ST. John's- WORT FAMILY. • 61 



3. LECHEA, PINWEED. (For Leche, a Swedish botanist.) Small, 

 homely herbs, with inconspicuous greenish or purplish flowers, and pods 

 about the size of a pin's head, whence the popular name : common in sterile 

 soil ; fl. summer and autumn. '21 



L. m&jor, Largkr P. Stem upright, hairy, l°-2° high; leaves ellipti- 

 cal, muci-onate ; flowers densely clustered. Borders of sterile woodlands. 



L. inilior, Smaller P. Stems low, 6'- 18' high, often straggling, minutely 

 hairy ; leaves Unear ; flowers loosely racemed on the branches. Open sterile 

 ground. 



17. HYPERICACE^, ST. JOHN'S -WORT FAMILY. 

 Distinguished from all other of our plants by the opposite and 

 entire simple and chiefly sessile leaves, punctate with translucent 

 and commonly some blackish dots, perfect flowers with the stamens 

 (usually many and more or less in 3 or 5 clusters) inserted on the 

 receptacle, and a pod either 1-celled with parietal placentaj or 8-5- 

 celled (see Lessons, p. 120, fig. 260, 2C2; 263), filled with many 

 small seeds. Juice resinous and acrid. All hei'e described are wild 

 plants of the country. 



# No glands between the stamens. Petals convolute in the bud, 



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



Petals 4, yellow. Stamens many. Ovary l-celled. 



2. HYPERICUM. Sepals and (yellow) petals 5. Stamens many, rarely few. 



* # Large yland between each of the 3 sets of stnmeTis Petals imbricated in the bud. 



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



in 3 sets. Ovary 3-celled. Flowers axillary. 



1. ASCYBUM, ST. PETER'S-WOET. (Greek name means without 

 roughness, being smooth plants.) Leafy-stemmed, woody at the base, with 

 2-edged branches ; wild in pine barrens, &c., chiefly S. Fl. summer, y 



* A pair ofbractlels on the pedicel : stijles short. 



A. Crux-Andreae, St. Andrew's Cross. Prom IS'ew .lersey to Illmois 

 & S. ; stems spreading ; leaves thinnish, narrow-flblong and taperin;; to the base ; 

 flowers rather small, with narrow pale yellow petals and only 2 styles. 



A. Sta,nB, CoMMOV St. Peter's-wort. Prom New Jersey S. ; stems 

 2° - 3° high ; leaves thickish, closely sessile, oval or oblong ; flowers larger, 

 with obovate petals and 3 or 4 styles. 



* * No bractlets on the pedicel. : styles longer than ovary. 



A. amplexicatlle, Claspino-leaved S. Only found .S., with erect stems 

 many times forking above, and closely sessile heart-shaped leaves ; styles 3. 



2. HYPERICUM, ST. JOHN'S-WORT. (Ancient name, qf uncertain 

 derivation.) PI. in summer, in all ours yellow. 



* Shrubs or perennial herbs : linens very many. 



•^ Styles 5 {rarel.y more) united below into one : pod -^-celled. 



H. pyramid^tum, Great-fl. S. Herb, 2° «4° high, with ovate-oblong 

 partly-clasping leaves, and large flowers, the petals rather narrow, 1 ' long, and 

 5 dusters of stamens. River-banks N & W. 



H. Kalmitoum, Kalm's S. Low shrub, with glaucous oblanceolata 

 leaves and rather largo flowers. N. W. : rare, except at Niagara Palls. 



■*- •*- Styles 3 partly united, or atfirni wholly umtedta thelap into one [see Lessons, 

 p. 118, fig. 256) : se/Jo/s leafy, spreading. 



r* Shrubby, deciduo/isrleaued, both Northern and Southern. 

 - H. prolificum, Shrubev S. Like the last, but leaves scarcely glaucous, 

 Jaupe-t^long or line«ir ; pod 3-celled. . 



