260 The Wood-Sorrel. 



serving their globe-like form till they fall off, \vhich~thev~iT 

 long before the seed is ripe. The petals, which are entir 1° 

 hidden by the converging sepals, are about the same length 

 as the stamens ; and indeed they look more like abortive fil 

 ments a little flattened, than petals. The stamens and earn t" 

 are very numerous. The leaves appear palmate, so deepV 

 are they cleft into five distinct lobes. This plant never im! 

 proves by cultivation; and those species which have bee* 

 propagated from others kept in gardens for a great many years 

 produce flowers exactly similar to those which are found will 

 in the meadows. In gardens, the globe-flower will grow i n 

 any soil or situation, but it prefers one that is somewhat moist 

 and shady. It is readily propagated, either by seeds or by 

 division of the root. 



The only American species of Trollius is T. Americanus 

 It is a native of all the Northern States, in swamps and low- 

 grounds. The leaves are fivelobed; the sepals, unlike tho 

 European species, spread widely apart, so as to show tho 

 petals, which are very short and broad, and of a fine yellow 

 color. Several stems, each bearing a flower, spring from tho 

 same root. It flowers in May and June, and is easily culti- 

 vated. A variety of thia species, discovered by Drummond 

 near the Rocky Mountains, has white flowers. 



OXALIS— THE WOOD-SORREL. 



Natural Order, Oxalidaceae ; Linnsean System, Decandria, Pentagynia. 

 Generic Distinctions :— Sepals, five, distinct, or united at base ; stamens! 

 monadelphous at base; stigmas, pencil-formed, rarely capitate or bifid; 

 capsule, oblong or cylindrical. 



O. Botaiei.— Stemless ; leaflets, three, roundish, cordate, emarginate ; pe- 

 duncles, about the length of the leaves, umbelliferous Plate 37. 



This genus comprises a great number of species, which 

 are found in widely separate regions of the world. From the 

 Cape of Good Hope are brought many of the most beautiful 

 kinds, while both Great Britain and our own country furnish 



