﻿( 133 .) 



S PIRvE'A* *. 



1, inn enn Class and Order. Icosa'ndriA f, Pentaoy , .\ia +. 



Natural Order. Rosa'cea:, Juss. Gen. PI. p. 334. — Sm. Gr. 

 of Bot. p. 171. — Lindl. Syn. p. 88. Introd. to Nat. Syst. of Bot. p. 

 81. — Rich, by Macgilliv. p. 528. — Loud. Hort. Brit. p. 512. — 

 Rosales; sect. Rosin.®; subsect. Rosian.® ; type, Spir^eace.®; 

 subtv. Spir.eid.® ; Burnett’s Outl. of Bot. pp. 614, 683,699,706, 

 and 707. — Spir.ea'ce.e, Don’s Gen. Syst. of Gard. and Bot. v. ii. 

 p. 516. — Pomace.® of Linnaeus. 



Gen. Char. Calyx (figs. 1 & 4.) inferior, of 1 sepal, nearly 

 flat at the base, with 5 acute, permanent, marginal segments. 

 Corolla (see fig. 2.) of 5 (sometimes more) roundish or oblong pe- 

 tals, attached by their claws to the rim of the calyx. Filaments 

 (see figs. 2 & 3.) more than 20, thread-shaped, wavy, nearly as 

 long as the corolla, attached to the rim of ihe calyx. Anthers (see 

 fig. 2.) roundish, 2-lobed. Germens (see fig. 4 & 5.) 5 or more, su- 

 perior, egg-shaped or oblong, compressed, each terminating in a 

 short style. Stigmas spreading, blunt. Capsules (fig. 5.) as many 

 as the germens, oblong, pointed, more or less compressed, each of 

 2 rather membranous valves, and 1 cell. Seeds from 2 to 6, fixed 

 to the inner suture of the capsule. Embryo inverted. Cotyledons 

 thickish. 



Distinguished from other genera, in the same class and order, 

 by the inferior, 5-cleft, permanent calyx, and the 1-celled, 2- to 

 6-seeded capsule of 2 membranous valves. 



Three species British. 



SPIR3E'A FILIPE'NDULA. Common Dropwort§. 



Spec. Char. Stem herbaceous. Leaves interruptedly pinnate. 

 Leaflets uniform, deeply cut and serrated. Flowers cymose, with 

 many styles. 



• Km;!. Rot. t.284. — T.irm. Sp. PI. p. 702. — lluds. FI. Ariel. (2nd ed.) p.217. — 

 Sm. FI. Brit. v. ii. p. 535. Eng. FI. v. ii. p. 358 — With. (7th ed.) v. iii. p.609. 

 — Lind. Syn. p. 89. — Hook. Brit. FI. p. 223. — Light!’. FI. Scot. v. i. p. 259. — 

 Sibth. FI. Oxon. p. 157. — Abbot’s FI. Bedf. p. llO. — Purl. Midi. FI. v. i. p. 

 238 — Kelli. FI. Cant. (3id ed.) p. 199. — Hook. FI. Scot. p. 152. — Grev. FI. 

 F.dm. p. 110.— FI. Devon, pp. 84 & 173. — Rev. G. R. Smith’s PI. of S. Kent, 

 p. 28. — Don’s Gen. Syst. of Gard. and Bot. v. ii. p. 521.— Walk. FI. of Oxf. p. 

 137. — Perry’s PI. Varvic. Select, p. 43 — Bab. FI. Bath. p. 14. — Spireea vul- 

 garis, Gray's Nat. Air. v. ii. p. 588. — Filipendula, Ray’s Syn. p. 259. — John- 

 son’s Gerarde, p. 1058. 



Locai.tties. — In dry meadows and pastures on a chalky or gravelly soil. 

 Not uncommon. — Oxfordsh. Banks of the Canal going to VVolvercot; Burford 

 Downs: Dr. StBrHOii e. In Headington Wick Copse, and between that and 

 Wick House. In a pasture ground close to Headington Copse in considerable 

 abundance, 1831. In meadows between Oddington and the Grange, Aug. 1831. 

 In Stow Wood, plentiful. Abundant in Blenheim Park, but it seldom flowers 



Fig. 1. Calyx.— Fig. 2. Corolla, Stamens, and Pistils. — Fig. 3. A single 

 Stamen. — Fig. 4. Calyx and Pistils. — F’ig. 5. Capsules. — Fig. 6. A Germen, a 

 little magnified. — Fig. 7. The Root. 



* Said to be from speirao, Gr. to become spiral ; in allusion to the fitness of 

 the plants to be twisted into garlands. Don. 



t See Pi units cirasus, f. 100, n. t. { See Py'rus tormindlis, f. Ill, n. f. 



$ So called from the manner in which its tuberous toots hang together by 

 thieads. 



