HELONIAS. 



about 4 feet long, lax. Scape naked, the height of a man, quite simple* 

 terminated hy a raceme H foot long. Perianth deeply 6-parted, 

 spreading, yellowish, white, permanent, with linear thick obtuse seg- 

 ments, 3 of which are rather broader than the others. Filaments 6, 

 somewhat clavate, yellowish, inserted into the base of the perianth, 

 those opposite its broadest segments longer than the others, and all 

 longer than the perianth ; anthers rather large, yellow, cordate, obtuse. 

 Ovary formed of 3 cells, united by their sutures. Fruit 3-capsular ; 

 the carpels united by their suture, but separable. Lower flowers her- 

 maphrodite and fertile, upper male and sterile. Smell of the flowers 

 like that of Berberis vulgaris. Schiede. This was ascertained by Messrs. 

 Schiede and Deppe to produce at least part of the Sabadilla seeds of the 

 shops, the use of which has now become so general for the manufacture 

 of Veratria. Their taste is bitter, acrid, and permanent. As there are 

 possibly several allied species producing seeds of the same quality, I 

 have preferred quoting the words of Dr. Schiede, to describing the 

 plant from what I believe to be specimens of it in my possession. It is 

 certainly not a Veratrum, to which Schiede and Deppe, Schlechten- 

 dahl and Endlicher have referred it : but I am far from asserting that 

 it is an Helonias. It is, however, more nearly allied to that genus and 

 accordingly it may be left for the present where Professor Don has 

 placed it. Its seeds are the officinal part, and are used as those of 

 Veratrum Sabadilla. 



1240. H. frigida. Veratrum frigidum Schlecht. in Linn. 

 vi. 46. The alpine region of Mount Orizaba, in Mexico. 



Bulb oblong, attenuated, tunicated, caespitose. Leaves linear, chan- 

 nelled, tapering to the point, erect, sheathing the bulb at the base, the 

 lower ones above a foot long. Stem leafy, 3 feet high and more, taper, 

 broken up at the point into a compound panicle or raceme. Branches 

 and flowers supported by linear-lanceolate bracts. Flowers solitary, 

 stalked. Perianth deeply 6-parted ; segments narrow-lanceolate, tapered 

 to the point, ^ an inch long, equal, blackish brown. Filaments 6, 

 linear subulate" the 3 outer rather longer, about 3 times as short as the 

 perianth ; anthers cordate, obtuse, yellow. Ovary half superior ; the 

 carpels distinct as far as the division of the perianth ; in the upper 

 flowers abortive. A poisonous plant called Savoeja by the Mexicans. 

 Horses that eat it become stupified. 



1241. H. erythrosperma Michx. fl. am. sept. i. 212. Torrey 

 fl. \. 369. H. laeta Bot. mag. t. 803. Melanthium tatum 



Ait. Kew. i. 488. M. phalangioides Lam. enc. iv. 28. M. mus- 

 caetoxicum. Walt. car. 125. Anthericum subtrigynum Jacq. 

 ic.rar.\\. 419. United States, in moist situations, on river 

 banks and on high mountains. 



Root bulbous. Stem 2 feet high, leafy, obtusely angular, simple, 

 very smooth. Leaves a foot or more in length, 3-4 lines broad, mostly 

 radical, somewhat caricine. Raceme terminal, 3-4 inches long, simple ; 

 pedicels nearly an inch in length, filiform, spreading ; bracts ovate, 

 obtuse. Flowers i of an inch in diameter, white, becoming greenish 

 with age. Petals oblong, obtuse, sessile. Stamens rather longer than 

 the flowers ; filaments subulate, inserted at the base of the petals ; 

 anthers white, roundish. Ovaries 3, superior, divaricate at the summit ; 

 587 



