TOFIELDIA PALUSTRIS. SCOTTISH ASPHODEL.
TOFIELDIA palustris ; capitule ovate, cauleglabro filiformi aphyllo, petalis obovatis obtusis certa
in e oblongo trilobo. ’ 6
TOFIELDIA palustris. Huds. Angl. p. \57. Smith Fl. Brit. p. 397. Engl. Bot. t. 536. With.
Bot. Arr. ed. 4. ml. 2 .p . 351. Smith in Linn. Trans, ml. 12. p . 239. Pers. Syn. PL
' ml. 1. p .3 9 9 Aiton Hort. Kexo. ml. 2. p. 324.
TOFIELDÏA borealis. Wahl. Fl. Lapp. p . 89.
ANTHERICUM caliculatum. Linn. Sp. PI. p. 447. Fl. Lapp. ed. Smith, p. 106. t. 10. f. 3 L ig h tf
Scot, p : 18 1 . if.~8.y! 2. Oed. Fl. Ban. t. 36. 6
HELONIAS borealis. Willd. Sp. PI. ml. 2. p . 274.
ANTHERICUM filamentis glabris. Hall. Helv. n. 1205.
PHALANGIÜM Scoticum palustre minimum, iridis folio. The least Scottish Asphodel Rail S l i p
p> 375. * '
Class and Ord e r . HEXANDRIA, TRYGYNIA.
[Natural Ord e r . MELANTHACEiE, Brown. COLCHICACEjE, Decand. JUNCI, Juss.]
Char. Ord in is . Perianthium liberum, petaloideum, sexpartitum, unguibusve coalitis tubulosum, laciniis jesti-
vatione saspe involutis. Stamina sex. Antheree stepius posticae. Ovarium triloculare,' polyspermum. Stylus
trifid us vel tri parti tus; stigmata indivisa. Capsula saspius tripartibilis, nunc valvis medio septiferis.' Semina
testa membranacea, nec atranec Crustacea. Albumen, dense carnosum. Br.
G e n . Cha r. Perianthium simplex, involucro minimo tripartite basi cinctum. Stamina glabra. Capsula tri sex-
locularis, loculis polyspermis, basi junctis.
Ge n . Cha r. Perianthium simple, surrounded at the base with a small tripartite involucrum. Stamens smoo th
Capsule from three- to six-celled; cells many-seeded, united at the base.
Root perennial, small, woody, somewhat tuberous, furnished
with flexuose brown fibres.
Stems very short, thickly tufted.
L eaves radical, two inches long, yellowish-green, all
equitant, between linear and ensiform, acuminate,
smooth, marked with lines, under a microscope
appearing slightly serrated above. ' *
Scape solitary, erect, quite simple, a finger’s length and
more, glabrous, round, generally naked, sometimes
bearing at the base a small leaf resemblinc
the radical ones. °
Flowers yellowish white, collected into a small ovate
head. Peduncles short, solitary, or two or three
growing together, about a line long, thickened upwards,
having at-the base three minute, concave,
whitish bracteas (or a three-leaved involucrum)!
P e r ia n t h simple, six-cleft, the segments obovate, obtuse,
concave, erect, slightly corinivent, frequently
persistent.
Stamens six. Filaments subulate, white, shorter than
the perianth.
An thers yellow, two-lobed.
G ermen ovate, three-celled, three-sided. Styles three,
erect. Stigmas subglobose.
Pe r ica rp : Capsule ovato-globose, pale brown, transversely
rugose, three-celled, three-valved, the
margins of the valves rolled inwards, and constituting
the dissepiments.
Seeds numerous, attached to the interior of the margins
of the valves on each side, oblong, angular, rugose,
brown.
Radix perennis, parva, lignosa, subtuberosa, fibris
fiexuosis fuscis prsedita.
Caüles brevissimi, dense ctespitosi.
Folia radicalia, biuncialia, flavo-vindia, omnia equi-
tanlia, lineari-ensiformia, acuminata, glabra, li-
neata, superne sub lente serrulata.
Scapus solitarius, erectus, simplicissimus, digitalis et
ultra, glaber, teres, saspe nudus, nunc basi folium
parvum radicalibus simile gerens.
F lores albo-flavescentes, in capitulum parvum ovatum
congesti. Pedunculi breves, solitarii, aut duo
vel tres approximati, vix lineam longi, incrassati;
ad basin bractese tres (vel involucrum triphyllum)
minutas, concavos, albescentes.
P eria n th ium simplex, sex-partitum, laciniis obovatis,
obtusis, concavis, erecto-conniventibus, seepe per-
sistentibus.
Stamin a sex. Filamenta subulata, alba, perianthio
breviora.
An th e r® flavas, bilobae.
G e rmen ovatum, triloculare, trigonum. Styli tres,
erecti. Stigmata sub-globosa.
P erica rpium : Capsula ovato-globosa, pallide fusca,
transversim rugosa, trilocularis, trivalvis, valva-
rum marginibus introflexis, dissepimenta consti- j
tuentibus.
Semin a numerosa, valvarum marginum interiori utrin-
que affixa, oblonga, angulata, rugosa, fusca.
Fig. 1. Flower in its natural position. Fig. 2. The same laid open to show the eermen. Mg 3 Stamen Fio- 4 Ger
men cut open to show the three cells and the disposition of the ovules. Fig. 5. Capsule burst' open at the
summit, and showing the inside of one of the valves. Fig. 6. A valve removed. Fig. 7. Seed—all more or
less magnified. ° '
Not an uncommon inhabitant of the mountains in Scotland, and the northern parts of England and Ireland
My specimens, here figured from, were communicated, with several other rarities, from Middleton in Teesdale'
by the Rev. James Dalton, in the month of June 1819. It inhabits Iceland also, and Lapland. ’
A plant nearly allied to this, found in Germany, France, and Switzerland, has been considered by most botanists
as the same species ; but Sir J. Ji. Smith has described the points of difference between them in a valuable oa
per on the genus JoA»/,/;«, in the ISth volume of the Linnman Transactions,'and has named the one in question
T.alpma. It différa from our plant in having a leafy stalk, the involucrum (calyx of Smith)dose- to the flower
and a concave permanent bractea, a line in length, at the base of the partial footstalk. This is probably the plani
alluded to in Wahlenberg s Flora Lappmwa ; of which he says, under T. borealis. ■* altera species austraiior in
Gottlandia quoque provemens abunde differt calycuhs flon opproxunatis, e t bracteis veris viridibus H a n e y calv
culatum clicere voluissem.” ^
’ 1 The Narlhcchun pusillum of Michaux (Toficldia fusilla of Pursh) is considered by Sir J. E. Smith to he svno
nymous with our British one. If however it be the same as Nuttall’s T. fusilla, it appears from that author’s
account, to be not only distinct in species, but in genus (vide NoltalTs American Plants). On this account I have
omitted the American plant m the list of synonyms.
In all probability, our Tofieldia is confined to the norther» parts of Europe
What I have here called a three-celled capsule, Sir J. E. Smith considers as three distinct capsules. The structure
is similar to that of Colchicum, which is in the same natural order; and an examination of the germen or un-
ripe fruit, clearly shows the union of the three cells. ,W b
The genus Tofieldia: was so named by Hudson, in honour of his friend Mr. Tofield o f Doncaster, the discoverer
of Vicia bithymca in Britain. „ . ’