350 



UMBELLIFERjE. CXXIV. THAPSIA. CXXV. CYMOPTERUS. CXXVI. LASERPITIUM. 



Involucra of 5-7 leaves. 



6 T. POLY'GAMA (Desf. fl. all. 1. p. 261. t. 75.) stem terete, 

 glabrous, sparingly branched ; leaves glabrous, bipinnate ; leaf- 

 lets multifid : lobes linear, acute, divaricately trifid ; involucra 

 of 5-7 leaves; central flowers male. 1.H. Native of Mauri- 

 tania, about Bone, Lacalle, and Tangiers. Spreng. in Schultes, 

 syst. 6. p. 614. exclusive of the synonyme of Lam. and there- 

 fore the description. Flowers pale yellow. Stylopodiutn thick. 

 Styles diverging, at length reflexecl Barrel, icon. 356. appears 

 to be intended for this plant, but the flowers are said to be 

 white. 



Polygamous Deadly-carrot. PI. 1 to 2 feet. 



f- Species not sufficiently known. 



7 T. PRJEA'LTA (D'Urv. enum. p. 32.) stem branched above ; 

 radical leaves quadrifariously decompound, shining ; leaflets ob- 

 long, cut, almost pinnatifid ; umbels numerous : central one 

 much the shortest : lateral ones on peduncles, which are fur- 

 nished each with a lanceolate twin bractea at the base. If. . H. 

 Native of the island of Cos, among broken rocks at the height 

 of 900 feet. Stem 6-8 feet high. Fruit unknown. 



Tall Deadly-carrot. PI. 6 to 8 feet. 



8 T. TRANSTAGA'NA (Brot. fl. lus. 1. p. 468.) leaves bipin- 

 nate ; leaflets pinnatifid : segments linear-lanceolate, hairy. I/ . 

 H. Native of Portugal, near Montemor and Serpa. Habit of 

 T. Gargdnica, but more hairy. 



Transtagus Deadly-carrot. PI. 2 to 4 feet. 



9 T. MA'XIMA (Mill. diet. no. 2.) leaves pinnate; leaflets very 

 broad, pinnatifid, villous beneath ; petioles decurrent. "If. . H. 

 Native of Spain, all over Old Castile quite to the Pyrenees. 

 Perhaps not different from T. villosa. Root said to be of a 

 dark colour on the outside, and the leaves very thick. 



Largest Deadly-carrot. Fl. June, July. Clt. ? PI. 4 to 5 ft. 



10 T. ALTI'SSIMA (Mill. diet. no. 6.) leaves decompound; 

 leaflets large, shining ; umbels large. 2.H. Native of Apulia. 

 Perhaps the same as T. jirccalta. 



Tallest Deadly-carrot. PI. 8 feet. 



Cult. The species of. Thapsia will grow in any common 

 garden soil. They are only to be increased by seeds, which 

 should be sown in autumn as soon as ripe. 



CXXV. CYMO'PTERUS (from Kvpa, kyma, a wave, and 

 tcTtpov, pleron, a wing ; in allusion to the undulated wings of 

 the mericarps). Rafin. journ. phys. 1819. aug. p. 100. but not 

 ofSchultes, syst. 6. p. 34. Thapsia, Nutt.gen. amer. l.p.184. 



LIN. SYST. Pentdndria, Digynia. Calyx minutely 5-toothed. 

 Petals roundish-oval, with an inflexed point. Fruit nearly ellip- 

 tic, compressed, 7-8-winged : the perfect mericarps are there- 

 fore 4-winged, and the imperfect ones 3-winged : wings undu- 

 lated; furrows of fruit flat, 1 -nerved ; commissure naked, but 

 with 3 stripes. Carpophore not separable from the mericarps. 

 A smooth humble herb, with tuberous roots, rather decumbent, 

 nearly naked stems ; biternate leaves : with short obtuse decus- 

 sate lobes, and long petioles. Umbels 4-6-rayed ; involucra 

 wanting ; involucels 5-7-parted, dimidiate. Flowers polyga- 

 mous ; female ones nearly sessile and white ; central ones male, 

 pedicellate. This genus is truly distinct from Thapsia, but per- 

 haps may be joined with Laserpitium. 



1 C. GLOMERATUS (D. C. prod. 4. p. 204.) I/ . H. Native 

 of North America, in the open plains of the Missouri. Selinum 

 acaule, Pursh, fl. bor. amer. 2. suppl. 732. Thapsia glomerata, 

 Nutt. gen. amer. 1. p. 184. 



Glomerate- flowered Cymopterus. PI. decumbent. 



Cult. See Thapsia above for culture and propagation. 



CXXVI. LASERPITIUM (from laser, its gum, and pix, 

 pitch ; the name of the ancient Silphium). Tourn. inst. 324. 

 t. 172. Lin. gen. 344. Spreng. umb. prod. 17. Lag. am. nat. 

 2. p. 90. D. C. prod. 4. p. 204. 



LIN. SYST. Pentdndria, Digynia. Margin of calyx 5-toothed. 

 Petals obovate, emarginate, with an inflexed point. Fruit com- 

 pressed from the back, or nearly terete, 8-winged ; the 5 pri- 

 mary nerves of the mericarps being filiform : and the 4 second- 

 ary ones being winged. Vittae 1 in each furrow, under the 

 secondary ribs. Carpophore free, bipartite. Herbs with bi- 

 pinnate or tripinnate leaves ; leaflets entire, toothed or cut. 

 Umbels showy, of many rays. Involucra and involucels of 

 many leaves. Flowers white, rarely yellow. This genus is 

 easily distinguished from the others by the 8 wings to the fruit. 



* Fruit glabrous, or the primary ribs are clothed with ad- 

 pressed, very short down. 



1 L. A'SPERUM (Crantz, austr. 3. p. 54.) leaves bipinnate, 

 covered with rough hairs beneath and on the petioles ; leaflets 

 ovate, rather cordate, mucronately toothed : ultimate ones 

 usually confluent ; leaves of involucra linear-setaceous ; wings 

 of fruit curled. Tf,. H. Native of Europe, on dry hills, and 

 by the margins of woods. D. C. fl. fr. suppl. p. 509. L. lati- 

 folium, Lam. diet. 3. p. 423. L. pubescens, Lag. gen. et spec. 

 12. L. Cervaria, Gmel. bad. 1. p. 657. L. Libanotis, Spreng. 

 in Schultes, syst. 6. p. 617. exclusive of many of the syno- 

 nymes. Lob. icon. 704. f. 2. Flowers white. 



Rough Laserwort. PI. 1 to 2 feet. 



2 L. GLA'BRUM (Crantz, aust. 3. p. 54.) leaves bipinnate, 

 quite glabrous in every part, and shining ; leaflets obliquely 

 cordate, mucronately toothed : but those of the superior leaves 

 are quite entire ; leaves of involucra setaceous ; wings of fruit 

 equal, rather curled. If.. H. Native of Europe, on the moun- 

 tains, in dry and stony places. D. C. fl. fr. suppl. p. 509. L. lati- 

 folium, Lin. spec. 356. Jacq. fl. aust. t. 146. Schkuhr, handb. 

 t. 67. Fl. dan. t. 1513. L. Libanotis, Lam. diet. 3. p. 423. 

 Dod. pempt. 312. f. 2. Clus. hist. 2. p. 194. f. 2. Riv. pent. t. 

 21. Plench. icon. 179. Mor. hist. sect. 9. t. 17. Mor. hist. 

 3. p. 320. t. 19. f. 1-6. Stem and under side of leaves rather 

 glaucous. Flowers white. In the Alps this plant is only a foot 

 or 2 feet in height, while in cultivation it grows much larger. 

 The plant is acrid and aromatic, with something of bitterness, 

 and seems to merit a place amongst the aromatic stimulants, 

 emmenagogues, and aperient sudorifics. It is used by the pea- 

 sants for themselves, and by farriers for horses, in some coun- 

 tries. The root is the hottest part of the plant. 



Var. /3, crispum (Turra, fl. ital. prod. p. 65. no. 14.) wings 

 of fruit very much curled. Tf.. H. Native of Mount Baldo. 

 Glabrous Laserwort. Fl. June, Jul. Clt. 1640. PI. 2 to 4ft. 



3 L. AauiLEGiFo'LiUM (Murr. syst. p. 228.) leaves biternate 

 or triternate ; leaflets ovate, rather cordate af the base, slightly 

 lobed, glabrous, but puberulous on the nerves beneath ; 

 involucra and involucels deciduous, of few leaves ; wings of 

 fruit equal, flat. If.. H. Native of France, Austria, Hungary, 

 &c. on the mountains. D. C. fl. fr. 5. p. 510. Jacq. aust. 22. t. 

 147. L. trilobum, Jacq. vind. 48. Crantz, austr. p. 187.butnot 

 of Lin. L. alplnum, Waldst. et Kit. pi. hung. t. 253. Bess, 

 prim. 2. p. 393. Stem glabrous, glaucous, green. This plant 

 is usually confused with Siler trilobum, from the shape of the 

 leaves ; but it is easily distinguished from that plant in the 8- 

 winged fruit. 



Columbine-leaved Laserwort. Fl. May, July. Clt. 1640. PI. 

 4 to 6 feet. 



4 L. GAUDI'NII (Moretti, in Com. (1824.) fl. com. no. 344. 

 and in bot. ital. (1825.) no. 3. p. 33.) leaves somewhat tripin- 

 nate : leaflets roundly 2-3-lobed, acutely and deeply serrated : 



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