TORDYLIUM MAXIMUM. GREAT HART-WORT.
TORDYLIUM maximum; hispidum; foliis lanceolatis profunde obtuse serratis extreino elongato, caule
erecto pilis reflexis, involucris linearibus umbel Ia brevioribus.
TORDYLIUM maximum. Linn. Sp. P I. p. 345. With. Bot. Arr. ed. 4. vol. 2. p. 281. Hoffm. Germ.
ed. 2. vol. ]. P .I . p. 128. Willd. Sp. PI. vol. 1. p. 1382. Smith Fl. Brit. p. 295.
Engl. Bot. 1 .1173. Decand. Fl. Fr. ed. 3. vol. 3. p. 335. Fl. Gall. Syn. p. 313. Pers.
Syn. PI. vol. 1 . p. 314. Alton Hort. Kern. ed. 2. vol. 2. p. 125. Engl. Fl. vol. 2.p. 105.
TORDYLIUM foliis pinnatis, p.innis semipinnatis, seminis limbo lsevi. Hall. Helv. n. 811.
TORDYLIUM maximum. Raii Syn. PI. p. 205.
Class a nd Ord e r . PENTANDRIA DIGYNIA.
[Natural Ord e r . UM BELLI FERAS, Juss., Decand., Hook. Div.
Fructus tenuis planiusculus, transversim compressus, alas dorsales nulla?.—Am.]
G e n . Ch a r. Fructus orbicularis, fere planus, scabriusculus, ecostatus; margine tumido, rugoso vel crenato,nudo
vel setaceo. Calycis dentes quinque, subulati, insequales. Petala obcordata, radiantia, varie inequalia atque ir-
regularia. Receptaculum floris nullum. Flores saspe imperfecti.— Sm.
G e n . Ch a r. Fruit orbicular, nearly flat, roughish, without ribs; border tumid, wrinkled or crenate, naked or
bristly. Calyx of five awl-shaped, unequal teeth. Petals inversely heart-shaped, radiant, variously unequal and
irregular. Fl. Receptacle none. Flowers separated.— Sm.
Radix annua, fusiformis, parva.
Caulis bi- ad quadri-pedalis, erectus, ramosus, teres,
striatus, hispidus ; pilis brevibus, vix oculo inar-
mato conspicuis, reflexis.
Folia pinnata ; foliolis subseptenis, lanceolatis, distanti-
bus, grosse obtuseque serratis,scebris,ultimo valde
elongato ; foliorum superiorum foliolis quinis vel
ternis, duobus inferioribus plerumque deflexis.
U mbellæ parvæ, partiales parvifloræ ; pedunculi post
florescentiam valde elongati.
I nvolucri et I nvolucelli, foliola parvi subulati : ad
basin singuli floris plerumque bractea minuta, flore
nonnunquam longior.
Flores minuti, rubicundi. Calycis dentes valde in-
æquales, rigidi. Petala quinque, valde inæqualia,
obcordata, profunde emarginata, acumine in-
curvo. Germen ovatum, hispidum. Styli duo,
breves, acutiusculi. .
Stamin a parva, primum incurvata. Antheræ rotun-
datæ, flavæ.
F ructus ovali-orbiculatus, insigniter compressus, hispi-
• dus, margine incrassatus, undulatus, pallidior ;
dorso lineis quatuor coloratis. Achenium intus
lineis duobus coloratis. Receptaculum filiforme,
bipartitum.
Root annual, spindle-shaped, small.
Stem two to four feet high, erect, branched, rounded,
striated, hispid, with short reflexed hairs which
are scarcely visible to the naked eye.
Leaves pinnated; leaflets about seven, lanceolate, distant,
coarsely and bluntly serrated, rough, the
ultimate one very much elongated; the leaflets
of the superior leaves quinate or ternate, with
the two lowermost ones generally bent down.
U mbels small, the partial ones few-flowered; peduncles
after flowering, much elongated.
I nvolucres, general and partial, with the leaflets small
and subulate : at the base of each flower is generally
a minute bractea, sometimes longer than
the flower.
F lowers minute, reddish. Teeth of the Calyx very unequal,
rigid. Petals five, very unequal, obcor-
date, deeply emarginate, with an incurved acumen.
Germen ovate, hispid. Styles two, short,
rather acute.
Stamens small, at first incurved. Anthers roundish
yellow.
Fru it between oval and orbicular, remarkably compressed,
hispid; incrassated, waved, and of a paler
colour in the margin; the back marked with four
coloured lines. Achenium internally marked with
two coloured lines. Receptacle filiform, bipartite.
Fig. 1. Flower. Fig. 2. The same, deprived of the petals and stamens. Fig. 3. Fruit. Fig. 4. Fruit separating
into the two Achenia:—all more or less magnified.
Within these few years several very able botanists have undertaken a new arrangement of the plants belonging
to the natural order Umbelliferee, the difficulties attending the study of which are known to every one who is in' the
slightest degree conversant with Botany. Hoffmann and Sprengel have both introduced many and very important
improvements: but Smith, in the second volume of his inestimable English Flora, has, we think, with more success
than any other, arranged and characterized the umbelliferous plants; that is, those which are natives of the British
islands. His character we have adopted, therefore, for our Tordylium, and we shall continue to follow those of the
same learned author for the different individuals of the family that we may figure in this work.
We have just received another most elaborate arrangement of the umbelliferous plants, published, as a memoir
in the 12th volume of the Acta Acad. C. L. C. Natures Curiosorum, p. 56, by Dr. W. D. J. Koch. The great
importance of the fruit is here, as by preceding writers, strongly dwelt upon, and the characters are principally
taken from it. The memoir is illustrated by many well executed lithographic plates, by which the various terms
employed are rendered perfectly intelligible. From what we have as yet seen o f this memoir, the species appear
to be grouped with great attention to their natural affinities.
Of the genus Tordylium there are but two species mentioned as native of Britain, and those are of considerable
rarity. The T. officinale, indeed, Sir J. E. Smith suspects has never been seen at all in England, the present species
having been mistaken for it, which latter has only been found about London (Morison) ; under the hedge on
the north side of the parks, Oxford (Dr. Sibthorpe and Mr.Woodward); and in a hedge about half a mile from
Eton (Mr. R. Gotobed). From the Oxfordshire habitat our specimen was kindly communicated by our valued
friend J. E. Bicheno, Esq. with the remark that it is “ perhaps not an indigenous station.”
Tordylium officinale differs from T. maximum in its shorter ovate leaflets and its white conspicuously radiant
flowers. The genus is remarkable for its depressed and margined seed-vessels.
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