NAT. ORDER. 
Fumariace(B. 
FUMARIA CAVA. HOLLOW-ROOTED FUMITORY. 
Class XVII. DiADELPHiA. Order II Hexandria. 
Gen. Char. Calyx two-leaved. Corolla ringent. Filaments two, 
membranaceous, with three anthers on each. 
Spe. Char. Pericarps one-seeded, racemed. Stem diffuse. 
This plant has a root about the size of a large hazle-nut with the 
shuck on ; i\\e flower-stalk rises in height about eight or nine inches; 
the root-leaves stand in pairs, triternate, gashed, smooth, slender, and 
with red petioles ; the scape is simple, round, the length of the leaf, 
and rufous ; the racemes are terminating and simple ; the flowers 
pendulous, and of a dull purple-white color. It is a native of Vir- 
ginia. Perennial, flowering in June and July. 
The generic name is from fumas, smoke, in allusion to the disa- 
greeable smell of the plant. The French, with the same meaning 
call it Fumeterre, whence our English Fumitory. 
The economy of the fructification of this family of plants is remark- 
able. The stamens are in two parcels, the anthers of which are a 
little higher than the stigma ; the two middle ones of these anthers 
are turned outwards, and do not appear capable of communicating 
their polen to the stigma : the four latteral ones are also naturally 
turned outwards, but by a twist of the filament their face is pre- 
sented to the stigma. They are all held firmly together by the 
cohesion of the tops of the flowers, which, never unclosing, offer no 
apparent means of the polen being distributed so as to be shed upon 
the stigmatic surface. To remedy this inconvenience, the stigma is 
furnished with two blunt horns, one of which is inserted between 
and under the cells of the anthers of each parcel, so that without 
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