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ORDER MONOGYNIA. 
MONOGYNIA. 
We find in the first order some flowers of a curious appear- 
ance, as the Mandrake, (Podophyllum ;) the distinction between 
this and the mandrake of the ancients, was remarked under the 
class Pentandria. 
This plant is very common in moist, shady places, where you 
may often see great quantities of it growing together ; each stem 
supports a large white flower and two large peltate, palmate 
leaves; its yellow fruit is eaten by many as a delicacy. 
The Side-saddle flower (Sarracenia) is a very curious and 
elegant plant ; it has large leaves proceeding directly from the 
root. These leaves form a kind of cup, capable of containing a 
gill or more of water, with which liquid they are usually filled. 
The stem is of that kind called a scape, growing to the height of 
one or two feet, bearing a single large purple flower. This plant 
is found in swamps ; its common name, Side-saddle flower, is 
given in reference to the form of its leaf. It is sometimes called 
Adam’s cup, in reference to the shape of the leaf. 
The name of the genus Sarracenia, is derived from an imag- 
inary resemblance of the flower, to the head of a Saracen or 
Turk enveloped in his crimson turban. No foreign plant as an 
object of curiosity, can exceed this native of our own swamps; 
it is well worth the trouble of cultivation by those who are fond 
of collecting rare plants. 
The White Pond Lily, (Nymphaea,*) is a splendid American 
plant, very fragrant and with a larger leaf than almost any other 
northern plant. This flower closes at evening and sinks under 
the water ; at the return of day its blossoms expand and rise 
above the surface. 
The Yellow Pond Lily, (Nuphar,) though less showy, is 
equally curious in its structure. 
In this artificial class and order is the Tea tree, (Thea) ; of 
this plant there are two species, the bohea tea ( bohea ) and the 
green tea ( viridis ). It is a small ever green tree or shrub, much 
branched and covered with a rough, dark coloured bark. The, 
flowers are tvhite, the leaves are lanceolate and veined, the cap- 
sule oi seed vessel is three celled, opening, the seeds are three, 
oblong and brown. This shrub is a native of China and Japan. 
*An extensive locality of this plant exists upon the Saratoga lake. I have 
seen its surface for a quarter of a mile whitened by these lilies, occasionally 
intermixed with the yellow lilies, and the rich blue of the Pontederia, 
another beautiful aquatic plant. 
Order Monogynia — Podophyllum — Sarracenia — Pond lily — Amphibious 
— Tea-tree — 
