SPIRJBA. XL VIII. ROSACE^E. *6b 



18. SANGUISORBA. 

 Lat. sanguis, sorbere, q. d. to absorb blood ; the plant is esteemed a vulnerary. 



Calyx tube 4-sided, 2 or 3-bracted at base ; limb 4 parted ; petals 

 ; stamens 4, opposite the calyx segments ; filaments dilated upwards ; 

 style 1, filiform; achenium dry, included in the calyx. Herbs with 

 unequally pinnate haves. 



S. CANADENSIS. Burnet Saxifrage. 



Glabrous; Ifts. oblong, cordate, obtuse, serrate; spikes dense, cvlindric, 

 very long ; sta. much longer than the calyx. Tj. in wet meadows, tf . S. and 

 Brit. Am., and cultivated in gardens. Stem 2 3f high, smooth, striate, spar- 

 ingly branched. Stipules leafy, serrate. Leaflets 2 4' long, \ i as wide, 

 petiolate, mostly stipellate. Spikes 36' long, terminating the long, naked 

 branches. Bracteoles 3. Calyx greenish white, resembling a corolla. Aug. 



19. POTERIUM. 



Literally a drinking vessel, and hence a beverage ; from the use of the plant. 



Fls. c? Calyx tube contracted at the mouth, 3-bracteate, limb 4- 

 parted ; petals ; stamens 20 ^0 ; ovaries 2 ; style filiform ; ache- 

 ilia dry, included in the calyx. Herbs with unequally pinnate leaves. 



P. SANGUISORBA. Burnet. 



Herbaceous; st. unarmed, angular, and with the leaves, smooth; Ifts. 

 7 11, ovate or roundish, deeply serrate ; spikes or /ids. subglobose, the lower 

 flowers staminate. 7|. Occasionally cultivated as a salad, but is now less valued 

 in medicine than formerly. It is said by Hooker to be native about Lake Huron. 



20. AGRIMONIA. 



Gr. aypos, a field, /xovos, alone ; a name of dignity for its medicinal Qualities. 



Calyx tube turbinate, contracted at the throat, armed with hooked 

 bristles above, limb 5-cleft; petals 5 ; stamens 12 15 ; ovaries 2 ; 

 styles terminal ; achenia included in the indurated tube of the calyx. 

 % Lvs. pinnately divided. Fls. yellow, in long, slender racemes. 



1. A. EUPATORIA. Agrimony^ 



Hirsute ; Ivs. interruptedly pinnate, upper ones 3-foliate ; Ifts. ovate, oval 

 or oval-lanceolate, coarsely dentate ; slip, large, dentate ; pet. twice longer than 

 the calyx. Road sides, borders of fields, Can. and U. S., common. Stem 1 3f 

 high, branching, leafy. Leaflets 3, 5, 7, with small ones interposed, nearly 

 smooth beneath, 1 3' long, as wide, sessile, terminal one with a petiolule 

 1 3" long. Racemes 6 12' long, spicate. Flowers yellow, about 4" diam., 

 on very short pedicels. Calyx tube curiously fluted with 10 ribs, and sur- 

 mounted with reddish, hooked bristles. Jl. 



/?. hirsuta. Torr. Smaller and more hairy. 



y. parviflora. Hook. (A. parviflora. DC.) Less hairy ;fls. smaller, on longer 

 pedicels. 



2. A. PARVIFLORA. Ait. (A. suaveolens. Ph.) 



St. and petioles hirsute ; Ivs. interruptedly pinnate ; Ifts. numerous, crowded, 

 pubescent beneath, linear-lanceolate, equally and incisely serrate ; slip, acutely 

 incised ; roc. spicate-virgate ; fls. small : pet. longer than calyx ; fr. hispid. 

 Woods and dry meadows, Penn. ! to S. Car. W. to la. and Tenn. Stem 3 4f 

 high, the hairs spreading, brownish and glandular. Leaflets 2 3' by J ', 

 with smaller ones intermixed. Petals yellow. The plant has an agreeable 

 balsamic odor. Aug. 



21. SPIRAEA. 

 Gr. cnrsipa, a cord or wreath ; the flowers are, or may be used in garlands. 



Calyx 5-cleft, persistent; petals 5, roundish; stamens 10 50, 

 exserted ; carpels distinct, 3 12, follicular, 1 --celled, 1 2-valved, 

 1 10-seeded ; styles terminal. % Unarmed shrubs or herbs. Branches 

 and Ivs. alternate. Fls. white or rose-color, never yellow. 



22* 



