LEONTICE CHRYSOGONUM. 



(Golden-flowered Leontice.) 



LINNEAN SYSTEM. XT no NATURAL ORDER. 



No. 98. 



HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA. BERBER AC EjE. 



GENERIC CHARACTER. 

 Leontice. (Lin.) Sepala 6, extus nuda. Petala 6, intus basis quammulam gerentia. Capsula 

 vesicaria 2-4 sperma. Semina in fundo capsulse inserta globosa. Herba, radice tuberosa ; foliis 

 varie sectis. Calycibus ssepe coloratis. (Decand. Syst. vol. ii. p. 23.) 



Sepals 6, externally naked. Petals 6, internally bearing a scale at the base. Capsule blad- 

 dery, two to four seeded. Seeds globose, inserted at the base of the capsule. Herbaceous plants, 

 tuberous-rooted. Leaves variously divided. Calices frequently coloured. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTER. 

 L. Chrysogonum ; foliis pinnatisectis ; segmentis sessilibus, ovali-oblongis, apice 3-5 fidis; 

 bracteis parvis scariosis ; stamina petalis fere secmalia. 



Leaves pinnatifid ; segments sessile, ovate-oblong, three to five toothed at the apex ; bracts 

 small, scarious ; stamens almost the length of the petals. 

 Leontice chrysogonum. — Lin. 

 Bongardia rawolfi. — Bunge. 



Dbscr. — Root tuberous, stemless. Leaves blotched, pinnately divided, each segment three- 

 toothed at the apex. Scape about eight inches high, branched. Peduncles simple or branched, 

 about three inches long, pedicels about one inch long. Bracts scarious, situate at the base of the 

 peduncles, bracteolse at the base of the pedicels. Flowers yellow, solitary. Sepals six, obovate, 

 yellow. Petals six, in colour and form similar to the sepals. Stamens six, situate opposite to 

 the petals, and arranged on the torus, longer than the styles. Anthers two-celled, joined at 

 their base to the summit of the stamens. Style short. Stigma crested. Ovarium bladdery, 

 one-celled, conical, and containing about four pear-shaped stipitate seeds. 



This is an exceedingly pretty plant ; which, from its elegant foliage and rich 

 yellow flowers, is worthy of a place in every choice collection. Its root is also 

 valuable as an article of food, and is much esteemed by the natives of Persia 

 and the Levant. Our drawing was made in the year 1837, from a plant in the 

 collection of the Birmingham Horticultural Society, which was raised from tubers 

 sent to that establishment by Dr. Fischer, of St. Petersburgh. 



This genus contains five species, three of which are natives of the Eastern 

 hemisphere, and inhabiting Greece, Candia, and Tartary ; the others are natives 

 of Siberia and North America. 



VOL. III. NO. XXVII. MAY, 1839. F 



