CLASS III. TRIANDRIA. 



ORBER, MONOGYNXA. 



A- Flowers superior, a. Complete. 



20. FEDIA. Nutt. Gen. 30. 

 [Meaning obscure: supposed to be from Fedus, an ancient Latin word for Ilcedus, a kid.] 



Cal. 3 or 4 toothed. Cor. 5 cleft. Caps, crowned with the persistent calyx, 3 celled. 

 P. radiata. Bart. Fl. Phil. Dichotomous; leaves spathulate-oblong, opposite; flowers terminal. 

 Sijnon. Valeriana olitoria. Willd. Fw/g-o— Lamb's lettuce. Corn sallad. 



Fl. Beginning of May. Fr. mat. 



Hab. Meadow bank, at Brinton Darlington's: rare, 4 to 10 inches high: flowers blueish white. 



Obs. I have seen this plant in great abundance, and of a la^er size, near Strasburg, in Lancaster county; 

 but it is very rare here. I cannot think, with Dr. W. P. C. Barton, that it is indigenous,— at least in this 

 neighborhood. The radical leaves are used as a sallad, in Europe, and in some of our cities. It has been sup- 

 posed USefulin cases of renal calcuH: and Boerhaave, according to Schoepf, says, "HypochondriaCorum 

 ^umraum est solatium." Certainly a comfort of easy acquisition. 



b. Flowers incomplete. 



21. IRIS, Nutt. Gen. 34. 

 [From the hues of the flower resembling those of the Rainbow.'S 

 Caii. spathe, 2 valved. Cor. 6 parted; alternate segments reflexed. Stigmas petal-form. 

 I. viRGmiCA. Ph- Flowers beardless; stem ancipital, longer than the leaves; capsules oblong, angles sulcate. 

 Synon. I. versicolor. Torrey; not of Ph. nor of the South, secund. Schweinitz. Fw/go— Wild Flag. 

 Fl. Latter endof May * Fr. mat. 



Hab. Low, wet places: Dungeon bottom: rather scarce. 2 to 3 feet high. 



Obs. A handsome plant; flowers blueish purple, somewhat variegated— -with the base of the outer petals 

 yellow. 



3> Flowers inferior, a. Corolla monopetalous. 



22. HETERANTHERA. Beauvois, in Act. Philad. 4. p. 173. 

 [Gr. Heteros, different, and Anthera, an anther; the anthers in tlie same flower being dissimilar.] 

 Cal,. spaWie, 2 to 4 flowered. Cor. tubular; limb 6 parted. Anthers, 2 linear, 1 triangular- Caps. 3 celled- 

 H. RE^-iFORMis. Bart. Fl. Phil. Leaves roundish, reniform; spathe 3 or 4 flowered. 

 Synon. H. acuta. Ph. Leptanthus reniformis. Mx. Nutt. Gen. 40. 

 Fl. Last of July, and after. Fr. mat. Middle of October. 



Mob. Swamps, and muddy rivulets: Chester creeTi; Brandy wine: frequent 



Obs. A creeping, herbaceous plant, 4, to 6 or 8 inches long; flowers while. On opening the side of the 

 full grown capsule, longitudinally, the columella, or receptacle of the seeds, splits into three parti, so as te 

 present tile appearance of three receptacles, to which the seeds are attached by pedicels. 



23. SCHOLLERA. Schreh. Gen. PL 1711. 

 [In honor of Fred. Adam Scholler, a German Botanist.] 



Cal. spathe, 1 or 2 flowered. Cor. tube slender, very long; limb 6 parted. Caps. 1 celled. 

 S. GRAMiNEA. Bart. Fl. Phil. Stem slender, floating or creeping; leaves sessile, linear, grass-like. 

 Synon. Leptanthus gramineus. Mx. Heteranthera giaminea. Ph. 

 Fl. Middle of July. fr. mat. 



Hab. Shallow waters: Brandy wine- 6 to 18 inches long: flowers bright yellow. 



Obs. The Scholler?, of Schreber, seemed to be lost for a time, until Dr. Muhlenberg restored it. f (See 

 Bees' Cyclop. ..4r?. Schollera.) Michaux appears not to have been aware that his Leptanthus gramme- 

 iis was the same plant. It is pretty abuiidant in the Brandy wuic; in some seasons flowering extcnsiveJy- 

 in either?, the flower.'; rarely ts be gee^.. 



