586 



PRIMULACEAE. 



[VOL. II. 



2. ANDROSACE L. Sp. PI. 141. 1753. 



Low annual or perennial herbs, our species scapose, with tufted small basal leaves, and 

 terminal umbellate involucrate small white or pink flowers. Calyx persistent, 5-lobed, -cleft 

 or -parted, the lobes erect in flower, sometimes spreading in fruit. Corolla salverform or 

 funnelform, the tube short, not longer than the calyx, the limb 5-lobed, the lobes imbricated. 

 Stamens 5, included, inserted on the tube of the corolla; filaments very short; anthers short, 

 oblong, obtuse. Ovary superior, turbinate or globose; ovules few, or numerous, amphitrop- 

 ous; style short; stigma capitellate. Capsule turbinate, ovoid or globose, 5-valved from the 

 apex, few-many-seeded. [Greek, man's shield, from the shape of the leaf in some species.] 



About 50 species, natives of the northern hemisphere. Besides the following, 4 others occur 

 in western and northwestern North America. 



i. Androsace occidentalis Pursh. 

 Androsace. (Fig. 2808.) 



Androsace occidentalis Pursh, PI. Am. Sept. 137. 1814. 



Annual, minutely pubescent, or glabrate; scapes 

 filiform, solitary or numerous from fibrous roots, erect 

 or ascending, or diffuse, i'-3' long. Leaves oblong or 

 spatulate, obtuse, entire, sessile, 3"-8" long; bracts of 

 the involucre similar to the leaves but much smaller, 

 i "-3" long; pedicels several or numerous, filiform, 

 2 // -6 // long in flower, often becoming i' long in fruit; 

 calyx-tube obpyramiddl in fruit, the lobes ovate or tri- 

 angular-lanceolate, acute, as long as or longer than the 

 tube, green, becoming foliaccous; corolla very small, 

 white, shorter than the calyx; calyx longer than the 

 several-seeded capsule. 



In dry soil, Minnesota and Illinois to Kansas and 

 Arkansas, west to the Northwest Territory, Utah and N< \v 

 Mexico. April-June. 



3. HOTTONIA L. Sp. PI. 145. 1753. 



Aquatic glabrous herbs, rooting in the mud, or floating, with large pinnatifid submersed 

 crowded leaves, and small white or purplish flowers, raccmose-vcrticillatc on bracted hollow 

 erect emersed peduncles. Calyx deeply 5-parted, the lobes linear, imbricated, persistent. 

 Corolla salver-form, the tube short, the limb 5-parted, the lobes spreading, imbricated at least 

 in the bud. Stamens 5, included, inserted on the tube of the corolla; filaments short; 

 anthers oblong. Ovary ovoid; style filiform; stigma minute, capitate; ovules numerous, 

 anatropous. Capsule subglobose, 5-valved. Seeds ellipsoid, numerous. [Dedicated to 

 Peter Hotton, 1648-1709, professor at Leyden.] 



Two species, the following of eastern North America, the other of Europe and eastern Asia. 



i. Hottonia inflata Ell. American 

 Featherfoil. (Fig. 2809.) 



Hottonia inflata Ell. Hot. S. C. & Ga. x: 231. 1817. 



Stem entirely submerged, spongy, densely 

 leafy, branched, sometimes 2 long. Leaves 

 sessile, or nearly so, ovate or oblong in out- 

 line, divided very nearly to the rachis into 

 narrowly linear entire segments W-i' long, 

 X"-!" wide; peduncles several in a cluster 

 at the ends of the stem and branches, partly 

 emersed, hollow, jointed, constricted at the 

 joints. 3'-8' high, the lower joint z'-4' long, 

 sometimes i' thick, the others successively 

 smaller; pedicels 2 // -i2 // long; flowers 2 // -3 // 

 long in verticils of 2-10 at the joints, sub- 

 tended by linear bracts; corolla white, shorter 

 than the calyx; capsule globose, about i#" 

 in diameter. 



In shallow stagnant ponds, Massachusetts to 

 central New York, south to Florida and Louis- 

 iana. June-Aug. Called also Water-feather, 

 Water- Violet, Water- Yarrow. 



