383 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



csgyptiacum. 



have specimens of Hypericum, sucli as H. virginium, Elodes, csgyptia- 

 cum (fig. 361-353), which have been proposed as types pf as many 

 sejmrate genera, under the names Elodea,^ Elodes,^ and Triadenia? 

 In H. Drummondii, a species from Florida, the flowers are those 

 of Hypericum (such as Brathys, for example) ; 

 but the type is quaternary instead of quinary. 

 The four sepals are imbricate and nearly equal 

 to each other ; whence the generic name Iso- 

 phyllum,^ which has been proposed for this 

 plant. 



The flower is equally tetramerous in other 

 American species, such as H. amplexicaule, 

 multicaule, pauciflorum, Crux Andrece, etc. ; 

 but of the four decussate sepals, the two more 

 interior are much less developed than the two 

 others ; of these the genus Ascyrum ^ has been 



Pig. 353. Flower, , 



periantli removed (4). made. 



With all these variations in the flower,^ the 

 St. John's "Worts present as common characters : opposite leaves, 



^ Adans. Fam. des Fl. ii. 442. — Spaoh, Suit, a 

 Buffon, T. 363 ; Ann. Se. Nat. ser. 2, v. 165, 353. 

 — Bndl. Gen. n. 5465. 



^ Spach, Suit, a Buffon, v. 369 ; Ann. Sc. Xat. 

 loc. (At. 171, 363. — Payer, Organog. 3, t. 1 ; 

 Fam. Nat. 79. 



^ Spach, Suit, d Buffon, v. 370 ; Ann. So. Nat. 

 loo. cit. 172, 354, t. 4, 5. M. Spach has esta- 

 l)lished in this group many genera which may 

 be retained as so many distinct subgenera. They 

 may be grouped in two series. To the first, be- 

 sides Euhyperiiyum, Androsmmum, Erimanthe, 

 belong Drosanthe (Spach, Ann, Sc. Nat. loc. cit. 

 355), which has denticulate or pectinate sepals 

 3-adelphous stamens and an osseous placenta ; 

 Webbia (Spach, loo. cit. 356), whose stamens are 

 also 3-adelphous, with seeds spongy without ; 

 Olympia (Spach, loc. cit. 359), which with the 

 flowers of Euhypeneum, has very unequal sepals 

 (the 3 interior being much smaller) ; Gampylo- 

 pus and Fsorophytum (Spach, he. cit. 360), very 

 near Andros<mium ; Oampylosporus, 'Norysca, and 

 Roscyna (Spach, loe. cit. 363, 364), the flower of 

 which much resembles that of Eremanthe ; Bra- 

 thys (MuT. ex L. Fii,. Suppl. 43), Myriandra and 

 Brathydium (Spach, loc. cit. 364, 365), in which 

 the bundles of the androecium are indistinct at 

 adult age, though the study of development 

 shows that they exist at the beginning. Bre- 

 mosporus (Spach, loo. cit. 355) has thick and 



cymbiform monospermous carpels. (Those we 

 have seen appeared altered, perhaps by the 

 puncture of an insect.) The habit of the plant 

 is that of If. lincarifolivm. Whilst in this first 

 series the interstaminal glands are wanting, they 

 are developed in the second, where the stamens 

 are 3-adelphous. Beside Elodea, Elodes, and 

 Triadenia, it includes Adenotrias (Javb. and 

 Spach, III. PI. Or. 76, t. 39), differing from Tri- 

 adenia chiefly by their biovulate ovarian cells, 

 Thymopsis of the Same authors {loc. cit. 72, t. 37) 

 differs from the true Hypericum by its campanu- 

 late calyx and the almost definite number of the 

 ovules. Sarothra L. (ffew. n. 383) aixA. Receveura 

 Velloz. {Fl. Flum. v. t. 119, 120) are referred 

 to Brathys. Tridia'KoB.tn.. {Tijdschr. iii. 17, 1. 1) 

 is supposed (B. H. Gen. 166) identical vrith 

 Hypericum japonicum. 



■* Spach, Suit, a Buffon, v. 432 ; Ann. Sc. Nat. 

 ser. 2, V. 367. 



5 L. Gen. n. 903. — Nutt. Gen, ii. 15. — Ohois. 

 Hyper. 60 ; DO. Frodr. i. 55. — Spach, Ann. Sc. 

 Nat. loe. cit. 368 ; Suit, a Buffon, v. 456.— Enpl. 

 Gen. n. 5463.— A. Gray, Gen. Ill.t. 91.— B. H. 

 Gen, 164, n. 1. . There are calyces with very 

 unequal sepals among the Roscyna and Brathy- 

 dinece, and the flowers of these latter may be 

 here and there tetramerous. 



* Yellow, rarely white. 



