POLYANDRIA POLYGYNIA. Caltha. 159 



Woods, thickets, on chalk.** Stoken Church. WoodpeiTy Farm. 

 Nuffield. Sb. In a wood at Mungewell. John Oglander, Esq. 

 Merton College. 



Per. February. 



Root fleshy, fibres long, simple. Plant large in all its dimen- 

 sions. Stem scarcely one f., round, once or twice divided, Ls. 

 saw-toothed : root Is., larger. Fl. solitary, foot-stalks shortish, 

 all green. Pet. all green, spreading, permanent. Styles three 

 or four. Whole plant smooth, bright green, shining. 

 Root acrid, purgative. 



H. fos'tidus. Stinking H. Bear's-foot, or Setter-wort. 

 Stem many-flowered, leafy. Leaves pedate, (bird 

 footed.) Petals converging-. E. B. 613. Helleboras- 

 ter maximus. G. E. 97^. 



Thickets, ivaste ground, on chalk. * * Cornbury Stone Quarry. 

 Sb. Wade's Farm, Rodborough Common, Gloucestershire. 

 Mr. Sandys, Pembroke College, O.xford. 



Per. March. 



Stem branching, bushy, whole plant smooth. Ls. stalked, spread- 

 ing, dark, dull green, lobes spear-shaped, saw-toothed. Fl.-pa- 

 nicle pale green. Bract, many, spear-shaped : these with the_^., 

 and whole inflorescence also pale green. The closing joe^., out- 

 side tipped with dull purple. Nect. margin notched, honied. 

 Styles tliree or four. 

 Earliest of our native fl. Whole plant fetid, acrid, violently 



purgative. Styles few in these two species for polygynia. 



There is a beautiful flower bank of the Helleborus hyemalis, a 



common, foreign, Europsean species, in the classical garden of St. 



John's College, Oxford, well worth the florist's inspection, in the 



early part of February, 



CALTHA.' Marsh-marigold. 



C. palustris. Common M. Stem erect. Leaves heart- 

 shaped, rounded. E. B. 506. C. 1. 40. C. palus- 

 tris major. G. E. 81 7. 



Marshy meadows. 



Per. April. 



Root fibres simple, many. Stem one f., and a half, somewhat 

 branched, leafy, roundish, furrowed. Ls. notched, veiny, 

 smooth, dark green, shining : root-Is. on long, hollow, half cylin- 

 dric stalks, the rest alternate, nearly stalkless. Stip. inside of 

 the 1. -stalk, sheathing, membranous, withering. Fl. very large, 

 handsome, golden, axillary, and terminal, solitary. Pet. con- 

 cave. Stam., and pistils, golden colour also. 

 The young buds pickled, a good substitute for capers. In the 



trtie caper, the germen simple. 



' From Lat. culathus, cup. 



