ORDER MONOGYNIA. 
163 
qualities. Another species, nictitans , has small yellow flowers, and 
beautiful pinnate leaves, which remain folded at night; it shrinks 
back from the touch, for which reason it is called the American 
sensitive plant. 
A plant, called by the Indians, Red-bud, (Cercis canadensis ,) be¬ 
longs to this class. It is a large tree, appearing as early as April, 
loaded with clusters of fine crimson flowers; the leaves, which are 
large and heart-shaped, do not appear as early as the blossoms. 
The beautiful aspect of the tree attracts to it many insects, particu¬ 
larly humblebees. A botanist* says, “ I have often observed hun¬ 
dreds of the common humblebees lying dead under these trees while 
in flower.” This is not the only example of fatal consequences 
which result from trusting too much to external appearances ! This 
tree is not improperly called Judas’ tree. 
The three genera of plants which we have now noticed, bear fruit 
in that kind of pod called a legume; this is the case in general with 
the papilionaceous flowers. 
The rue ( Ruta) is an exotic, which gives name to one of Jus¬ 
sieu’s natural orders called Rutacece ; these plants have a monosepa- 
lous calyx; five petals, alternating with the lobes of the calyx; the 
germ is large and superior, (See Fig. 134, a.) 
At 6, Fig. 134, is a representation of a flower of the Saxifraga, a 
very extensive genus; one species of which, an exotic, sometimes 
called beefsteak geranium, is much cultivated as* a green-house 
plant; it is very hardy; its leaves are roundish and hairy; it sends 
forth creeping shoots. 
This class and order presents us with the Winter green tribe; 
plants which are more or less shrubby, with monopetalous, bell-form 
corollas and evergreen leaves. In shady woods, where the soil is 
loose and rich, we find, in June and July, the spicy wintergreen, 
( Gaultheria ,) a perennial plant which grows to the height of eight or 
ten inches; the pleasant taste of the leaves and fruit of this plant, 
is well known to the children of this country; the drooping blossom 
is very delicate and beautiful, consisting of a bell-form corolla, (not 
unlike the lily of the valley,) the colour of which is tinged with 
pink. Though you may have often enjoyed eating the fruit and 
leaves of the wintergreen, you will experience a delight which this 
mere pleasure of sense could not have afforded, when in your bo¬ 
tanical rambles in the woods you chance to meet with this plant in 
blossom, with its little flowers just peeping out from a bed of dry 
leaves; you may then have the pleasure of a beautiful object of 
sight, with the intellectual gratification of tracing those characters 
which give it a definite place in scientific arrangement. Among the 
wintergreen tribe are two genera, Pyrola and Chimaphila, which 
by some botanists have been included under one ; but they appear 
to be sufficiently distinct from each other to constitute a separate 
genus. These plants were classed by Linnaeus in the natural order 
Bicornes, or two horns, alluding to the two protuberances, like 
straight horns, which appear on their anthers. 
A great proportion of the plants in the first order of the tenth 
class are to be found in shady woods in June and July. We can 
here enumerate but few of them. We will, however, mention the 
Monotropa, a most curious little plant;—several stems of a few 
inches in height, form a cluster ; each stem supports a single flower, 
* W. P. C. Barton. 
Cercis—Natural order Rutacece— Saxifraga—Wintergreen tribe—Monotropa, or In- 
dian-pipe. 
