A glabrous erect perennial herb, with dentate leaves auricled at the base, or the lower and basal ones lyrate-pinnatifid, and violet or white flowers in panicled racemes. Sepals much shorter than the petals, the inner ones slightly gibbous at the base. Petals long-clawed. Styles stout; stigma subcapitate. Silique linear-cylindric, slightly compressed, somewhat constricted between the seeds. Seeds oblong, rounded, in 1 row in each cell. Cotyledons accumbent. [Greek, violet-colored flower.]

A monotypic genus of southeastern North America.

32 Iod nthus T G A Gray Man 32 1848 410

1. Iodanthuspinnatifidus(Michx.) Steud. Purple Or False Rocket

Fig. 2068

Hesperis (?) pinnatifida Michx. Fl. Bor.

Am. 2: 31. 1803. Iodanthus hesperidoides T. & G.; A. Gray, Gen. 1ll. 1: 134. 1848. Thelypodium pinnatifidum S. Wats. Bot.

King's Exp. 25. 1871. Iodanthus pinnatifidus Steud. Nomencl. Ed.

2, 812. 1841.

Glabrous, stem slender, 1°-3° high, branching above. Lower leaves ovate or oblong, occasionally cordate, 2'-8' long, dentate, tapering into a margined petiole which is clasping and auriculate at the base, the lower part of the blade often pinnatifid into 2-6 pairs of small oblong segments; stem-leaves similar or merely dentate, narrower, sometimes ovate-lanceolate, the upper nearly sessile; flowers numerous, 3"-4" broad; pedicels spreading, 2"-3" long in fruit; pods linear, 3/4'-1 1/2' long, i" wide, spreading or ascending; style stout, 1" long.

On river banks, western Pennsylvania to Minnesota, south to Tennessee, Missouri, Louisiana and Texas. May-June.