ST. JOHN'S-WORT FAMILY. 81 



XVIH. TAMARISCINE.fi, TAMARISK FAMILY. 



Shrubs or small trees of the Old World, represented in orna- 

 mental grounds by 



1. TAMARIX, TAMARISK. (From the Tamaris, now Tambre, 

 a small river of Spain.) Sepals and petals 4 or 5, persistent, or the 

 latter withering, and stamens as many or twice as many, all on the 

 receptacle. Ovary pointed, 1-celled, bearing many ovules on three 

 parietal placentae next the base ; styles 3. Seeds with a plume of hairs 

 at the apex. Shrubs or small trees of peculiar aspect, with minute and 

 scale-shaped or awl-shaped, alternate leaves, appressed on the slender 

 branches, and small white or purplish flowers in spikes or racemes. 

 The one chiefly seen in this country is 



T. G&llica, Linn. FRENCH T. Barely hardy N., often killed to the 

 ground, a picturesque, delicate shrub, rather Cypress-like in aspect, 

 glaucous- whitish, the minute leaves clasping the branches, nearly ever- 

 green where the climate permits ; parts of the flower in 5's ; in spring. 



XIX. HYPERICACRffi, ST. JOHN'S-WOKT FAMILY. 



Leaves opposite, entire, simple, chiefly sessile, punctate with 

 translucent and commonly with some blackish dots ; perfect 

 flowers with many or few stamens (usually in 3 or 5 clusters) 

 inserted on the receptacle, and a pod either 1-celled with pari- 

 etal placentae or 3-7-celled (Lessons, p. 108, Figs. 335, 336), 

 filled with many small seeds. Juice resinous and acrid. 



* No glands between the stamens. Petals convolute in the bud. 



1. ASCTEUM. Sepals 4 ; the outer pair very broad, the inner small and narrow. Petals 



4, yellow. Stamens many. Ovary 1-celled. Leafy-stemmed, woody at base, with 

 2-dged branches. 



2. HYPEEICUM. Sepals and petals 5. Stamens many, rarely few, often united in 3-5 



clusters. Herbs or shrubs, with cymose yellow flowers. 

 * * Large gland between each of the 3 sets of stamens. Petals imbricated in the bud. 



3. ELODES. Sepals erect and flesh-colored. Petals 5. Stamens 9 to 12, united in 3 sets. 



Ovary 8-celled. Flowers in close, axillary clusters. Leaves pale, often purple-veined 

 oblong or ovate, and produced all summer. Petals pale purple or flesh-color, equal- 

 sided, erect. In water or wet bogs. 



1. ASCYRUM, ST. PETER'S- WORT. (Greek: without roughness.} 

 Wild in pine barrens, etc., chiefly S. Flowers summer. 2/ 

 * A pair ofbractlets on the pedicel ; styles short. 



A. steins. Michx. COMMON ST. PETER'S-WORT. Stems 2-3 high ; 

 leaves thickish, somewhat clasping, oval or oblong ; flowers large, with 

 obovate petals and 3 or 4 styles. From Long Island, S. 



A. Crux-Andreae, Linn. ST. ANDREW'S CROSS. Low ; stems spread- 

 ing ; leaves thinnish, narrow-oblong and tapering to the base ; flowers 

 rather small, with linear-oblong, pale yellow petals; only 2 styles. From 

 New Jersey to Illinois, W. 



GRAY'S F. F. & G. EOT. 6 



