718 ORDER 149. MELANTHACE^E. 



above its contracted base ; stamens inserted in contact with the ovary ; 

 capsule membranous, 3-celled, many-seeded, septicidal ; seeds scarcely 

 winged. U St. simple, paniculate above, smooth and glaucous, as well 

 as the linear Ivs. Fls. greenish. 



1 Z. glaberrimus MX. Rhizome creeping ; Ivs. linear, channeled, recurved ; pan- 

 icle pyramidal ; bracts ovate, acuminate ; segm. of the perianth acuminate, glands 

 2 on the claw of each. S. States. St. 2 to 3f high. Lower Ivs. about 10' long, 

 upper ones gradually diminishing, all concave and tapering to a point. Panicle 

 terminal, loose, consisting of many greenish- white fls. Sep. ovate-lanceolate, free 

 from the stamens, the 2 glands orbicular, distinct and (jpnspicuous. Jn. 



2 Z. glaucus Nutt. St. bulbous, nearly naked; Ivs. shorter than the stem, linear, 

 rather obtuse ; panicle simple ; bracts lanceolate, shorter than the pedicels ; seg- 

 ments oval or obovate, obtuse, each with an olcordate gland. Sandy shores, Can. to 

 N. Y. and Wis. Stem 10 15' high. Leaves glaucous, upper gradually reduced 

 to bracts. Raceme subsimple, sometimes a little compound at base. Flowers 

 few (10 20), greenish- white, on pedicels 1' long, the segments with the 2 glands 

 united. Capsule oblong-ovoid, carpels divergent at apex, 6 8-seeded. Jl., Aug. 



3 Z. leimanthoides Gray. Rt. fibrous ; Ivs. linear, flat ; pan. simple, the terminal 

 raceme elongated ; segments obovate, with a glandular spot at base, and longer than 

 the linear styles ; sds. winged at the apex, lanceolate, compressed. N. J. to La. 

 Stem roundish, 2 4f high, the lower leaves about half as long, pale green, acute. 

 Flowers white, on filiform pedicels, finally recurved. Segments of the perianth 

 obtuse, a little shorter than the capillary filaments. July. 



3. VERATRUM, Tourn. FALSE HELLEBORE. (Lat. vere, atrum, 

 truly black ; alluding to the dark color of the flowers or root.) Flowers 

 by abortion $ $ ? ; segments of the perianth united at base, petaloid, 

 spreading, sessile and without glands ; stamens 6, shorter than the peri- 

 anth, and inserted on its base ; ovaries 3, united at base, often abortive ; 

 styles short ; capsule 3-lobed, 3-partible, oo-seeded. Rt. Ivs. alternate. 

 Fls. paniculate. 



Stem stout and very leafy throughout Sepals lanceolate, acuminate No. 1 



Stem slender, nearly naked. Sepals obtusish. Leaves oval and lanceolate Nos. 2, 8 



Sepals acuminate. Leaves linear No. 4 ' 



1 V. vf ride Ait. Lvs. lance-oval, acuminate ; st. stout and very leafy ; panicle 

 compound, racemous ; bracts oblong-lanceolate, bracteoles longer than the downy 

 pedicels. Can. to Ga. A large-leaved, coarse- looking plant, of our meadows and 

 swamps. Hoot large, fleshy, with numerous long fibers. Stem 2 4f high, stri- 

 ate and pubescent. Leaves strongly veined and plaited, the lower near a foot 

 long and half as wide, sheathing at the base. Flowers numerous, green, in many 

 axillary (or bracted) racemes, which together form a very large, pyramidal, ter- 

 minal panicle. July. Root emetic and stimulant, but poisonous. (V. album MX.) 



2 V. Woodii Robbins. INDIANA VERATRUM. Lvs. mostly radical, lanceolate 

 and linear-lanceolate, glabrous, veined and plicate, acute tapering to a long, 

 winged, sheathing petiole ; st. or scape terete, tall, erect, with remote, lance- 

 linear bracts ; panicle simple, slender, pyramidal, many-flowered ; fls. $ %, sub- 

 sessik; segments oblanceolate, sessile (the stamens nearly free and of equal length] 

 dark brownish-purple within. Woods, Green Co., la., 111. (Mead) and Iowa (Cous- 

 ens). Root fasciculate. Leaves 10 16' long (including the 4 8' petiole), 2 4' 

 wide. Bracts 1 3' long. Scape 3 6f high, paniculate its length. Flowers 

 9" diain., almost black, with red stamens, upper and lower sterile. Ovary oblong, 

 crowned with 3 spreading styles half its length. Seeds compressed, winged with 

 the broad, loose, membranous testa. July. Very different from the next. 



3 V. parviflomm MX. Lvs. mostly radical, oval and lance-oval, glabrous, 

 scarcely plicate, contracted at base into winged petioles; stem scape-like, terete, 

 bracted panicle elongated, very loose, with filiform branches ; fls. dingy green, on 

 filiform pedicels, segm. lance-spatulate, unguiculate, the claws bearing the stamens, 

 whidi are scarcely half as long. Blue Ridge, Ya. (Miss Carpenter) to the Mts. of 



