6. P. fombriaia (Banks): scales broadly cuneate, fleshy, carinate at the
middle within, crenately 5-toothed at the apex; radical leaves on very long
petioles, biauriculate-reniform; the cauline one very small, cordate, sessile
above the middle of the slender scape; petals fimbriate at the base, somewhat
unguiculate. Hook.—Keen. ann. hot. 1. p. 391; DC. prodr. 1. p. 320;
Hook.! bot. raise. 1. p. 43. t. 23, fl. Bar-Am. 1.p. 84.
N. W. Coast, Menzies. Elevated swamps in the Rocky Mountains, lat.
52°-56°, Drummond! and lat. 41°, Nuttall !—Rhizoma somewhat creeping.
Scape 1-14 foot high. Flowers smaller than in P. Caroliniana.
Or d e r X X . C I S T A C E ^ . Ju ss.
Sepals 5, persistent; the two outer ones usually much smallest or
sometimes w an tin g ; the three inner imbricated and often sofnewhat
twisted in aestivation. Petals 5 (rarely 3 or by abortion none), hypogy-
nous, mostly very fugitive, usually crumpled in aestivation and twisted
in a direction contrary to that o f the sepals. Stamens indefinite, or
rarely few, hypogynous, d istin c t: anthers short, innate. Ovary com.
posed o f 3 -5 united carpels: styles and stigmas mostly united into
one. Capsule 3-5-valved, loculicidal, 1-celled with parietal nerviform
placentae, or imperfectly 3-5-celled with dissepiments proceeding from
the middle o f the valves and bearing the placentae at or near the axis ;
endocarp often separating from the exocarp. Seeds few or numerous,
orthotropous (very rarely somewhat anatropous). Embryo nearly
straight or spirally convolute, in the midst o f mealy or somewhat .corneous
albumen.— Herbs or low shrubs : pubescence simple or stellate.
Leaves simple and usually entire, opposite or alternate (the lowest
always, opposite), with or without stipules. Flowers perfect, yellow,
white, or red, showy or sometimes inconspicuous.
Mr. Spach, in his paper entitled 1 Description of some new Cistacece, published in
the first volume of the Companion to the Botanical Magazine, announces the somewhat
curious fact, that a few Cistaceae have anatropous seeds, but without mentioning
in what plants this structure is found. We find anatropous seeds in Heliantbe-
mum Fumana, H. procumbens, H. laevipes, H. juniperinum, and H. glutmosum
(which are all the species of the section Fuma/na of which we have specimens in
proper state for the examination) ; also in H. alpestre. In the two first-named species
the funiculus is adherent only for about half the length of the seed, which is thus
as it were heterotropous or amphitropous; in the others it adheres almost to the
(organic) apex of the seed, but in H. laevipes and H. glutinosum it may readily be
separated from the testa. The seeds of H. glutinosum, when thrown into water are
seen to be covered with a very dense coat of mucus, enveloping a great number of spiral
threads which uncoil when the mucus dissolves; as in Collomia linearis.
1. HELIANTHEMUM. Tourn. inst. t. 128 ; Gcertn.fr. t. 76; DC.
The two exerior sepals usually much smaller and bract-like, or wanting.
Petals 5 or rarely 3, sometimes abortive, fugitive. Stigmas 3, large, fimbrio-
late, more or less united into one. Capsule triangular, 3-valved, few- or
many-seeded: placenta? filiform, in the axis of the valves or on imperfect
dissepiments more or less projecting into the cell. Embryo inflexed.
The North American species belong to the section Lecheoides, Dunal; having
the exterior sepals minute, a very short straight style, and strictly parietal placenta?:
they are almost suflfruticose, with mostly stellular pubescence, and exstipulate slightly
petioled alternate leaves, except the lowest, which are usually opposite; and the evolution
of the (yellow) flowers is centrifugal. Excepting H. scoparium from California,
and H. Carolinianum, which hardly belong to this section, they differ
from the European species in producing two kinds of flowers: viz. 1st, Terminal or
dichotomal flowers, usually preceding the others, on slender penduneles, with conspicuous
petals and numerous stamens. 2nd, Smaller flowers, usually clustered in
axillary cymes or glomerules, scarcely ever fully expanding, with minute petals or
often none, fewer stamens, and smaller and fewer-seeded capsules. The two kinds
often occur on the same specimens ; but the latter are produced later in the season,
and in sterile soil often to the exclusion of the others, giving to the plant the appearance
of Lechea, so much so as to have deceived Linnaeus, whose L. major is well
known to have been founded upon such a state of Helianthemum Canadense. Mr.
Spach has noticed this peculiarity in our species, and separated them as a distinct
genus under the name of Hetekomeris.
1. H. Canadense (Michx.) : stem at first simple; the primary or terminal
large and petaliferous flowers few or solitary, on peduncles scarcely longer
than the flower, the erosely emarginate petals about twice the length of the
calyx; secondary flowers axillary, very small, nearly sessile, solitary or somewhat
clustered on short leafy branches, the petals very small or none, and
the outer sepals usually wanting ; leaves oblong or somewhat lanceolate, with
revolute margins (when dry), and, as well as the sepals and often the
branches and peduncles, canescently tomentose.—Michx.! fl. 1. p. 308 ;
Pursh ! fl. 2. p. 363 ; Ell. sk. 2. p. 4 ; Hook. fl. Bor.-Am. 1. p. 72 ; Dar-
lingt. fl. Cest. p. 313. H. ramuliflorum, Michx. 1. c.; Pursh ! 1. c .; Ell.
1. c. H. corymbosum, Pursh, fide herb.! H. rosmarinifolium, Pursh ! 1. c.
Cistus canadensis, Willd.; Bigel. fl. Bost. ed. 2. p. 212. Lechea major
(the apetalous state), Linn, amain, acad. 3. p. 11 (excl. fig.), fide Smith, &
in herb. Gronov.!
In dry sandy soils, Canada! to Florida! June (April in the Southern
States) to Sept.—Stem 6-18 inches high. Capsules of the apetalous flowers
not larger than a pin’s head, few-seeded : seeds angular, scabrous-punctate.
2. H. polifolium: primary or petaliferous flowers (small) terminating the
slender stem and the numerous short branches, on filiform peduncles many
times longer than the flower, the broadly cuneiform petals a little exceeding
the calyx; secondary flowers very small, apetalous, 3-6-androus, clustered
in lateral cymules on the floriferous branches, at first glomerate and nearly
sessile, at length on pedicels as long as the (5-sepalous) calyx ; leaves linear
or linear-oblong, with revolute margins, beneath (as also the sepals and peduncles)
tomentose-canescent.—H. capitatum, Nu tt.! in herb. acad. Philad.
Heteromeris polifolia, Spach, in compan. to bot. mag. 1. p. 291.
Prairies and dry sterile places, Arkansas, Nuttall ! Dr. Leavenworth !
and Texas, Drummond! June-Aug.—Stem 9-12 inches high, minutely
canescent. Primary flowers polyandrous, usually solitary at the extremity of
the branches, scarcely half the size of those of H. Canadense. Seeds smooth
and shining, several in the petaliferous, but very few in the apetalous flowers.
3. II. corymbosum! Michx.): stem branching from the base, canescent;
flowers in terminal fastigiate cymes; the primary ones (rather large) on
filiform peduncles much longer than the flower, the petals nearly twice the
length of the calyx; the secondary flowers in glomerate cymules, mostly
apetalous, 3-10-androus; sepals tomentose-villous, the inner ones oblong