HEXANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. 211 



Shrubs with alternate leaves, often collected in fasci- 

 cles, surrounded at the base by imbricated gemmaceous 

 scales, and subtended by a simple ortrifid spine; flowers 

 issuing- from the middle of the fascicles, racemose, subco- 

 rymbose or solitary. (The sensitive property existing- in 

 the filaments of this genus appears to be mechanically 

 accounted for by Fersoon, who remarks, that the filaments 

 at first adhere to the glands, and afterwards rise up with 

 elasticity; in the following genus, however, where no 

 glands exist, the character of sensibility alone must be 

 admitted.) 



Species. 1. B. canadensis. Older branches covered 

 with small verrucose punctures; spines trifid; leaves 

 rather small, oblong-obovate, distantly serrate; racemes 

 simple, recurved, subcorymbose; leaves of the calix very 

 unequal, 3 interior, oboval, twice the length of the exte- 

 rior; berry subglobose. — Obs. A smaller and later flower- 

 ing species than B. vulgaris, from which it is sufficiently 

 distinct. Stems and roots yellow; spines tnfid, divaricate. 

 Racemes partly corymbose, horizontal or recurved, not 

 pendulous, lower pedicells often near an inch long, p'low- 

 ers mostly bibracteate, and of an agreeable odor; leaves 

 of the calix paler than the corolla, yellow, conspicuously 

 unequal, exterior oval, about half the length of the inte- 

 rior, inrerior cuneate-oboval, longer than the corolla. Pe- 

 tals cuneatc-oval, bifidly emarginate, deep yellow, bi glan- 

 dular near the base. Filaments of the stamina iri-itable. 

 Cerm 2 to 4-sepded. Berry subglobose, seldom oblong, 

 miniate, 2 rarely S-seeded. — Hab. On the Alleghany moun- 

 tains, from Canada to Georgia; also in Tennessee, wliere 

 it appears almost sempervirent. 



Of this genus, which like Jiibes may be considered sub- 

 alpine, there is 1 species in Europe, extending to the Le- 

 vant, and as far as Lebanon in Syria, a second indigenous 

 to the isle of Crete, and i?. sibirica to the Altaic Alps; 

 but the mountains of South America already afford no 

 less than 12 species of this interesting genus, several of 

 them peculiar to the frigid climate of the Straits of Ma- 

 gellan, and the rocks of Terra del Fuego. 



307. *MAHONIA.t 



Calix 6-leaved, unequal. Petals 6. JVeda- 

 riferous ^^lands none. Filaments ivvitMGi each 



I In memory of the late Mr. Bernard McMahon, whose ar- 

 dent attachment to Botany, and successful introduction of use- 

 ful and ornamental horticulture into the United States, lavs 

 Claim to public esteem. 



