TRIENTALIS EUROPiEA. CHICKWEED WINTER-
GREEN.
TRIENTALIS europeea ; foliis obovato-oblongis, basi attenuatis.
TRIENTALIS europiea. Linn. Sp. PI. p. 488. Hods. Angl. p . ISO. Lighlf. Scot 8 1 06
With .Bot. A r r .e d .4 .m l.3 . p .3 5 6 . FI. Dan. t. 84. Hoffm. Germ. cd. 2. m l l"
P . I. p.176. WUld. Sp. PI. p. 283. . Smith Ft. Brit. p. 406. Engl. Bot. t. U .
Pars. Syn. PL ml. ]. p. 402. (excl.J3. americana). Ait. Hort. K m . ed 2. m l 2
T a r n T T O T c * 1,3?1- Wahl.FI. Lapp. p . 93. Kook. FI. Scot. P . I . p . US.
TRIENTALIS arctica. Fisch. in lift.
ALSINANTHEMOS. Rail Syn. p. 286.
Dan. Vintergrdn. I'r. Trientale. Germ. Das Stemblumchen.
C lass a nd Ord er. HEPTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.
[N atural Ord e r . PRIMULACEIE, Vent., Hook. LYSIMACHLE, Juss.]
G m . G ua r. Calyx heptaphyllus. Corolla septempartita, sequalis, plana. Capsula unilocularis, multivalvis.
Semina tunica reticulata tecta.
G e n . Char. Calyx of seven leaves. Corolla o f seven divisions, equal, plane. Capsule one-celled, many-
valved. Seeds covered with a reticulated tunic. J
Radix perennis, subtuberosa, repens, alba, fibrosa,
fibris longiusculis simplicibus, flexuosis.
Caulis palmans ad spithamasam vel ultra, simplex,
erectus, teres, basi albidus subnudus, superne
ruber, foliosus.
Folia in fe r io ra minutissima, remota, cito marcescen-
tia; superiora ad extremitatem caulis sex ad octo,
conferta, sed non verticillata, sessilia, obovato-
lanceolata, patentia, flavo-viridia, nervosa, basi
attenuata, integerrima, superne obtusa, minutis-
sime serrulata.
P edun cu l i terminates, duo vel tres, nunc solitarii, bi-ad
triunciales, graciles, teretes, rubro-fusci, uniflori.
F lores albi, erecti, nocte temporeque pluviali nutantes.
Calyx persistens, septem- nunc sex-partitus, segmentis
patentibus, demum reflexis, lineari-Ianceolatis,
purpureo-viridibus.
Corolla profunde septem- raro sex-partita, segmentis
obovato-lanceolatis, obtusis, patentibus, parum
concavis.
Stamin a tot quot segmenta coroll®, iisopposita, atque
-breviora; Filamenta filiformia, alba, basi glan-
dula inserta; Antherse oblongas, flavos.
P istillum : Germen subrotundum, viride, glabrum;
Stylus filiformis, staminibus subasque longus;
Stigma obtusum, subemarginatum.
P e r ic a r p ium : Capsula subsphasrica, unilocularis,
multivalvis, valvis deciduis, flavo-fuscis, nitidis.
R eceptacdlum centrale, liberum, spongiosum.
Semin a octo ad decern, fusca, angulata, dorso piano,
minutissime punctulata, tunica membranacea
alba pulcherrime reticulata tecta.
A lbumen semini conforme, album, carnosum.
E mbryo lineari-oblongus, transversus.
Fig. \ . Under side of a flower. Fig. 2 . Upper side of
Fig. 4. Anther. Fig. 5. Calyx and pistil. Fig. 6. i
bursting. Fig. 8, 9. Cluster of seeds, from which the
fromwhich all but one seed have been removed. Fig
Vertical section of a seed :—all more or less magnifiea
Root perennial, somewhat tuberous, creeping, white
fibrous, the fibres rather long, simple, flexuose. ’
Stem from three inches to a span and more in height
simple, erect, rounded, white and nearly naked
at the base, above red and leafy.
Lower L eaves very small, distantly placed, speedily
decaying; the upper ones on the top of the
stem, from six to eight in number, crowded
but not whorled, sessile, obovato-lanceolate,
spreading, yellowish-green, nerved, attenuated
towards the base, quite entire, blunt at the top,
very finely serrated.
Peduncles terminal, two or three in number, sometimes
solitary, two or three inches long, slender,
rounded, reddish-brown, one-flowered.
F lowers white, erect, drooping during the night, or in
rainy weather.
Calyx persistent, of seven or six divisions, the segments
spreading, afterwards reflexed, linear-lanceolate,
reddish-green coloured.
Corolla deeply seven- rarely six-divided, the segments
obovato-lanceolate, obtuse, spreading,
slightly concave.
Stamens in number equalling the divisions of the corolla,
opposite to them, and shorter ; Filaments
thread-shaped, white, inserted with a gland at
the base; Anthers oblong, yellow.
P is t il : Germen nearly round, green, smooth; Style
filiform, about as long as the stamens; Stigma
blunt, slightly notched.
Pe r ica r p : a nearly spherical, one-celled, many-valved
capsule, its valves deciduous, yellowish-brown
and shining.
Receptacle central, free, spongy.
Seeds eight to ten, brown, angular, flat on the back
very minutely dotted, covered with a white membranaceous
beautifully reticulated tunic.
Albumen white, fleshy, .similar to the seed.
Embryo linear-oblong, transverse,
ditto. Fig. 3. Portion o f a corolla, with two stamens
lection of the germen. Fig. 7. Capsule with the valves
valves have fallen away. Fig. 10. Receptacle o f seeds,
.11. Single seed deprived of its integument. Fig. 12.'
11 m ------------- s p c “‘c wurub empioyeci oy me illustrious author or the Flo ra Tan
pomca, to express the pleasure he felt on beholding this lovely plant, which may be frequently found in dry woods
especially fir plantations, in the northern counties of England and in Scotland; and whichf in the earl/summer
onts* floweraS” agam * * expresSlve lanSua§e of the same writeG “ enamels the desert places with the elegant white
^ ? J riental-Sv 3 8 kn0wn a s °,n,y British Plantwhichis Placedinthe classHeptandria; but the number
of its stamens is liable to vary, and m the latter part of the season this seldom exceeds six in each flower Whatever
the number may be, that of the divisions of the calyx and corolla, and o f the valves of the cansule' *1JhK>
corresponds with it. Linnasus mentions a difference, which he remarked to take place in the form of theVorollJ-
“ f ly’ th.at whpj \ f ro'''!ng 111 dl7 Places, the plant hbs always, by an invariable law o f nature, the apices of the
petals acute; and that these are, on the contrary, obtuse, when the individual inhabits a moist situation.
iaS desc!'lbed t[,ie tru® structure of the capsules of this curious plant, except Sir James Smith in Rees’s
7 7 . Gosrtner, who, correct in most instances, has been followed by the greater number o f authors completely
misundersood their formation; and every botanist has overlooked the valves of the capsule. These are in
deed, extremely fugacious; and though I had myself gathered a vast number of specimens of the* Trientalis with
npe fiuit, I should probably have overlooked this circumstance in their structure, if it had not been for the remark
h.e h?d see»f Pla»‘* Scotland, in which t h « appeared M M » ! |
rigid, cartilaginous, thick-edged valves as there were leaves to the calyx.” This led me to a stricter search anfj
enabled me to verify the justness of this discovery. ’ and
Linnaeus says, “ Flv crederem illam per totum orbem tillibi copiosius prodire posse ac in JVestrobothniA ” WiiR
equal justice I may say that I can scarcely believe the duckweed Winter-Gre£i to be more plentiful or in irreafer
perfection, than m the Beech and Fir Woods of Kmnardy, Angus-shire, tlie property of my highly valued^riend
Chailes Lyell, Esq. It was there that the specimens now figured and described were gathered8in the month of
August 18 2 2 ; some plants, though very few, remaining still in blossom. The fruit was most abundant • but not
one speqmen m a hundred, or I may say in five hundred, had the valves of the .........i V r y y n . e nunarea’ naa uie valves 01 ccaappssuulele rreemmaianininign.g TThheessee h haadd fallen away, and had left the seeds connected and protected by the beautiful white lace, or network whirh
tthiiaatt,6 ihnf na n earliJer SstJ a9tte , 1hv°a;dj aenndv eSlo8peSd tahse Ssiere -dJas.m es Smith suggests, is probably the remains of a *p ulupy substance"’
think there can be no question of the American Trientalis* being distinct from the European plant. The
is are very different in form, being decidedly lanceolate and acuminate; and the flowers, as Nuttall observes
eight dlv^ions to the calyx and corolla. Through tlie kindness of Dr. Fischer of Moscow, I pOS-
a specimen of his\ Trientalis arctica, from Unalashka; but, as far as I can judge from this dried individual es not anneai- to differ from «moll.oit.nte „r ____J 6 3 unea maiviaual,