186 Class XL Order I. 



little more than a cuticle. The stalks, which are annual, fre- 

 quently grow to the height of six, and even nine feet. They 

 are round, smooth, and very much branched. When young 

 their usual colour is green, but in most plants, after the berries 

 have ripened, they are of a fine purple. Leaves scattered, pe- 

 tioled, ovate-oblong, smooth on both sides, ribbed underneath, 

 entire, acute. The flowers grow in long pedunculated racemes 

 opposite to leaves. Peduncles nearly smooth, angular, ascend- 

 ing. Pedicels divaricated, sometimes branched, green, white 

 or purple, furnished with a small linear bracte at base, and two 

 others in the middle. Calyx none. Corolla resembling a calyx, 

 whitish, consisting of five round-ovate, concave, incurving petals. 

 Stamens ten, rather shorter than the petals, with white, roundish, 

 two lobed anthers. Germ greenish, round, depressed, ten furrow- 

 ed. Styles ten, short, recurved. The flowers are succeeded by 

 long clusters of dark purple berries, almost black, depressed or 

 flattened, and marked with ten furrows on the sides. Road 

 sides. July, August. Perennial. 

 The root is a violent emetic. 



-Class XI. DODECANDRIA. Twelve stamens. 

 Order I. MONOGYNIA. One style. 



194. As A RUM. Calyx three cleft, superior ; corolla 

 none ; capsule six celled. 



195. PORTULACA. Calyx two cleft; corolla five 

 petalled ; capsule one celled, opening transversely. 



196. LYTHRUM. Calyx twelve toothed ; petals six, 

 inserted into the calyx ; capsule two celled, many 



seeded. 



Order II. DIGYNM. Two styles. 



197. AGRIMONIA. Calyx five toothed, invested 

 with an outer one ; petals five, inserted in the calyx ; 

 seeds two in the bottom of the calyx. 



