J 96 PENTANDRIA. DIGIKIA. 



A genus indigenous to Europe, Northern Africa and 

 Nortli America. 



282. * THASPIUxM.f 



Fruit subelliptic. Seed convex with 5 alated 

 ridges, alie subequal; intervals grooved. Invo- 

 lucre none. Involucell about 3-leaved, unila- 

 teral? 



Flowers mostly yellow, many of them infertile. Stylesf 

 divaricate. Calix 5-toothed; petals involute, acuminate. 

 Leaves pseudo-ternate or biternate, radical ones some- 

 times entire, marijin serrated or toothed, rarely entire. 

 Each of the umbells usually coming- out opposite a lea.f, 

 in some species terminal. 



§ I. Umbells opposite the leaves; stems nearly simple. 



Species. 1. 'V. anretim. Leaflets ovate -lanceolate, acute, 

 serrate, lateral divisions of the upper leaves subsessile; in- 

 volucell 3-leaved, unilateral; calix 5-toothed, all the ridges 

 nfthe seed winged. Smyrtmnn aureum. Ph. 2. atropurpu- 

 reum. Leaves serrate, radical often subcordate, uppermost 

 ternate, middle leaflet conspicuously petiolate, leaflets 

 ovate-acute; flowers dark purple. Oes- Radical leaves 

 mostly entire, upon long peduncles; involucell 3-leaved, 

 unilateral, often wanting. Calix 5-toothed, obvious. Pe- 

 tals oblong acuminate, involute, at first greenish. Styles 

 iiiiform, divaricate, long as the fruit. Fruit small elliptic, 

 witli 10 v/hitish alated ridges. — Leaves often elegantly ma- 

 culated with angular palei* coloured blotches. Smyrnium 

 tttrupurpureiim. Ph. Hab. Not uncommon in the vicinity 

 of Philadelphia. 



§ II. Umbells terminal; stem dichoiomojis. 



3. T. barbitiofle. Lignsticum barhinodey Mich. Fl. Amcr, 

 p. 167. Lower leaves subtriteriiate, upper biternate; 

 leaflets ctineate-ovate, acute or acumi.*.ate, unequally and 

 incisely serrate, entire towards the base; umbells dichoto- 

 mal and terminal; involucell subulate, unilateral, 3-ieaved; 

 fruit elliptic, 7 of the ridges alternately broader. — Obs. 

 Eoot perennial. Stem 3 feet high, diciiotomous, angular, 

 and grooved, smooth, excepting a minute pubescence at 

 the nodes, common in this and other genera. Leaves 

 smooth, floral ones subopposite, all upon longish petioles, a 

 little scabro\is and whitish on the margin, serratures deep, 



■\ From t!ie isle of 7'/^f/-7«(7, v/hich gave name to the Thapsia 

 of the ancients, in allu.sion to its .affinity with that genus. It is 

 the Cnidium of C:us!;un, a name now more properly employed 

 for another genus. 



