The so-called albumen of Sarothra is more properly only the thickened inner
tegument of the seed, which readily separates from the testa in all the species we
have examined, and is more or less fleshy in several.
T ribe I. HYPERICE.®. Chois.
Fruit eapsular. Seeds terete or roundish.—Herbs, or shrubby
plants. Leaves mostly sessile.
1. ASCYRUM. Linn.; Chois, prodr. Hyper., in DC.prodr. 1. p. 55.
Sepals 4; the 2 exterior usually broad and foliaceous; the inner much
smaller. Petals 4. Filaments slightly united at the base into several parcels.
Styles 2-3 (rarely 4), sometimes united. Capsule 1-celled, 2-3 valved:
placentae parietal.—Shrubby or suffruticose plants. Leaves sprinkled with
black dots. Flowers 1-3 at the summit of the branches, yellow: a pair of
opposite subulate bracteoles a little below each flower.
1. A. Crux-Andrece (Linn.) : stem much branched at the base, assurgent;
leaves obovate-oblong or linear-oblong, obtuse; flowers cymulose or solitary
on short pedicels ; exterior sepals ovate ; the inner ones very minute ; petals
linear-oblong; styles 2, at length distinct.—Pursh, fl. 2. p. 373; Ell. sk. 2.
p. 22; DC. jrroar. 1. p. 555. A. multicaule. AIichx.fi. 2. p. 77.
/?. angustifolia (Nutt.): leaves oblong-lmear, crowded; exterior sepals
elliptical-ovate, acute. Nutt. gen. 2. p. 16.
Sandy pine woods, New Jersey! to Florida! and Louisiana! /?. Carolina,
Nutt all! July.—Stem 8-12 inches high (in the southern plant taller,
‘ 2-3 feet’, Elliott), distinctly ancipital above. Leaves variable in width
usually obovate-oblong and about £ of an inch in length, crowded; the lower
ones in robust specimens 14 inch long. Flowers usually in threes: pedicles 2-3
lines long: bracteoles very close to the flower, alternating with the exterior
sepals. Inner sepals scarce a line long, petaloid. Petals pale yellow, approximated
by pairs opposite the exterior sepals, and a little exceeding them in
length. Stamens about 20, half as long as the Corolla. Styles erect, very
short. Capsule ovate-oblong, compressed, 2-valved. Seeds roundish-oblong,
attached to slightly prominent parietal placentae. The placentas coalesce
at the base into a spongy body, which fills up the lower part of the capsule,
enclosing a number of perfect seeds. 2
2. A. pumilum (Michx.) : very low ; leaves small, oval, obtuse; pedicels
long, reflexed ; styles 2, united or distinct. Michx. fl. 2. p. 77 ; Ell. sk. 2.
p. 21; DC. prodr. 1. p. 555. A. pauciflorum, Nutt. gen.,2. p. 15; DC. 1. c.
Dry pine barrens, Georgia, Michaux, Elliott; $ Nuttall. March-April.—
Stem somewhat woody, slightly winged, 6-10 inches long. Leaves linear-
oblong. Flowers solitary. Peduncles 4-1 inch long. Exterior sepals ovate,
somewhat acute. Petals obovate, a little longer than the calyx. Filaments
not distinctly polyadelphous. Styles united. Capsule ovate. Elliott.
Style unusually long. Nuttall.—Among our numerous specimens of Ascy-
rum from the Southern States, there is not one that agrees in all respects
with either Michaux’s or Elliott’s description of this plant. In many respects
it seems closely allied to the preceding species, especially with the dwarf
form of the plant so common in New Jersey ; but in that the peduncles are
never long and reflexed.
3. A. stans (Michx.): stem ancipital and somewhat winged, straight
erect, dichotomously branched at the summit; leaves oblong, closely sessile*
somewhat clasping, obtuse, a little glaucous; flowers on erect peduncles;
exterior sepals cordate-orbicular; inner ones lanceolate, one-third shorter than
the others; styles 3 (rarely 4) ; capsule ovate, rather acute.—Michx.fi. 2.p.
77; DC. prodr. 1. p. 555. A. hypericoides, Linn. ?; Willd. sp. 3. p. 1473 7;
EU. sk. 2. p. 22.
0. obovatum (Chapman! mss.): dwarf; leaves obovate, somewhat narrowed
at the base.
Borders of sandy swamps in pine barrens, New Jersey ! to Florida ! Alabama!
and Louisiana ! /?. Middle Florida, Dr. Chapman ! July-August.
—Stem 1-2 feet high, usually simple except at the summit; in /?. 4-5 inches
high. Leaves 12-15 lines long, 4-5 lines wide. Flowers usually three together,
more than twice as large as in the preceding species : pedicels 4-6
lines long. Exterior sepals slightly acute : inner ones somewhat petaloid.
Petals ovate, twice as long as the calyx. Stamens very numerous. Styles
somewhat spreading. Capsule obtusely triangular: placentae somewhat
prominent. Seeds ovate, longitudinally and transversely striate.—We have
adopted Michaux’s name for this species, it being wholly uncertain whether
A. hypericoides, Linn, should be referred to this or the preceding species.
4. A. amplexicaule (Michx.): stem nearly terete below, erect, dichotomously
branched above, the branches somewhat ancipital; leaves broadly
ovate-cordate, clasping; flowers erect; exterior sepals nearly orbicular; inner
ones linear-lanceolate, rather shorter; styles 3, distinct; capsule oblong.—
Michx. ft. 2. 77 ; Pursh, fl. 2. p. 374; Ell. sk. 2. p. 23. A. stans, WilldL
sp. 3. p. 1473. Hypericum tetrapetalum, Lam. diet. 4. p. 146.
Near St. Mary’s, Georgia, Elliott, Dr. Bacon! Mrs. Miller! Florida
Michaux!—Stem 1-2 feet high, more branching above than the preceding
species. Leaves £ of an inch long, more than half an inch broad at the base.
Flowers when expanded more than an inch in diameter. Petals one-third
longer than the calyx. Stamens very numerous. Styles a little spreading.
Capsule half the length of the calyx, attenuated at the summit: placentas linear,
at length separating from the valves. Seeds cylindrical-oblong lon°i-
tudinally and transversely striate.—Easily distinguished from A. stans by its
broad clasping leaves. • ■ 1
fl* A. microsepalum: stem nearly terete, much branched; leaves (very
small) oblong-linear, crowded; flowers erect, on long peduncles; sepals
much shorter than the obovate unequal petals; styles 3, long distinct.
Georgia, Groom! Middle Florida, Dr. Alexander ! March and April.
—Stem erect ?, a foot or more high, paniculately branched. Leaves 4-5
lines long and a line wide, a little narrowed below. Flowers large and rather
showy clustered at the summit of the branches; the peduncles about
halt an. inch long. Sepals nearly equal in length; the exterior one about a
third broader than the others. Petals more than twice as long as the sepals
one of them usually much shorter than the others. Styles filiform, longer
than the ovary.—This species differs from all the others of the genus in the
somewhat equal and very small sepals, as well as in the long style: it has
the habit of Hypericum.
2* HYPERICUM. L in n .; Lam. ill. t. 643; Chois. 1. c. (in part.)
Hypericum & Sarothra of Authors.
Sepals 5, more or less connected at the base, usually somewhat equal foliaceous.
Petals 5, oblique and often inequilateral. Stamens very numerous
or sometimes few, united at the base into 3-5 parcels, or occasionally distinct!