12 BOTANY FOH BEGINNERS. [Oh. 



rated, a part being taken from the 16th class and carried to the 

 10th. 



473. The germ of the papilionaceous plant extends itself in- 

 to that kind of pod called a legume. The term Leguminous, 

 which is taken from the fruit, as Papilionaceous is from the 

 flower, is applied to the family of plants we are considering. 



474. In this family we find the fine table vegetables, Beans 

 and Peas, the useful medicinal plant, Liquorice, the fine colour- 

 ing Indigo, the fragrant Clover, so grateful as food to many of 

 the domestic animals ; the splendid Locust tree, the elegant Lu- 

 pine, and the delicate and odoriferous Sweet-pea. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



Natural Families. Labiate Plants. 



475. The flowers belonging to the labiate family are mono 

 petalous, consisting of one piece, and are irregular in their out- 

 line and appearance. 



476. The term Labiate, derived from a Latin word labia. 

 lips, has been given, on account of the flower appearing to be 

 divided at the top into two parts, resembling the lips of a horse 

 or other animal. See Fig. 47. 



477. This natural family is sub-divided into ringent and gap- 

 ing) where the entrance into the corolla is open, and personate 

 or masked, where the corolla is closed by a prominent throat or 

 palate. 



478. The labiate flowers have mostly four stamens of unequal 

 length, standing in pairs, beneath an arch in the upper lip of the 

 corolla. On account of this circumstance, they are ranked in 

 the class Didynamia. A few of the Labiate plants have but 

 two stamens, and on that account, are placed in the class Dian- 

 dria, as the sage and mountain-mint. Here again the artificial 

 system separates a tribe, which nature has made strikingly simi- 

 lar. If you examine a flower of this family, the Balm or Cat- 

 mint, you will notice the arched upper lip of the petal covering 

 tne stamens, and that the lower lip hangs down so that you can see 



473. What does the germ of the papilionaceous plants become 1 



474. What are some of plants found in this family 1 



475. What is said of the flowers belonging to the labiate family 1 

 470. Why are they called labiate 1 



477. How is this family sub-divided ? 



478. What is said of the stamens df labiate flowers, and to wha f 



do these flowers belong 1 



