378 TETRADYNAMIA SIL1CUL0SA 



310. EROPHILA. DC. Syst. 2. p. 356. 

 [Greek, Er 9 eros, spring, andpfiileo, to love ; in allusion to its early flowciin?.] 



Calyx equal at base, rather loose. Petals 2-parted. Filaments with- 

 out teeth. Silicle oval, or oblong ; valves flattish ; septum rnembrau- 

 aceous ; stigmas sessile. Seeds numerous, in a double scries, not mar- 

 gined ; cotyledons accumbent. 



1. E. vulgaris? DC.var.americana. Silicles elliptic-oblong, shorter 



than the pedicels; scape 5 to 15-flowcred. 



Also, E. americana. DC. Prodr. I. p. 172. 



E. vulgaris. Hook. Am. 1. p. 56, Linal? Ency. p. 544. Beck 



Bot. p. 26. 



Draba vema. Willd? Sp. 3. p. 426. Ait? Kev>. 4. p. 91. Muhl. CataL 

 p. 60, Puvsh, Am. 2. p. 433. Mitt. Gen. 2. p. 62. Bart. Phil. 2. p. 

 52. Bart. Am. 3. p. 49 (Icon, tab. 88. /. 2.). Florul. Cestr. p. 78, 

 Torr. Comp. p. 247, Bigel. Bost.p. 250. Eat. Man. p. 127. var. am- 

 ericana. Pers. Syn. 2. p. 190. 



Common Eiiophila. Vulgo — Whitlow grass. April flower. 



Root annual. Leaves radical, 1 third of an inch to an inch long, and 1 line to i 

 third of an inch wide, lance-oblong, or oblanceolate, narrowed at base, denticulate 

 near the apex, hairy, hairs branched. Scape 1 to 4 or 5 inches high, often several 

 from the same root, erect, or decumbent, striate, pubescent. Flowers small, race- 

 mose ; pedicels elongating, finally half an inch to an inch long ; calyx hairy ; pet* 

 als white, divided half way to the base. Silicles about 1 third of an inch long,and 

 about 3 times as long as wide ; valves soon falling off, leaving the seeds adheriug 

 to the margins of the septum. Seeds small, oval, brown. 



Hub. Sandy banks; roadsides, &c. common. Fl. March— April. Fr. May. 



Obs. From the specimens which I have seen, I incline to think that ours is 

 scarcely more than a variety of the European plant: But! concur with Dr. Beck, 

 in the opinion, that the Draba hispidida, Mx. (as I understand it,) is quite distinct. 

 This latter may probably yet be found in Chester County,— as it was collected 

 in the adjoining County of Lancaster, by D. Townsbnd, Esqr. There is no other 

 species of Erophila known in the U. States. 



311. COCHLEARIA. Tounief. DC. Syst. 2. p. 358. 

 [Latin, Cochleare, a spoon ; from a fancied resemblance in the leaves.] 



Calyx equal at base, spreading. Petals entire. Filaments without 

 teeth. Silicles roundish-ovoid, or oblong; valves ventricose; stylo 

 very short. Seeds mostly numerous, not margined ; cotyledons ac- 

 cumbent. 



stamens 6,— of which 2 are shorter, solitary, and opposite the lateral sepals,— and 

 4 longer, in pairs, opposite the anterior and posterior sepals ; disk mostly with 

 green glands at the base of the stamens,— inside of the short ones, and outside or 

 rather alternating with the long ones; ovary superior; stigmas 2, opposite or 

 over the placental sutures, connate ; fruit, of the first order a Silicle, or short pod, 

 —of the second order a Silique, or long pod ; pods mostly 2-celled, 2-valved, with 

 the valves separating from the septum (rarely indehiscent); seeds attached n«ar 

 iht margins of the septum, along both sutum. 



