ST. john's-wokt family. 81 



XVIII. TAMARISCINE^, TAMARISK FAMILY. 



Shrubs or small trees of the Old World, represented in orna- 

 mental grounds by 



1. TAMARIX, TAMARISK. (From the Tamaris, now Tambre, 

 a small river of Spain.) Sepals and petals 4 or 5, persistent, or the 

 latter withering, and stamens as many or twice as many, all on the 

 receptacle. Ovary pointed, 1-celled, bearing many ovules on three 

 parietal placentae next the base ; styles 3. Seeds with a plume of hairs 

 at the apex. Shrubs or small trees of peculiar aspect, with minute and 

 scaje-shaped or awl-shaped, alternate leaves, appressed on the slender 

 branches, and small white or purplish flowers in spikes or racemes. 

 The one chiefly seen in this country is 



T. Gdllica, Linn. French T. Barely hardy N., often killed to the 

 ground, a picturesque, delicate shrub, rather Cypress-like in aspect, 

 glaucous-whitish, the minute leaves clasping the branches, nearly ever- 

 green where the climate permits ; parts of the flower in 5's ; in spring. 



XIX. HYPEBICACEJI, ST. JOHN'S-WORT FAMILY. 



Leaves opposite, entire, simple, chiefly sessile, punctate with 

 translucent and commonly with some blackish dots ; perfect 

 flowers with many or few stamens (usually in 3 or 5 clusters) 

 inserted on the receptacle, and a pod either 1-celled with pari- 

 etal placentae or 3-7-celled (Lessons, p. 108, Figs. 335, 336), 

 filled with many small seeds. Juice resinous and acrid. 



* No glands between the stamens. Petals convolute in the bud. 



1. ASOTRTJM. Sepals 4 ; the outer pair very broad, the inner small and narrow. Petals 



4, yellow. Stamens many. Ovary 1-celled. Leafy-stemmed, woody at base, with 

 2-edged branches. 



2. HYPERICUM. Sepals and petals 5. Stamens many, rarely few, often united in 8-5 



clusters. Herbs or shrubs, with cymose yellow flowers. 



* * Large gland between each of the 3 sets of stamens. Petals imbricated in the bud. 



8. ELODES. Sepals erect and flesh-colored. Petals 5. Stamens 9 to 12, united in 8 sets. 

 Ovary 8-celled. Flowers in close, axillary clusters. Leaves pale, often purple-veined 

 oblong or ovate, and produced all summer. Petals pale purple or flesh-color, equal- 

 sided, erect. In water or wet bogs. 



1. ASCYHUM, ST. PETER'S-WORT. (Greek : without roughness.) 

 Wild in pine barrens, etc., chiefly S. Flowers summer.. % 

 * A pair ofbractlets on the pedicel; styles short. 



A. stins, Michx. Common St. Peteh's-wort. Stems 2°-3° high ; 

 leaves thickish, somewhat clasping, oval or oblong ; flowers large, with 

 obovate petals and 3 or 4 styles. From Long Island, S. 



A. Crux-Andrese, Linn. St. Andrew's Cross. Low ; stems spread- 

 ing ; leaves thinnish, narrow-oblong and tapering to the base ; flowers 

 rather small, with linear-oblong, pale yellow petals ; only 2 styles. From 

 New Jersey to Illinois, W. 



gray's f. f. & o. bot. —6 



