UMBELLIFERjE. CXLI. MOIOPOSPERMUM. CXLII. VELJEA. CXLIII. MYRRHIS. CXLIV. OSMORHIZA. 369 



late, elongated, shining, or decurrently pinnate-parted ; segments 

 sharply pinnatifid. Leaves of involucrum numerous, elongated, 

 rather membranous, sometimes multifid. Involucels of many 

 leaves. Flowers white, on short pedicels. Terminal umbels, 

 large, fertile : lateral ones smaller, male. Fruit often deformed, 

 having the lateral ribs almost wanting, and the vittse of the 

 lateral furrows. Perhaps this genus comes nearer to Pleuro- 

 spermum and Hymenolcena than to Velce~a. 



1 M. CICUTA'RIUM (D. C. prod. 4. p. 230.) 7/ . H. Native of 

 the Pyrenees, Cevennes, Alps of Provence, Dauphiny, Piedmont, 

 and Carniola. Seseli Peloponense, Matth. ed. Valg. 502. f. 4. 

 but not of Dioscorides. Ligusticum Peloponesiacum, Lin. spec. 

 360. Jacq. fl. austr. append, t. 13. Lig. Peloponense, Lam. 

 diet. 3. p. 576. Lig. Cicutarium, Lam. fl. fr. 3. p. 453. Molo- 

 pospermum Peloponesiacum, Koch. 1. c. S6seli Peloponense, 

 Diosc. lib. 3. cap. 62. is Angelica sylvestris, which grows fre- 

 quently in the Morea, ex Smith, prod. fl. graec. 1. p. 193. 



Cicuta-like Molopospermum. Fl. May, July. Clt. 1596. 

 PI. 3 to 5 feet. 



Cult. This plant will grow in any soil, and is easily increased 

 either by dividing at the root or by seed. 



CXLII. VEL^A (named after Seb. Eug. Vela, who illus- 

 trated umbelliferous plants under the auspices of Lagasca). D. C. 

 coll. mem. v. p. 61. t. 2. f. H. prod. 4. p. 230. Ligusticum 

 species of H. B. et Kunth. 



LIN. SYST. Pentandria, Digy'nia. Margin of calyx obliterated. 

 Petals unknown. Stylopodium conically depressed, short. 

 Styles erect, filiform. Fruit ovate, without a beak ; mericarps 

 somewhat compressed from the sides, having the transverse sec- 

 tion nearly terete ; ribs 5, the 2 lateral ones marginating, and 

 nearly filiform, the 3 dorsal ones winged ; vittae usually 3 in the 

 furrows, but sometimes only 2, probably from 2 of them being 

 joined in one ; and 4 in the commissure. Albumen involute. 

 Carpophore bipartite from the base. A branched glabrous 

 herb. Stem sulcately striated. Leaves ternately decompound ; 

 leaflets nearly sessile, trifid, or pinnatifid, serrated, cuneated at 

 the base. Umbels terminal, of about 20 rays. Involucra and 

 involucels none. Fruit almost like that of Cnidlum, but differs 

 in the albumen being involute ; of Molopospermum, hut the calyx 

 is toothless, the commissure less contracted, and the furrows 

 marked with many stripes ; of My'rrhis, but the vittae are more 

 numerous, and. the carpophore is bipartite to the base. 



1 V. TOLUCCE'NSIS (D. C. prod. 4. p. 231.) I/ . H. Native 

 of Mexico, in the mountains near Tolucca. Ligusticum Toluc- 

 cense, H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 5. p. 19. t. 422. Cm- 

 dium Toluccense, Spreng. syst. 1. p. 388. 



Tolucca Velaea, PI. 2 feet. 



Cull. This plant will require some shelter in severe winters. 

 It will be easily increased by seed or by dividing at the root. 



CXLIII. MY'RRHIS (from pvpov, myron, perfume, or 

 fj.vppa, myrrha, myrrh ; scent of plant). Scop. earn. 2. p. 341. 

 Hoffm. umb. 1. p. 27. t. 1. f. 23. Koch, umb. 123. D. C. 

 prod. 4. p. 231. Chserophyllum species, Lam. Scandix spe- 

 cies, Lin. Myrrhis species, Spreng. 



LIN. SYST. Pentandria, Digy'nia. Margin of calyx obsolete. 

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

 pressed from the sides. Seed involute, covered by a double 

 membrane; the outer membrane acutely keeled by 5 equal 

 sharp ribs, which are hollow inside : the inner membrane closely 

 adnate to the seed. Vittse wanting. Carpophore cleft at the 

 apex. Perennial villous herbs, having a strong scent of anise. 

 Roots fusiform. Leaves ternately decompound ; leaflets pinna- 

 tifid. Involucrum wanting. Involucels of many lanceolate 

 ciliated leaves. Central flowers of umbel male. Petals white. 



1 M. ODORA'TA (Scop. 1. c.) leaves rather villous beneath ; 



VOL. III. 



leaves of involucels lanceolate, finely fringed. 7/ . H. Native 

 of Middle and South Europe, from Spain to Asia Minor ; Ger- 

 many, Switzerland, Austria, the south of France, and the north 

 of Italy. In Britain, in Yorkshire, Cumberland, and Lancashire, 

 and in the lowlands of'Scotland, in mountain pastures. It is also 

 to be found in Chili, but it has probably been introduced thither. 

 Myrrhis, Dod. pempt. 701. with a figure. Odorata, Riv. pent, 

 irr. with a figure. Scandix odorata, Lin. spec. 368. Smith, 

 engl. hot. t. 697. Jacq. austr. 5. append, t. 37. Blackw. t. 243. 

 Plench. icon. 206. Chserophyllum odoratum, Lam. diet. 1. p. 

 683. Scandix odorata of Burm. fl. cap. p. 8. is our plant. 

 This was one of the old medicinal plants, but it is now disused. 

 Formerly the young leaves and seeds were put into salads, and 

 the roots were boiled or eaten, cold or in tarts, and in a variety 

 of sauces. " Sweet Chervil gathered while it is young," says 

 Parkinson, " and put among other herbs in a sallet, addeth 

 a marvellous good relish to all the rest." In Germany, it is 

 said to be still used in soups. It no longer appears at the table 

 with us. In the north of England the seeds were formerly em- 

 ployed in polishing and perfuming oak floors and furniture. 



Sweet Cicely or Great Chervil. Fl. May, June. Britain. 

 PI. 2 to 3 feet. 



2 M. SULCA'TA (Lag. gen. et spec. p. 13.) leaves hoary from 

 tomentum beneath ; leaves of involucels oblong, concave, seta- 

 ceously mucronate. I/. H. Native of Spain. Fruit deeply 

 furrowed. 



Furroncd-trmteA Cicely or Great Chervil. PI. 2 feet. 



Cult. These plants will grow in any common garden soil, 

 and are easily increased by seed or dividing at the root. 



CXLIV. OSMORHl'ZA (from o<r^i/, osme, scent, and pia, 

 rhiza, a root; roots sweet scented). Rafin. journ. phys. 1821, 

 D. C. prod. 4. p. 232. Uraspermum, Nutt. gen. amer. 1. p. 

 192. but not of Juss. Spermatura. Reichenb. consp. 1827. 1. 

 p. 141. Myrrhis species, Michx. Torr. Spreng. 



LIN. SYST. Pentandria, Digy'nia. Margin of calyx obsolete. 

 Petals obovate, hardly emarginate, but with a short inflexed 

 point each. Fruit elongated, tapering into a tail at the base, 

 solid, acutely angled : having the transverse section nearly 

 terete ; mericarps with the angles rather furrowed and hispid : 

 having 5 acute ribs each ; commissure furrowed ; vittae none. 

 Seed terete, involute, much shorter than the tube of the calyx. 

 Carpophore semibifid. American perennial herbs. Roots fusi- 

 form, sweet-scented. Stems branched, 2 feet high. Leaves biter- 

 nate ; leaflets broadly ovate-lanceolate, deeply-toothed. Involu- 

 cra of 2-3 leaves ; involucels usually of 5 leaves ; leaves of both 

 the involucra and involucels lanceolate, ciliated. Flowers white, 

 the central ones of the umbellules male, the outer ones alone fertile. 



1. Involucra and involucels of 3 or 5 leaves. 



1 O. Z.ONGISTYLIS (D. C. prod. 4. p. 232.) styles filiform, 

 somewhat diverging, equal in length to the breadth of the fruit, 

 or rather longer. TJ.. H. Native of North America, about 

 Albany and New York, &c. ex Torrey ; in moist parts of woods 

 about Boston, ex Bi;;el, &c. Throughout Canada, from Lake 

 Huron to the Saskatchawan, and on the banks of the Columbia 

 in shady places, ex Hook. fl. bor. amer. 1. p. 271. t. 96. Myrrhis 

 longistylis, Torr. fl. un. St. 1. p. 310. Uraspermum Claytonii, 

 Nutt. gen. amer. 1. p. 193. Bigel. fl. host. ed. 2. p. 112. Scan- 

 dix dulcis, Muhl. ex spec. Nutt. Schrad. in litt. My'rrhis Clay- 

 tonii, Spreng. spec. umb. 129. t. 3. f. 6. Chserophy'llum Clay- 

 tonii, Pers. There are varieties of this having the stem and 

 leaves more or less villous or smooth. Umbels usually of 5 rays. 

 Leaves of involucra and involucels oval-lanceolate. Root smell- 

 ing of anise according to Bigelow, Fruit clavate. Involucra 

 permanent. 

 3B 



