OsMORHizA. UMBELLTFER^. 281 



Series 2. Campylosperm^, DC. Seed with the margins involute, or deeply furrowed on 



the face. 



Tribe VIII. SCANDICINEjE. Koch; DC. 



Fruit compressed or contracted laterally, equally rostrate. Carpels with five equal filiform 

 or winged ribs, of which the lateral ones are marginal ; all of them sometimes obliterated 

 at the base, and only conspicuous at the apex. Seed teretely convex, either furrowed on 

 the face or involute. — Umbels compound. 



18. OSMORHIZA. Raf in journ. j)hys. 1821 ; Endl. gen. ^515. SWEET CICELY. 



[ From the Greek, osme, odor, and rhiza, root : the roots have a sweet smell.] 



Margin of the calyx obsolete. Petals oblong, nearly entire ; the point cuspidate and incurved. 

 Fruit linear-elongated, acutely angled, lobed, attenuate at the base, crowned with the 

 stylopodium and straight styles. Ribs of the carpels acute, bristly upward. Intervals flat, 

 without vittas. Commissure narrow, with a deep channel. Seed somewhat terete. — 

 Perennial herbs, with fleshy aromatic roots. Leaves biternately divided ; the segments 

 ovate or oblong, incisely toothed. Umbels opposite the leaves. Involucre of 2 - 4 linear- 

 lanceolate leaflets. Involucel about 5-leaved. Flowers white. 



1. OsMORHiZA LONGisTYLis, DC. (Plate XXXVIII.) True Sweet Cicely. 



Styles filiform, nearly as long as the ovary ; fruit clavate. — DC. prodr. 4. p. 232 ; Hook. 



fi. Bor.-Am. I. p. 271. t. 96; Beck, bot. p. 150; Darlingt.f,. Cest. p. 199; Torr. ^ Gr.fl. 



N. Am. l.p. 638. Uraspermum Claytoni, Nutt. gen. 1. p. 193 (excl. syn.); Bigel.fl. Bost. 



*p. 112. Myrrhis Claytoni, Spreng. in Schult. syst. 6. p. 508. M. longistylis, Torr. fl. 1. 



p. 310. 



Root thick, somewhat fleshy and branching, or fusiform and fasciculate, of a sweet spicy 

 flavor resembling anise. Stem 2-3 feet high, purplish, pubescent when young (as well as 

 the petioles and peduncles), at length nearly smooth. Radical and lower cauline leaves on 

 long petioles, a little pubescent on both sides, shining underneath, somewhat lobed at the base. 

 Umbels with about 4 rays ; the rays 1-2 inches long. Involucre of 1 - 3 narrowly lanceo- 

 late and ciliate leaflets. Umbellets 3 - 6-flowered. Involucels of about 5 lanceolate and 

 ciliate leaflets. Flowers twice as large as in the following species. Fruit dark green or 

 blackish, much attenuated below, rather obtuse at the summit. 



Rich moist soils, amongst rocks. Fl. May. Fr. August. Children are very fond of 

 gathering the roots of this plant, on account of its sweet aniseed flavor ; but they sometimes 

 mistake for it the Cicuta, or other poisonous species of Umbelliferce. 



[Flora.] 36 



