78 CISTACE^. Lechea. 



S. LECHEA. Linn.; Endl. gen. 5030. PlN-WEED. 



[Named in honor of John Leche, a Swedish botanist.] 



The two exterior sepals much narrower and bract-like. Petals 3, inconspicuous, lanceolate, 

 somewhat persistent. Stamens 3-12. Stigmas 3, nearly sessile, somewhat united, fim- 

 briate-laciniate, depressed. Capsule 3-valved, incompletely 3-celled, or one-celled by the 

 obliteration of the imperfect dissepiments : placentae (internal valves, Linn.) ovate or 

 roundish, nearly as broad as the valves, membranaceous or somewhat crustaceous, fixed 

 to the dissepiments by the middle of the posterior face, about two-seeded. Seeds borne 

 on the posterior face of the placentae near the base, one on each side of the dissepiment, 

 about the middle of the valves. Embryo nearly straight. — Perennial herbs, often suffru- 

 ticose at the base, much branched, with numerous very small racemed or somewhat pani- 

 culate flowers : petals brownish-purple. Leaves without stipules, entire, alternate, opposite 

 or verticillate (often on the same specimen), sessile or slightly petioled, minutely puncticulate. 



§ Lechea proper, Spach. Placenta memhranaceo-cruslaeeous, fragile, separating from the very 

 thin dissepiments ; the margins revolute, and enveloping the seeds. 



1. Lechea major, Michx. Larger Lechea. 



Stem erect, hairy ; young branches villous, the radical ones or stolons prostrate ; cauline 

 leaves elliptical, mucronulate, those of the radical branches roundish or ovate and very small, 

 of the floral branches lanceolate ; flowers very numerous, densely clustered in short unilateral 

 racemes; pedicels very short; capsule depressed-globose and somewhat 3-sided. — Michx. 

 fl. I. p. 76; Muhl. cat. p. 15 ; Pursh,Jl. I. p. 90; Bigel.fl. Bost. p. 47 ; Torr.fl. 1, p. 160 ; 

 Torr. ^ Gr. jl. N. Am. 1. p. 153 ; not of Linn, (which is an apetalous form of Helianthe- 

 mum Canadense). L. minor, Linn. aman. acad. 3. p. 10, ex Smith, in Rees, cycl. L. villosa 

 Ell. sk. \.p. 184 ; DC. prodr. I. p. 285 ; Beck, hot. p. 36 ; Darlingt. fl. Cest. p. 96. L. 

 Drummondii, Spach? 



•Stem 12 - 15 inches high, rigid, purplish, simple below, paniculately much branched above. 

 Stolons numerous, 3-6 inches long, bearing numerous crowded leaves which are often 

 verticillate or fascicled and only 2-4 lines long. Cauline leaves alternate, opposite or im- 

 perfectly verticillate and more or less crowded, villous with spreading whitish hairs, especially 

 on the margins and midrib. Flowers little more than half a line, and the capsules about one 

 line in diameter. Seeds oval and somewhat triangular, brownish. 



Dry woods and on hill-sides. July - September. 



