( 70 .) 
PARNA'SSIA* * 
Linnean Class and Order. PENTA'NDRiAf, Tetragy'nia. 
Natural Order. Saxifra'ge.e, Lindl. Syn. p. 66 ; Inlrod. to 
Nat. Svst. p. 49 . — Droser v'ce.e, Rich, by Macgilliv. p. 504. — 
Loud. Hort. Brit. p. 501 . — Parna'ssie, Gray’s Nat. Arr. v. ii. p. 
670 . — Capparidibus affinia, Juss. Gen. PI. p. 244. 
Gen. Char. Calyx (fig. 1.) inferior, of one sepal, in five very 
deep oblong, spreading, permanent segments. Corolla of five egg- 
shaped, obtuse, concave, spreading petals, which are longer than the 
calyx, with several longitudinal pellucid ribs. Nectaries (fig. 4.) 
five fleshy scales, opposite the petals, each fringed at the upper 
edge with a row of globular-headed bristles, from three to thirteen 
in number. Filaments five, awl-shaped, spreading, each in its 
turn incumbent over the pistil, .dnthers heart-shaped, flattened. 
Germen (fig. 3.) egg-shaped, large. Styles none Stigmas four, 
obtuse, permanent, subsequently spreading, and rather enlarged. 
Capsule (fig. 5.) superior, egg-shaped, but somewhat four-angled, 
of one cell, and four valves, each valve bearing a longitudinal strap- 
shaped placenta ( receptacle of the seeds]. Seeds (fig. 6.) numerous, 
oblong, curved upwards, each bordered with a narrow, longitudinal 
wing. 
The nectaries, fringed with globular-headed bristles, will distin- 
guish this genus from all others in the same class. 
One species British. 
PARNA'SSIA PALU'STRIS. Common Grass of Parnassus. 
Spec. Char. Leaves heart-shaped. Stem one amplexicaul. 
Bristles of the nectary from 9 to 13. 
Engl. Bnt. t. 82. — Hook. FI. Lond. t. I.— Linn. Sp. PI. p. 391. — Huds. FI. 
Angl. (2nd ed.) p. 131. — Sm. FI. Brit. v. i. p. 340. Eng. FI. v. ii. p. 114. — 
With. (7th ed.) v. ii. p. 404. — Lindl. Syn. p. 67. — Hook. Brit. FI. p. 144.— Gray’s 
Mat. Arr. v. ii. p. 670. — Lightf. FI. Scot. v. i. p. 172. — Sibth. FI. Oxon. p. 105. — 
Abbot’s FI. Bedf. p. 71. — Purt. Midi. FI. v. i. p. 163. and v. iii. p. 350 — Relh. 
FI. Cantab. (3rd ed.) p. 130. — Maund’s Botanic Gaiden, v.iii. N°. 195. — Hook. 
FI. Scot. p. 96. — Grev. FI. Edin. p.73. — Johnston’s FI. of Berwick, v. i. p. 73. 
Perry’s PI. Yarv. Selects, p. 27. — Mack. Cat. PI. of lrel p. 31. — Walk. FI. of 
Oxf. p. 87. — Parndssia vulgaris et palustris, Kay’s Syn. p. 355. — Grdmen 
Parndssi, Johnson's Gerarde, p 840. 
Lonai.ii iks. — In spongy bogs and commons, and in marshy pastures, espe- 
cially in mountainous countries, plentiful. — Oxfordshire; Peat-bogs on Bul- 
linglon Green ; and under Headington-W ick Copse : Dr. Sim none. Shotover 
Hill; and in bogs on the North side of the village of Uppei Heyford, abundant ; 
1831. W. B. Latchford-bog, near Great Haseley: Miss Armetriding. — 
Berks ; In a pasture a little above Botley, near Oxford : Parkinson. In the 
same place, in 1832: Mr. J. Birch. In a bog between Tubnev and Oakley 
House, in abundance: Aug. 1833. Mr. E. Junker. — Bedfordshire; Steving- 
ton, Purvey, and Ampthill : Bev. C. Areot. — Bucks ; Near Wing, in abund- 
ance : Mr. VV. Panplin, jun. — Cambridgeshire ; On Shelford, Tevershani, 
Trumpington, and Sawston Moors; and near Linton: Rev. R. Rei.han. — 
Derbyshire; On the tops of the high lands about Buxton: Miss Sparrow. — 
Dorsetshire; In Purbeck ; on Wareham Heath: Dr. Pulteney. — Essex; 
Fig. 1. Calyx. — Fig. 2. Nectaries, Stamens, and Germen.— Fig. 3. Germen 
in a young state. — Fig. 4. One of the Nectaries magnified. — Fig. 5. A ripe Cap- 
sule. — F’ig. 6. A Seed magnified. — Fig. 7. A tiansverse section of the Capsule, 
showing the 4 placentae or receptacles of the seeds. 
* F’roin Mount Parnassus, to which place, indeed, the plant is by no means 
peculiar. Dr. Hooker. + See Anchusa Semper virens, p. 48. note t- 
