PENTANDRIA. DIGYNIA. 191 



vicinity of New Orleans, from whence it was acciden- 

 tally imported to Philadelphia, in a box of earth, with 

 other plants, by Mr. Li. E. Griffiths who favoured me with 

 living- specimens. 



Descript. Root slender, fusiform, annual. Stem nearly 

 simple, or dividing into 2 or 3 branches towards the base 

 or the middle, smooth, even and slender, about a foot 

 high, and neai-ly floriferous Irom the base. Leaves rather 

 ■^ distant, petioiate, having small membranaceous abrupt 

 sheaths, larger leaves subtriternately divided, ultimate 

 segments bifid and trifid, very smooth, linear and acute. 

 Umbell entirely sessile, arising from the sheath of the 

 leaf on tlie opposite side of the stem, bifid or trifid without 

 any vestige of a proper general or partial invohicrum. 

 Umbellet 10, 12 to IS-flowerecl, more or less; pedicells 

 short. Calix none. Petals subovate, acute, erect, equal 

 and entire, with the points a little incurved, externally 

 rosaceous, within whitish. Styles rot visible, stigmas 

 in all stages like so many subcapitate sessile points. Sta- 

 mina shorter than the corolla, anthers purplish. Fruit 

 roundish-ovate, corticate, and laterally subconipressed; 

 commissure flat and striate, oblong-elliptic. Seed green- 

 ish-grey, scarcely larger than that of Mignionette, gib- 

 bously convex, scored with 5 converging, angular and 

 turgid ridges; intervals acute-angular, and striate. Sen- 

 sible properties and structure of the seed not very dissi- 

 milar to that of Cictita ynaculata, the primary ridges are, 

 however, less obtuse and interlaid with striae not with tu- 

 bercular granulations. 



276. CICUTA. L, (Water-Hemlock, Water- 

 Cowbane.) 



Fruit corticate, roundish, and laterally com- 

 pressed^ commi-ssure obionj^-elliptic, flat. Seed 

 gibbously convex, scored wiih 5 converging ob- 

 tuse ridges, and 4 intermediate tuberculate 

 grooves. 



General involucrum wanting, or at most of 1 or 2 leaves; 

 partial involucrum 5 or 6-leaved. Flowers regular. Calix 

 obsolete, 5-toothed. Petals cordately-inflected. Styles 

 persistent, spreading; stigmas subcapitate. Leaves biter- 

 nate, serrated. Poisonous plants. 



Species. 1. C maculata. Ods. Lower leaves ternate, 

 with the partitions unequally 5-leaved; upper ones simply 

 biternate, floral leaves ternate, leaflets lanceolate, almost 



