The Spring Beauty. 227 



JEFFERSONIA— THE JEFFERSONIA. 



Mural Order, Berberidacese ; Linusean System, Octandria, Monogyuia. 

 Generic Distinctions:— Calyx, of four sepals; petals, eight; stamens, 

 eight, surrounding the ovary ; capsules, opening by the whole circumfer- 

 ence of the apex. 



jjiphylla.— Leaves, cleft into two lobes; peduncles, one-flowered; petals, 

 white; anthers, yellow ; calyx, deciduous, colored.— PL 32. Fig. 1. 



This pretty little plant is the only one of its genus, and was 

 named by Dr. Barton after President Jefferson. The flower 

 is large, regular, and grows at the top of a peduncle about half 

 a foot high- The petioles are long, and have each a leaf so 

 deeply cut as to make it appear like a pair of leaves placed 

 base to base. The structure of the capsule is curious; it 

 opens like a box, the upper part forming a regular persistent 

 lid. The JefFersonia grows in the Northern and Western 

 parts of the United States, and in some places has considera- 

 ble reputation as a remedy for rheumatism and similar disorders, 

 whence it is often called Rheumatism Root. 



CLAYTONIA— THE SPRING BEAUTY. 



Natural Order, Portulacea? ; Linnscan System, Pentandria, Monogyuia. 

 Generic Distinctions :— Sepals, two; petals, five, obcordate, clawed; 

 stamens, five, inserted on the claws of the petals; stigma, three-cleft; 

 capsule, three-valved ; two to five seeded. 



C. Virginica.— Leaves, narrow, linear, obsoletely three-nerved ; petals, eraar- 

 ginate; racemes, solitary, nodding; pedicels, slender. — PL 32. Fig. 2. 



C. Caroliniana<— Root, tuberous; radical, leaves spatulate, cauline ones 

 obloug ; sepals, very blunt. — PL 32. Fig. 3. 



This genus was named in honor of Dr. John Clayton, a 

 Virginian botanist. The two species in our plate are not un- 

 common in the Northern States, flowering among the rocky hills 

 very early in spring. They are both very elegant and deli- 

 cate plants. They have tuberous roots, situated very deep in 



