52 MALVACE^. 



which cohere by plane faces, but at length fall away sepa- 

 rately from the conspicuous central receptacle ; the more or 

 less incurved beak hollow at maturity, its cavity separated 

 from that of the body of the carpel by an internal tongue- 

 shaped dorsal process ! Seed reniform, smooth. Eimbryg 

 arcuate-incurved in or partly round the soft or mucilaginous 

 albumen : cotyledons broad and foliaceous, cordate, infolded 

 together : radicle centripetal-inferior, or rarely (in C. alcas- 

 oides and C. pedata) more or less ascending by the partial 

 resupination of the seed. 



Herbs (of North America) with mostly simple stems from 

 a large and thickened fusiform or napiform perennial (rarely 

 annual) root. Radical leaves rounded or cordate, lobed or 

 incised, the cauline usually palmately or pedately cleft or 

 parted. Stipules free. Peduncles axillary or somewhat um- 

 bellate-clustered, commonly elongated, often articulated near 

 the apex. Flowers showy, red-purple or flesh-colored. 



Etymology. KaXKipporj, the daughter of the river Achelous, &c. Per- 

 haps Mr. Nuttall drew the name from koXKos, beautiful, and poia or pod, 

 whence Rlioeas, the Corn Poppy, which C. Papaver so much resembles in 

 the appearance of the flowers as to suggest the specific name to Cavanilles, 

 who informs us that the French colonists of Louisiana called the plant by 

 the same appellation, viz. Coquelkot. 



Properties. Nearly all the species are ornamental on account of their 

 large and finely colored corolla, C. Papaver is prized as a showy perennial 

 in the gardens. C. involucrata, C. digitata, and C. pedata are not less 

 beautiful. The fleshy roots of all the species are farinaceous ; those of C. 

 macrorhiza are used for food by the Indians. 



Geographical Distribution. A genus of seven known species, be- 

 longing to the warmer temperate portion of the United States, west of the 

 Alleghanies and east of the Rocky Mountains. Nearly all of them are 

 found in Texas and the plains of the Arkansas and Platte ; one species 

 (C. triangulata) extending northeast to Illinois and Wisconsin ; another 

 (C. Papaver) southeast to Florida. 



Note. The history of this genus is briefly given in the Planta Fend- 

 leriarue, above cited. Mr. Nuttall established it on two exinvolucellate 

 species, viz. C. digitata and C. pedata, and indicated it as differing from 

 Sida in habit rather than in technical character. Soon afterwards Dr. W. 

 P. C. Barton substituted the name of Nuttallia, and figured the former spe- 

 cies as Nuttallia digitata. Drawings and specimens having been sent to Dr. 



