i^- IIEXA.\DRiA. THIGYMA. 



spot. Filaments very short, inseitcd upon the 

 bat>e of the petals. Jiiikcrs sai^ittate, erect. 

 Stigma rellected. Capsule 3-cel!ed. 



Bulb siibglvibose, solid. Leaf subsolilar)', radical, gra- 

 mineous; scape about 3-fio\veied; flowers wliiie, the inuei* 

 petals wkh a purple spot. Apjjarently allied to Hypoxis. 



Species. 1. C elegans. l^ur^k, Hor. Am. 1. p. i^40. 

 Within the Northern Andes or liocky Mountains. The 

 only species. 



'43. MELANTHIUM. L. 



Polygamous. — Calix none. Corolla rotate, 

 6- parted: segments unguiculate, biglandulous 

 at the base, claws staminiferous. Capsule cx- 

 serted, subovate, apex partly trifjd, 3-celled. 

 Seeds many, membranaceously alated. 



Root (in the American species) truncate and horizontal 

 <ii- i-av:-];,' bi;ir(:j;s; leaics; ; r:ur<i!eous, flaccicl; sc.pc- oficM 

 t^n, and p;. raiaidauy puiiiculate; petals co; spiciiouoh u;;gii- 

 iculaie, cahcine, progressively changing colour, bimacuiaie. 



Species. 1. Jif. virginicnm. 2. monoicum. 3. hybrldum. 

 Nearly allied to Veratrtim. Leaves elliptic-oblong, some- 

 what plaited. Upper part of the panicle feminine in an 

 •^iongated raceme; petals unguiculated, but without the 

 characteristic glandular spots, interior ones roundish ovate» 

 acute in the male, obtuse, and a little undulated in the 

 female, both nearly smootii. Styles uncinate, a little short- 

 er than the germ.* Capsule large, appearing like 3 uni- 

 ted by the inner margins, cells 3, 5, and probably some- 

 times 6 seeded, seeds imbricated, flat, subelliptic, with a 

 double alated margin, about the size of the seeds of some 

 species of Pinus. v. v. In the mountains of North Caro- 

 lina. 4. *gla'iicwn. Root a tunicated bulb; leaves glau- 

 cous, gramineous, marginal ed; raceme mostly simple, 

 few-flowered; flowers hermaphrodite, petals roundish, un- 

 guiculate, bimaculate; seeds subulately alated. Hab. On 

 the gravelly banks of the St. Laurence in calcareous soil; 

 around the Cataract of Niagara, on the borders of Lakes 

 Erie, Huron and Michigan and up the Missouri to Fort 

 Mandan. It appears to be considerably allied to Antheri- 

 cum in habit; scarcely a foot high; leaves almost similar 

 to Jlf. virginicnm; flowers whitish, raceme sometimes a 

 little divided at the base. Flowering ia July and Au- 



