DIADELPHIA. OCTANDRIA, 89 



tes deciduous; stem erect and branched. Hab. Common 

 throui^hout the Atlantic states. 



14. * ambigua. Annual: first leaves verticillate, line- 

 ar, the rest alternate; s^em vlrgately branched; spikes 

 acute, upon very lon^ peduncles; flowers cristate, pur- 

 plish; calicine wings round and venose, equal with the 

 fruit to which they are appressed; bractes deciduous. 

 Hab. In New Jersey and Virginia; in forests and on road 

 sides near ditches, abundant, but not so common as the 

 preceding, to which it very nearly approaches. After seve- 

 ral years examination in a living state I am decidedly in- 

 duced to consider it a separate species; the flowers are 

 larj^er, purple, and distinctly pedicellate; 1 have now be- 

 fore me specimens in which the fihform spike and its pe- 

 duncle is from 6 to 8 inches long. The flowers of both 

 these species are distinctly cristate. 



15. * fasti giata. Annual: stem slender and fastigiately 

 branched; leaves alternate, linear, acute; spikes subcapi- 

 tate, pedunculate; flowers subcnstate; calicine wings 

 spreading, ovate, acute, scarcely longer than the capsule. 

 H A3. In New Jersey, &,c. v. v. Nearly allied to cruciata, 

 more remotely to seiacea, with which it is confounded in 

 Muhlenberg's Herbarium, v. s. 



16. cmciata. Annual: stem fastigiately branched, an- 

 gular, angles alated; leaves linear-oblong, punctate, ver- 

 ticillate in 4's; spikes condensed, sessile; flowers subcris- 

 tate, calicine wings deltoidly -cordate, acuminate, con- 

 cealing the small and reflected capsule. Hab. On the 

 margins of dry sphagnose morasses; not very common; 

 generally dwarf and spreading, spikes from 10 to 15 lines 

 long, bractes persistent, calicine wings flatly spreading, 

 greenish, with a bright rosaceovrs margin, capsule minute, 

 substipitate. 



17. * brevifolia. Annual: stem erect, siibfastigiately 

 branched, angular, angles alated; leaves oblong-linear, 

 short, resinously punctate, verticillated in 4's; spikes pe- 

 dunculate, partly capitate; flowers subcristate; calicine 

 wings cordate-ovate, acute, scarcely longer than the cap- 

 sule. Hab. On the margins of sandy swamps. New Jer- 

 sey, also in Ohio. Flowering in July and August; some- 

 what rare. Obs. Nearly allied to the preceding, with 

 wliich it has probably been confounded, though perfectly 

 distinct; it is more slender, leaves scarcely half the size^ 

 branches subvirgate and erect, flowers brightish red. 



t Floivers corymbose. 



18. corymbosa. Perennial: stem simple, angular, summit 

 corymbose, many-flowered; radical leaves spathulate-obo- 

 vate, cauline subequal, linear; calicine wings conniventa 



11 2 



