prickles. Carpels without ribs: vittse numerous. Carpophore indistinct.
Seeds semiglobose.—Perennial herbs. Radical leaves with long petioles,
palmately lobed ; the lobes cuneate, incised and toothed towards the apex.
Stem naked or nearly so. Umbel with few rays. Umbellets with numerous
rays; the flowers polygamous. Leaflets of the involucre few and often
lobed. Involucel of several entire leaflets.
1. S. Marilandica (Linn.) : leaves digitately 5-parted; the segments
ineisely and mucronately serrate; middle one distinct to the base; the lateral
ones slightly confluent at the base; sterile flowers pedicellate ; teeth of the
calyx entire.—Linn. ! spec. 1. p. 235 ; Michx. I jl. 1. p. 162 ; Ell. sic. 1. p.
348 ; Torr. ! jl. 1. p. 302 ; DC. ! prodr. 4. p. 84 ; Hook.! jl. Bor.-Am. 1.
p. 257. S. Canadensis, Linn. 7 l. c.
Woods and thickets, Canada! and Newfoundland! to South Carolina;
and west to Arkansas !'Oregon, Douglas. June-July.—Stem about 2 feet
high, dichotomously branched at the summit. Middle segment of the leaves
petiolulate. Umbel somewhat compound and proliferous. Flowers white
or jrarely yellowish : fertile ones nearly sessile, on pedicels 1-2 lines long.
Calyx-tube echinate on every part.
2. S. Menziesii (Hook. & Arn.): leaves cordate, deeply 3-parted; the
segments obovate-cuneate, variously lobed and ineisely serrate ; serratures
mucronate and terminating in short hairs; umbels somewhat compound;
sterile flowers subsessile.—Hoolc. 8f Arn. ! hot. Beechey, p. 142, Sf suppl. p.
347; Hook. ! jl. Bor.-Am. 1. p. 258, t. 90. P. Liberta, Cham. Sf Schlecht.
in Linneea, 1. p. 253?
Borders of woods, &e. Oregon, Dr. Scouler ! Nuttall! California, Menzies,
Douglas.—Root long and somewhat fusiform. Stem stout, branching above.
Leaves 2-2i inches in diameter: segments usually dilated and rounded, but
sometimes rather acute. Flowers yellow.—Very nearly allied to S. Liberta,
and scarcely distinguishable except by its nearly sessile sterile flowers.
The Oregon plant differs from the Californian (on which the species was
founded) in the leaves being more obtuse, with shorter hairs at the point of
the serratures ; but in other respects we can discover no essential difference.
Mr. Nuttall, however, considers the Oregon plant as a distinct species, which
he calls S. obtusa.
3. S. lacmiata (Hook. & Arn.) : stem branching from near the base i
leaves deeply 2-parted, with a cordate outline ; segments laciniately pinnati-
fid, narrow, setosely acuminate ; umbels compound ; involucre and involu-
cels bipinnatifidly laciniate.—Hook, Arn. ! lot. Beechey, suppl. p. 347.
California, Douglas!—Stem divided into several spreading branches.
Radical leaves on rather long petioles, much dissected; the ultimate lobes
narrow, very acute and spreading: cauline leaves pinnatifid, with narrow
subulately toothed segments.
4. S. nudicaulis (Hook. & Arn.): caulescent; leaves mostly radical, on
very long petioles, cordate, 3-parted; segments broadly obovate, somewhat
lobed, setosely toothed; the lateral ones 2-cleft; cauline leaves similar, two
opposite ones at the base of the 3-rayed umbel; calyx-tube echinate.—Hook.
Sf Arn. hot. Beechey, suppl. p. 347.
California, Douglas.—Among our Californian specimens of this genus,
collected by Mr. Douglas, is one which we think must be this species ; but
it seems to be a variety of S. laciniata, with less divided leaves. We have it
also from the same country, collected by Mr. Nuttall, under the name of
S. palmata.
5. S. bipinnatijida (Dougl.): leaves bipinnatifid ; the lower cauline ones
opposite, on long petioles; segments remote, ineisely serrate, decurrent on
the acutely toothed rachis; peduncles elongated; umbels compound and
somewhat proliferous; umbellets many-flowered; involucels very short.—
Hook.! jl. Bor.-Am. 1. p. 358, t. 92.
Oregon, Dr. Scouler, Nuttall! Mr. Tolmie ! June.—About a foot high.
Leaves mostly radical, or springing from an elevated caudex, 3-4 inches
long : segments narrowed at the base ; the rachis winged and conspicuously
dentate with mucronate salient teeth. Umbellets in very compact heads.
Flowers all nearly sessile, purple.
6. S. lipinnata (Hook. & A m .): stem slender; leaves bipinnately parted
; divisions remote ; the segments oblong, cuneate at the base, ineisely and
mucronately toothed ; involucral leaves deeply 3-cleft; the segments narrow,
toothed or laciniate ; calyx-tube echinate above the middle, naked towards
the base.—Hook. Sf Arn. ! lot. Beechey, suppl. p. 347.
California, Douglas !—Stem a foot or more in height, much more slender
than in any other North American species. Segments of the leaves about
half an inch long, very acute. Umbellets about 3 lines in diameter, 5-6-
flowered; the sterile flowers pedicellate.— S. graveolens of Chili is allied to
this species; but differs in the obtuse segments of the leaves, much larger
heads of flowers, &c.
7. S. arctopoides (Hook. & Am .): stems very short, with several scapiform
branches; leaves deeply 3-parted; the divisions pinnatifid or bipinnatifid;
segments narrow and spreading; peduncles elongated; involucels 8-10-
leaved, longer than the umbellets; calyx-tube naked towards the base.—
Hook. Sf Arn. ! lot. Beechey, p. 142, Sf suppl. p. 347 ; Hook. jl. Bor.-Am.
l .p . 258, t. 91.
Grassy plains near Monterey, California, Douglas! Nuttall! North
West Coast, Menzies. March—April.—Plant 6—10 inches high. Leaves
usually much dissected, with widely spreading lobes. Umbels simple.
Leaflets of the involucel linear-lanceolate, spreading or reflexed. Sterile
flowers numerous, pedicellate. Fruit armed with a few strong hooked
prickles above the middle.—A remarkable species, with the habit of Arctopus
Capensis.
5. ERYNGIUM. Tourn.; Lam. ill. t. 187 ; Laroche, hist. Eryng. 1808.
Flowers sessile, collected in dense globose or cylindrical heads. Calyx-
tube roughened or papillose with scale-like vesicles; the lobes somewhat
leafy. Petals connivent, oblong-obovate, emarginate, with a very long in-
flexed point. Styles filiform. Fruit obovate, nearly terete, squamate or
tuberculate. Carpels semiterete, without vittae or ribs. Carpophore adnate
throughout with the carpels.—Herbaceous or sometimes suffruticose plants ;
the leaves often prickly. Flowers mostly blue or white, bracteate; the
lower bracts mostly larger and involucrate ; the others intermixed with the
flowers and converted into pale* or scales.
1. E. diffusum (Torr.): leaves all sessile and palmately parted; segments
oblong, ineisely serrate and spinose; stem dichotomously branched, diffuse ;
heads subglobose, nearly sessile ; leaflets of the involucre 4-6, 3-cleft, a little
longer than the heads; scales lanceolate, entire.— Torr.! inarm, lyc. New
York, 2. p. 207 ; DC. prodr. 4. p. 91.
On the Canadian River, Arkansas, Dr. James !— 11 Stem about a span