatness, some for 

 their beauty, and some for their use in medicine. They are 

 natives of most countries, and are either low herbaceous plants, 

 or shrubs from a dwarf spiny habit, to a tall graceful drooping 

 appearance. The Order is remarkable for the union of the 

 stamens into a single body, and in the anthers opening by a pore 

 at the top, as well as in their irregular flowers ; one of the petals 

 is usually keel-shaped, and beautifully crested or bearded. 

 The leaves have a bitter astringent taste, which is much more 

 abundant in the roots, combined with an acrid flavour. These 

 properties are particularly sensible in P. Senega, which is re- 

 puted a sudorific, diuretic, sialagogue, cathartic, or mild emetic, 



