HYPERICACEJE. (ST. JOHN'S-WOET FAMILY.) 49 



short. — Plants with a resinous juice (of acrid and balsamic qualities), 

 dotted with pellucid or dark glands, usually smooth. Leaves mostly ses- 

 sile. Flowers solitary or cymose. 



Sjrnopsi;. 



1. ASCYKUM. Scp/ds 4, Teij unequal. Petals 4, obligue, couTolute, yellOTT. 



2. HYPERICUM. Sepals 5. Petals 6, oblique, convolute, yellow. 



S. ELODEA. Sepals 5. PetiiU 5, equal-sided, imbricated, naked, purplish. Qlonds S. 



1. ASCYRUM, L. St. Petee's-woet. 



Sepals 4 ; the 2 outer very broad and leaf-like ; the inner much smaller. Pet- 

 als 4, oblique, very deciduous, convolute in the bud. Stamens numerous ; the 

 filaments distinct and scarcely in clusters. Pod sti'ictly 1-celled, 2-4-valved. — 

 Low, rather sUrabby plants, with pale black-dotted leaves, and nearly solitary 

 pale yellow fiowei-s. (Name from a, without, and aKiftos, roughness, being very 

 smooth plants.) 



1. A. Stdns, Michx. (St. Petek's-woet.) Stem simple or branched 

 above, 2-edgod, l°-2° high, stout; leaves aval or oblong, somewhat clasping, thick- 

 ish ; petals obovaie ; styles 3-4. — Pine barrens, Long Island, New Jersey, and 

 Bouthwai'd. July, Aug. — Flowers showy, almost sessile: outer sepals round- 

 heart-shaped. * 



2. A. Cmx-Andreae, L. (St. Andeew's Ceoss.) Low, much 

 branched and decumbent ; leaves narrowly dbovate-obhng, contracted at the base, 

 thin; petals linear-oblong; styles 2, very short; pod flat. — Pine barrens. New 

 Jersey to Kentucky, and southward. July - Sept. — ■ Petals scarcely exceeding 

 the outer sepals, approaching each otlier in pairs over tliem, in the form of a St. 

 Andrew's cross. 



'. h 



2. HYPERICUM, L. St. John's-woet. 



Sepals 5, somewhat equal. Petals 5, oblique, convolute in the bud. Stamens 

 numerous or few, united or clustered in 3 - 5 parcels : no interposed glands. 

 Pod 1- or 3 - 5-celled. Seeds usually cylindrical. — Herbs or shrubs, with 

 cymose yellow flowers. (An ancient name, of obscure origin.) 



4 1. Stamens very numerous, 5-adelphous : pod 5- (rarely 6 - 7-) celled, with the 'filet- 



centm turned far back into the cells ; herbaceous, perennial : flowers very large. 



1. H. pyraniidatuiu, Ait. (Geeat St. John's-wokt.) Branches 

 2 - 4-angled ; leaves ovate-oblong, paitly clasping ; petals nan-owly obovate. not 

 deciduous until after they wither; stigmas capitate. — Banks of rivers, rare, W 

 New England to Wisconsin and Illinois. July. — Plant 3° - 5° high. Leaves 

 2'-3' long. Petals 1' long. Pod |' long, conical. 



5 2. Stamens very numerous ; pod 3 - b-celled by the union of the placentce, whicl ctre 



seed-bearing on the outer face. 

 * Shrubs, leajy to the top : styles [at first united) and cells of the-pod 3 or 5 : cUyx 

 leafy, spreading : stamens scarcely at ail clustered. 

 S 



