This section is from the book "An Illustrated Flora Of The Northern United States, Canada And The British Possessions Vol2", by Nathaniel Lord Britton, Addison Brown. Also available from Amazon: An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 Volume Set..
Low tufted diffusely branched shrubs, with small subulate or scale-like, imbricated leaves, and numerous yellow flowers terminating short branches. Petals 5, obovate-oblong. Stamens ∞. Style filiform, continuous with the ovary; placentae 3; stigma minute. Capsule I-celled, 3-valved, included in the calyx. Seeds few; embryo slender, spirally curved. [Named for Wm. Hudson, 1730-1793, an English botanist.]
A genus of 3 species, natives of eastern North America, one inhabiting mountain tops in North Carolina. Plants of heath-like aspect, very showy when in bloom. Type species: Hudsonia cricoides L.
Flowers slender-pedicelled; leaves subulate. | 1. | H. ericoides. |
Flowers nearly sessile or short-pedicelled; leaves scale-like. | 2. | H. tomentosa. |
Fig. 2912
Hudsonia ericoides L. Mant. 1: 74. 1767.
Bushy-branched from the base, greenish, softly-pubescent throughout, 4'-7' high, the principal branches slender, ascending. Leaves subulate, 3"-4" long, somewhat spreading, densely imbricated on the younger branches, more scattered on the older ones; pedicels very slender, 5"-8" long; flowers numerous, about 4" broad; sepals 2"-3" long, acutish; stamens 12-18; capsule oblong, slightly pubescent; seeds about 3.
In dry sandy soil, especially in pine-barrens, mainly near the coast, Newfoundland to New York and Virginia. Field-pine. Poverty-grass. American heath. May-June.
Fig. 2913
Hudsonia tomentosa Nutt. Gen. 2: 5. 1818.
H. tomentosa intermedia Peck, Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 45: 86. 1893.
Densely tufted and intricately branched, matted, hoary-pubescent, pale, 4'-8' high; branches stout, ascending. Leaves about 1" long, oval or oblong, densely imbricated and appressed; flowers sessile, or on rather stout pedicels less than 3" long, numerous, slightly smaller than those of the preceding species; sepals obtuse; stamens 9-18; capsules ovoid, glabrous, usually I-seeded.
In sands of the seashore and in pine-barrens, New Brunswick to Virginia, and on sand hills and lake and river shores west to Mackenzie, Manitoba, North Dakota and Wisconsin. May-July. Poverty- or bear-grass. Dog's-dinner. Poverty-plant. Heath. Ground-moss or -cedar. Beach-heather.
3. LÈCHEA Kalm; L. Sp. Pl. 90. 1753.
Perennial branching herbs, often woody at the base, with small entire leaves and minute panicled greenish or purplish flowers. Sepals 5, the 2 outer smaller and narrower. Petals 3, ovate to linear, inconspicuous, persistent. Stamens 3-12. Stigmas 3, nearly sessile, laciniate, prominent when the plant is in flower. Capsule 3-valved, 3-celled, or by obliteration of the dissepiments I-celled, about 6-seeded. Embryo curved or spiral. [Named for Johan Leche, a Swedish botanist, died 1764.]
A genus of about 14 species, 11 of them natives of eastern North America, 1 Texan, 1 Cuban and 1 Mexisan. Type species: Lechea minor L. Species indiscriminately known as Pin-weeds. The characteristic basal shoots appear late in the season.
Leaves of the basal shoots oblong or ovate, not more than 3 times as long as broad. | ||
Outer sepals longer than the inner; panicle very leafy. | 1. | L. minor. |
Outer sepals equalling or shorter than the inner. | ||
Pod oblong; pedicels slender, 1"-2" long. | 2. | L. racemulosa. |
Pod globose; pedicels about 1/2" long. | ||
Erect, villous-pubescent. | 3. | L. villosa. |
Ascending, bushy-branched, tomentose-canescent. | 4. | L. maritima. |
Leaves of the basal shoots lanceolate or linear, usually more than 3 times as long as broad. | ||
Stem-leaves narrowly linear; inner sepals 1-nerved. | 5. | L. tenuifolia. |
Stem-leaves oblong-linear; inner sepals 3-nerved. | ||
Plants green, more or less pubescent. | ||
Pod obovoid, 1/2" in diameter; panicle-branches ascending or spreading. | 6. | L. Leggettii. |
Pod globose, about 1" in diameter; panicle-branches nearly erect, loosely flowered; | ||
flowers slender-pedicelled. | 7. | L. intermedia. |
Pod oval, about 1/2" in diameter; panicle-branches erect-ascending, densely flowered; | ||
flowers short-pedicelled. | 8. | L. juniperina. |
Plant pale, canescent; pod globose, 1/2" in diameter. | 9. | L. striata. |
 
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