254 HA ypericaceae 
ABUTILON INDIAN MALLOW 
. Plants mostly soft-pubescent (ours so). Leaves cordate (ours) or angular or lobed, 
1—2 dm. wide, palmately veined. Flowers axillary, solitary, 12—18 mm. wide (ours. ) 
Petals yellow (ours). Involucre none. Ovary 5- to many-celled (12—15 in ours) ; 
cells 3—9-ovuled. Head of fruit 2—3 cm. wide (ours). Carpels 2-valved, often ros- 
trate (so in ours), falling away from the axis at maturity. (A name of unknown signif- 
icance given these plants by the Arabian physician Avicenna.) W. (A. avicennae. ) 
A. theophrasti Medic. (Velvet-leaf) 
HYPERICACEAE St. John’s-wort Family 
Herbs (ours) or shrubs or trees. Leaves opposite (ours) or whorled, entire (ours) 
or rarely glandular-ciliate or dentate, pellucid-punctate or black-dotted; stipules none. 
Flowers terminal or axillary, solitary or cymose-paniculate, regular, perfect. Sepals 
4—5 (ours). Petals 4—5 (ours), usually oblique or contorted. Stamens 5—=many: 
often in sets of 3 or 5. Ovary superior, |—7-celled; carpels 1—7; styles as many as 
the carpels; ovules many, in 2 rows in each cell. Fruit usually a capsule (so in ours), 
septicidal. Seed straight. 
HYPERICUM ST. JOHN’S-WORT 
Annual or perennial. Flowers mostly in cymes. Petals yellow. Ovary either 
I-celled with 3—5 parietal placentae which sometimes project far into the cavity, or else 
ovary 3—6-celled. Capsule |—6-celled. (Meaning unknown; said to be from Gk. 
hyper—=under, + Erica—a heather.) 
A. Plants low, often prostrate or ascending, often matted; stems 2.5——30 cm. long, 
often much branched. W.C. E. (H. brvophytum; H. anagalioides nevadense; 
probably H. tapetoides.) H. anagalloides C. & S. (Creeping St. John’s-wort) 
AA. Plants erect, 3—20 dm. high; stems simple or nearly so. 
B. Plant annual; stamens 5—10; capsule 1-celled; sepals linear-lanceolate, atten- 
uate. W. (H. canadense majus.) 
H. majus Brit. 
BB. Plant perennial; stamens more than 12; capsule 3-celled. 
C. Sepals lanceolate, acute or acuminate; capsule not lobed. W. 
H. perforatum L. (Common St. John’s-wort) 
CC. Sepals oval or oblong, obtuse; capsule 3-lobed. W. E. (HA. scouleri.) 
H. formosum HBK. 
ELATINACEAE Water-wort Family 
Herbs (ours), low. Leaves opposite (ours) or whorled, entire or serrate; stipules 
present. Flowers small, axillary, solitary or fascicled, perfect, regular. Sepals 2—5. 
Petals as many as the sepals. Stamens | or 2 times as many as sepals. Ovary superior, 
2—5-celled; styles 2—5; ovules many. Capsule septicidal; placentae central. Seed 
crustaceous, rugose or ribbed. 
A. Flower-parts in 2’s or 3’s or 4’s; plant glabrous, aquatic or creeping; sepals obtuse, 
without. mid-vein. ELATINE (p. 255) 
AA. _ Flower-parts in 5’s; plant pubescent, ascending or diffuse; sepals pointed or acute, 
with mid-vein. BERGIA (p. 255) 
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