TETRANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. 21 



p. MAJOR. Ell- Leaves ovp.te,sraoothish; scape tereto; spike long, -with the flowers imbricated. 

 Fm/jo— Common, or Great Plantain. Way-bread. 



Fl. Beginning of June till autumn. Fr. mat. August, and after. 



Hab. Moist, rich grounds; along foot paths, and about houses; very common. Scapes 6 to IS inches high. 

 Obs. A naturalized foreigner. The scape frequently bears one or two leaves, near the spike of flow- 

 er":, and is then flattened, or dilated. The leaves are often used for dressing blisters ami oth.;r sores. It is 

 said ournative India.is call this plant " f/ie w/Wfe ?n./«'s /oof, "—from the circumstance of its dolightmg to 

 grow in travelled pathways, and advancing into the country pai-i passu with the whites. 



P. LANCEOLATA. Ell. Lcaves lanceolate, hairy; spike cylindric, or subovate, naked; scape angled, hairy. 



Fw/go— English Plantain. Ripple-grass. Ribwort. Buck-horn Plantain. 



Fl. Middle of May, and after. Fr. mat. Beginning of July. 



Hab. Meadows, fields, and grass lots: common. Scapes 1 to 2 feet high. 



Obs. This species is also a naturalized foreigner. It is not much esteemed by the farmers of this vicinity 

 —though in some nei;?-hborhoods it has been occasionally cuhivated; and horses, horned- cattle, and shee>fl 

 are all fond of it. Ithas become so common, that it is difficult to procure the seed of red clover entirely 

 clear of it; and it bids fair to prevail still more extensively. 



P. viRGixroA. Ph. Covered with whitish pubescence; leaves oval-oblanceolate; flowers rather remote. 



Fii/g-o— White Plantain. Virginian Plantaiu. 



Fl. Middle of May, and after. Fr. mat. Middle of June, and after, 



Hab. Sterile old fields, and stony hills: frequent. Scapes 3 to 8 inches high. 



68. ANDREWSIA. Bart. Fl. Philad. 82. 

 [Dedicated by Sprengel to Mr. Andrews, an English Florist; author of a work on Roses.] 



Cal. 4 parted, appressed. Cor. subcampanulate, 4 parted. S'h'g-Tna thick, sub-bihd. Caps. 1 celled, 2 valved. 

 A. paniculata. Fl. Phil. Stem somewhat branched: peduncles opposite; corolla the length of the calyx. 

 Synon. Bartonia paniculata. 3Iuhl. Sagina virginica. TVilld. Ceiitaurella paniculata. Mx. Nutt.^'- Ell. 

 Fl. Beginning of August. Fr. mat. 



Hab. Sterilclields, and woodlands; Barren ridge; Geo. Darlington's: rather scarce. 3 to 9 inches high. 



Obs. I have adopted the above name, in the hope thai it may prove more fortunate than its numerous 

 predecessors; though, I confess, I always thought Muhlenberg's name? Bartonia, altogether unexcep- 

 tionable, until it was superseded by the Bartonia of Nuttall and Pursh. 



69. OBOLARIA. JVuft. Gen. 152. 



[Gr. Obolosi a small Athenian coin; which the leaves of this plant are supposed to resemble.] 



Cal. 0, but 2 bractes. Cor. campanulate, 4 cleft; bearing a Stc:mm m each cleft. Caps, ovate, 1 celled. 



O. VIRGINICA. Nutt. Leaves opposite, sessile, cuneiform, and sub-rhomboid; flowers axillary, sessile. 



Vulgo — Penny- wort. Money- wort. 



Fl. Latter end of April. Fr. mat. Middle of June. 



Hab. Rich woodlands: Bath; Forks of Brandywine: frequent. 3 to 6 inches high: flowers pale'.blue 



0&.5. This is an interesting little plant, but apt to be overlooked by all but botanical observers, — as it is 

 usually pretty much buried among the dead leaves, which cover the gvounr! in rich woodlands, where it 

 grows. The whole plant is of a fleshy texture, the root somewhat coralloid; tre stem 4 angled, inclining to 

 be wavy, or flexuose, occasionally branched, with two or three remote pairs of small, opposite, scale-like 

 leaves upon the lower part; the upper leaves are also opposite, rather crow 'ed. cuneiform, or oblong-truu- 

 cate, and often nearly rhomboidal, sessile, and slightly decurrent. The flowers are axillary, and sessile in 

 the bosom of the bractes; the latter standing cross-wise with the leaves. From the upper pair of leave* 

 proceed </^r^e flowers, the central one terminating the stem. Both leaves and bractes, are of a greenish 

 purple, or dingy copper color; and the flowers vary from whitish, to pale blue, or purple. The seeds are 

 nurnerous, very minute, of a pale straw color, shining and diaphanous. Te.e accmipanying plate gives a tol- 

 erable representation of the outlines of the plant, from a medium specimen-* Wlien I flrst met with it, I 

 was convinced it w?s strictly Tcfrf/MfZcous, and so stated my opinion to the hte Professor Barton; but he 

 received the suggestion with his wonted caution, and expressed his doubts. I however ventured to arrange 

 It in my catalogue according to my own opinion; and when I learnt that INIr. Nuttall was about preparing 

 for the press his excellent work on the American Genera, I took the liberty of communicating to him my 

 viev.'s on the subject, — which I was gratified lo find, on the appearance of his book, were contirmed by that 

 able and accurate Botanist. 



It may be proper here to remark, that this plate (together with the others) was engraved several yev 

 ago,— prior to the commencement of Dr. W. P. C. Barton's American Flora, wiiich coataias a li jure ( 

 this plant— othervrise I should not have taken the .superfluous trouble to procure it. 



