ORDER XIX. HYPERICACE.E. 239 



Genus I— ASCY'RUM. L. 12—5. (St. Andrews Cross.) 

 (From a, privative, not, and skuros, hard— a soft plant.) 



Sepals 4 ; the two exterior usually broad and foliaceoua ; the 

 two interior smaller. Petals 4. Stamens usually united by 

 their filaments into four parcels. Capsule oblong, 1 -celled, 2- 

 valved, with parietal placentae. Styles 2 — 3, occasionally 

 united. Shrubby or suffructicose. Leaves usually with black 

 dots. Flowers yellow. 



1. A. Crux-An'dre^e, (L.) Stem erect, much branched, spreading. 

 Leaves oblong-lanceolate, obtuse, sessile, dotted, small. Flowers soli- 

 tary, axillary, and terminal. The outer sepals cordate, ovate, acute ; 

 the interior small ; two small bracteal leaves at the base of the calyx. 

 Petals linear-oblong. Styles 2. Capsule 2- valved, compressed. — Yel- 

 low. 2f . July. Pine woods. Car. and Geo. 8 — 12 inches. 



2. A. ruMi'LUM, (Mich.) Stem prostrate, much divided, slightly wing- 

 ed. Leaves linear-oval, small, obtuse, toothed, perennial. Flowers soli- 

 tary, axillary ; exterior sepals ovate, acute, marked with dots. Petals 

 obovate, a little longer than the calyx. Stamens numerous, not dis- 

 tinctly united into parcels. Style 1, long. Capsule ovate. A variable 

 plant. — Yellow. If. March. Pine barrens, middle Geo. 6 — 10 

 inches. 



3. A. htpericoi'des, (L.) Stem erect, sparingly dichotomous, branch- 

 ed, ancipital, slightly winged. Leaves sessile, opposite, somewhat 

 clasping, oblong, obtuse, glaucous. Flowers terminal or axillary, on 

 erect peduncles ; exterior sepals large, cordate-ovate, nearly orbicular, 

 nerved, dotted. Petals obovate. Stamens very numerous. Styles 2. 

 Capsule triangular. Seeds striate. — Yellow. ^. Through the sum- 

 mer. Damp soils. 



4. A. amplexicau'le, (Mich.) Stem erect, sparingly branched ; 

 branches ancipital. Leaves broadly ovate, oblong, cordate, clasping. 

 Flowers erect ; exterior sepals cordate, broad. Petals obovate. Sta.' 

 mens rery numerous. Styles 3. — Yellow. If. Through the summer. 

 Southern Geo. and Florida. 1 — 2 feet. 



5. A. microsep'allm, (T. & G.) Stem nearly terete, much branched. 

 Leaves very small, oblong-linear, crowded. Flowers erect, on long pe- 

 duncles, large, clustered at the summit of the branches. Septals nearly 

 equal in length; the exterior ones about a third broader than ihe 

 others. Petals more than twice as long as the sepals ; one of them 

 usually much shorter than the others. Styles filiform, long. — Yellow. 

 March — April. Middle Florida. A foot or more high. 



Genus II.- HYPERICUM. L. 12—5. 

 (Origin of the name doubtful.) 



Sepals 5, united at the base, foliaceous. Petals 5, oblique. 

 Stamens numerous, united at the base into 3 — 5 parcels. Pis- 

 tils 3 — 5, persistent. Capsule 1-celled, with parietal placentae, 

 or 3 — 5-eelled. 



1. H. paoLiF'icujf, (L.) Stem shrubby or suffructicose, with dichoto- 



