SG8 ICOSANDRIA— PENTAGYNIA. Spiraea. 



elegantj compound, upright, terminal clusters, with small, linear, 

 hairy, deciduous bracteas interspersed. Shjles 5. 

 Frequently planted in gardens and shrubberies, v>'here it thrives in 

 almost any soil or situation, but prefers such as are wet. 



2. S. Filipendida. Common Dropwort. 



Leaves interruptedly pinnate; leaflets uniform, serrated, 



smooth. Stem herbaceous. Flowers cymose, with many 



styles. 

 S. Filipendula. Linn. Sp. PL 702. fVilld. v. 2. 1061. Fl. Br. 535. 



Engl. Bot. V. 4. t. 284. Hook. Scot. 152. FL Dan. t. G35. 

 Filipendula. Rail Syn. 259. Ger. Em. 10:)S. f. Dod. Pempt. 56. f. 



Matth. Valgr. v. 2. 217./. Camer. Epit. 608. f. Bouh. Hist. v. 3. 



p. 2. \89, but ?iot the f. Trng. Hist. 883. f. Dorsten. Botan. 124. f. 

 F. n. 1136. Hall. Hist. v. 2. 56. 

 Gilnanthe Filipendula Lob. /c. 729./. 



In open elevated pastures, on a chalky or gravelly soil. 



Perennial. Juhj. 



Root woody, with many hard elliptical knobs, through which the 

 fibres are continued. These are black externally, white and fa- 

 rinaceous within. Stem a foot or more in height, round, smooth, 

 leafy principally in the lower part ; panicled in a cymose man- 

 ner" at the summit. Leaves chiefly radical, spreading or de- 

 pressed, smooth, dark green, elegantly pinnate, with oblong, 

 narrow, opposite or alternate leaflets, and as many, or more, 

 small intermediate ones ; all deeply, sharply, and unequally cut. 

 Stipulns linear, acute, entire, united laterally to the base of each 

 radical footstalk, the stem-leaves being furnished with a pair of 

 rounded cut lobes in their stead. Panicle forked, cymose. Fl. 

 on short partial stalks, without bracteas, erect, cream-coloured, 

 tinged externally with red. Petals obovate. Germens 10 or 

 more, hairy, wiUi short recurved styles, and large blunt stigmas. 



Linnaeus, Aman. Acad. v. 3. 89, says " the dried knobs of the 

 roots, beaten or ground into meal, afford no despicable sub- 

 stitute for bread." The whole plant nevertheless is very astrin- 

 gent. A beautiful double-flowered variety is often seen in gar- 

 dens. 



3. S. Ulmaria. Meadow-sweet. Queen of the 



Meadows. 



Leaves interruptedly pinnate; downy beneath ; the termi- 

 nal leaflet largest and lobed. Stem herbaceous. Flowers 

 cymose, with many styles. 



S. Ulmaria. Linn. Sp. PL 702. mild. v. 2. lOCl. FL Br. 536. 

 EngL BoL v. ]4.t. 960. Curt. Lend. fasc. 5. t.33. Hook. 

 Scot.\D2. FLDan.t.547. 



