OBEER 69. DIPSACE^E. 405 



2. YALERIANEL'LA, Moench. DC. (Lat. diminutive of Valeriano.) 

 Calyx limb obsolete; corolla tube short, not spurred, limb 5-lobed, 

 regular ; stamens 3 ; stigmas 3-cleft or entire ; fruit 3-celled, 2 of them' 

 empty and more or less inflated, the other with one seed. Stems 

 forked above. Lvs. opposite, oblong or linear, entire or toothed, ses- 

 sile. Fls. in dense, terminal cymelets. The specific characters are 

 afforded mainly by the fruit. 



* Fruit ovate in outline, glabrous or pubescent. Flowers white.. . Nos 1 2 



* Fruit orbicular, glabrous, compressed dorsally. Flowers white " Nos' 3 4 



compressed laterally. Flowers blue ............... .No.' 5 



1 V. Fagop$Tiim. Lvs. oblong-spatulate, subentire ; Jr. smooth, ovoid-triangu- 

 lar, the empty cell's converging to the obtuse angle, with no groove between them 

 fls. large (!" broad). West N. Y. to Ohio. St. 8 to 18' in height. Bracts lan- 

 ceolate, acute. Fr. resembling that of Buckwheat (Polygonum Fagopyrum,) in 

 form, containing one large seed and two empty cells. Fls. thrice larger than in 

 the next. Fr. 1J" long. Jn. (Fedia,T. & G.) 



2 V. radiata Dufr. Lvs. mostly toothed towards the base, linear-oblong, obtuse; 

 fr. pubescent, ovoid, somewhat k-angled, 1-toothed at apex ; empty cells not con- 

 vergent, but with a groove between them ; futile cell flattish, broader than the 

 other 2; fls. small (%" wide). Low grounds, Mich., Ohio, to Ala. St. 6 to 12' 

 high, dichotomous like the other species, smooth. Lvs. oblong, more or less taper- 

 ing to the base, 1 to 2' by 2 to 4". Fr. less than 1" long, at length nearly 

 smooth. (Fedia, MX.) 



3 V. umbilicata (Sull.) Lvs. oblong-lanceolate, toothed or incised at the base ; 

 fr. subglobous, inflated,. apex 1-toothed, the anterior face deeply umbilicate and 

 perforated into the sterile cells which are much larger than the fertile one. Moist 

 grounds, Columbus, Ohio, (Sullivant). Plant smooth, 1 to 2f high, many times 

 dichotomous. Fls. in numerous cymules, corymbously arranged. Fr. nearly 1" 



. diam., with 1 rib at the back produced into a tooth at apex. (Fedia, Sull.) 



4 V. patellaria (Sull.) Lvs. toothed at base ; fr. obicular, much flattened, con- 

 cave, notched at both ends, the sterile cells widely divergent, at length forming a 

 winged margin to the fertile cells. "Wet grounds near Columbus, Ohio, (Sullivant). 

 Resembles the last except in its fruit. (Fedia, Sull.) 



5 V. olitoria Mcench. LAMB LETTUCE. Lvs. spatulate-obtuse, radical one petio- 

 late ; fr. compressed laterally as to the seed, oblique, at length broader than long, 

 not toothed at (fpex ; fertile cell longer than both the others, with a corky back ; 

 empty cells united, but with a groove (in the circumference) between ; fts. pale 

 Hue. Naturalized in some portions of the U. S. St. smooth, 8 to 12' high, 

 dichotomous. Lvs. mostly entire. Fls. in dense cymules. Fr. 1' diam. Jn. f 

 Eur. 



ORDER LXIX. DIPSACEJE. TEASELWORTS. 



Herbs with whorled or opposite leaves and no stipules. Flowers in dense heads 

 surrounded by an involucre as in Compositse. Calyx adherent, pappus-like, sur- 

 rounded by a special scarious involucel, corolla tubular, somewhat irregular, the limb 

 ,4 to 5-parted. Stamens 4, alternate with the lobes of corolla, often unequal. An- 

 *thers distinct. Ovary inferior, one-celled, one-ovuled. Style one, simple. Fruit 

 dry, indehiscent, with a single suspended seed. (Fig. 206.) 



Genera 6, *pecie* 150. The order is nearly allied to the Compositse. The species are all na- 

 tives of the temperate regions of the eastern continent, none of them American, Iheir proper- 

 ties are unimportant. One of the species below is useful in dressing cloth. 



i. DIP'SACUS, L. TEASEL. (Gr. diipdu, to thirst; water is held in 

 tho axils of the leaves.) Flowers in heads; involucre many-leaved; 

 involucel 4-sided, closely investing the calyx and fruit ; calyx superior ; 

 corolla tubular, 4-cleft, lobes erect ; fruit 1-seeded, crowned with the 



