GYNANDRIA MONAKDRIA 



499 



897. CACALM. L. Nntt. Gen. 645. 

 [An ancient Greek name ; etymology obscure.] 



TT ads mostly homo^amous, discoid, few-flowered, erect. Involucre 

 void-oblong, the leaflets lance-oblong foliaccous, scarious on the rnar- 



°* In a single series, mostly without smaller accessory ones at base. 



% \c of the perfect florets with the branches truncate and penicillate al 

 oex. Jkenes oblong, smoothish ; pappus capillary, in several series, 



uniform! Receptacle mostly naked. 



? C. ATRiPticiFOLTA, L. Smooth and glaucous; leaves petiolato; 

 lower ones broad-cordate, sinuate-angled and dentate, upper ones sub* 

 rhomboid, and cuncate, coarsely dentate; heads corymbose, erect; in- 

 Tolucre about 5-flowerc(T. Beck, Hot. p. 199. 



Atriplex-leaved Cacalta. VvJgb — Indian Plantain. 



Root perennial. Stem 3 to 5 or C> feet hieh, stout, striate, smooth, often purple, 

 but glaucous withal, branching. Leaves alternate, smooth, conspicuously nerved, 

 ©ale or yellewish-srreen above, slaucous beneath,— the radital and lower ones 4 to 

 Cinches Ion?, and about as wide as lonsr, more or less cordate, angulate-dentate, 

 and sublobed, on striate petioles 3 to 6 or 8 inches long,— -stem-leaves gradually 

 ■mailer as they ascend, varying from 1 bma&confate to deltoid, subrhomboid, and 

 cuneate, with coarse angular 1 >be-like mncronate teeth,— the small uppermost 

 leaves often oblong and entire,— petioles Gradually shorter. Heads of flowen 

 imall, numerous, corymt>ose at the summit of the branches; peduncles angular, 

 imooth, pale green or whitish, bracteate, the tracts small; into/wcr^ ovoid-oblong, 

 terete (resembling that of Prenanthes, but erect), smooth, the leaflets usually 5, 

 Jance-linear, or oblong, rather obtuse, equal, green, with scarious margins, and 

 often 1 or 2 minute bracts at base ; rays none ; diskflorets about 5, tubular, green. 

 Ish-white, sometimes tinged with purple. Akenes elliptic-oblong, ribbed, minutely 

 rugose-dotted, naked, viscid, greenish-brown; pappus hair- like, scabrous, white, 

 deciduous, leaving a white ring. Receptor le with a linear-lanceolate angular 

 membranous column in the centre, which is 2 or 3 cleft at apex, longer than the 

 •kenes, and apparently compounded of connate chaffy scales,— as remarked by 

 Mr. Elliott. 

 Uab. Woodlands, & moist shaded grounds: fr;quent. Fl. July-Aug. FY. Sept-Octe. 



Obt. The leaves are a popular application to wounds ; but the virtues are prob- 

 ably imaginary. Four or five additional species are enumerated in the U. State* 



CLASS XVIII. GYtfAtfDRIA, 



Order 1. Iflonandria.* 



$ I. Pollen powdery or consisting of granules in a loose state ef 

 eohesion. 



♦The plants of this, and the nexL succeeding Order, belong to a singular and 

 very curious natuial Family (Nat. Ord. 240. Limit. Orchidbje.). They are all 

 herbaceous, and frequently s! em less ; the root* tuberous, or fibrous (often coarse 

 fleshy and fasciculate); leaves alternate, simple, entire ; flowers in spikes, ra- 

 cemes, or panicles, tome-times s dilary ; perianth with a sub-ringent 6-parte4 

 limb,— the 3 outer segments usually colored, of which the odd one Is mostly upper- 

 most by the twisting of the ovary,— tho 3 inner segments more petaloid, of whiefc 



