182 CLASS X. ORDER I. 



miicronate ; an obovate gland on the petiole; racemes 

 axillary and terminal ; legumes linear and curved. 



The stems, which groAv in bunches and often attain the height 

 of five or six feet, are round, striated, and invested with a few 

 scattered hairs. Petioles compressed, channelled above, bearing 

 from eiiht to ten pairs of leafets, which are oblong, smooth, 

 somewhat hairy at the edges, pale on the under side, supported 

 by short, crooked pedicels, and mucronated with a rigid bristle 

 at the end. On the base of the petiole is a large obovate pedi- 

 celled gland, of a shining green, terminating in a dark point at 

 top, which is sometimes double. Each petiole is also furnished 

 with a pair of linear-subulate, ciliate, deciduous stipules. The 

 flowers grow in axillary racemes, extending quite to the top of 

 the stem. The peduncles are slightly furrowed, pedicels sup- 

 ported by bractes like the stipules, and marked with minute, 

 blackish, glandular hairs. Leaves of the calyx yellow, oval, ob- 

 tuse, the lateral ones longest. Petals five, bright yellow, spatu- 

 late, concave, very obtuse, three ascending and two descending. 

 Stamens ten, with yellow filaments and brown anthers. The 

 three upper have short abortive anthers; to these succeed two 

 pairs of deflexed linear anthers ; the remaining three or lower- 

 most are much longer, crooked, and taper into a sort of beak, 

 the middle one being shortest. The anthers open by a terminal 

 pore. Germ descending with the lower stamens, hairy. Style 

 ascending, stigma hairy, moist. The fruit consists of long le- 

 gumes, which are pendulous linear, curved, swelling at the seeds, 

 and furnished with slight hairs. — Banks of Quinebaug river, 

 Massachusetts. — July, August. — The root resembles Senna in its 

 medicinal properties. 



189. RHODORA. 



Rhodcra Canadensis. L. Canadian Rhodora. 



A small shrub with beautiful purple flowers on the tops of the 

 branches, which appear in the spring before the leaves are per- 

 fectly expanded. Its height is one or two feet. Leaves alter- 

 nate, oval, mostly entire, pubescent and glaucous underneath. 

 The flowers are in umbels on the ends of the twigs. The corol- 

 la consists of three unequal petals, the largest of which is broad, 



