FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS 



IIP, 



CHAPTER XIX. 



Order hhoeihdts or Papaverales 



This ^roiip is cliaracterized by the reguhir flowers, usually 

 with both calyx and corolla. The stamens are hypogynous; the car- 

 pels two or nioi'e, united into a comiDouud ovary. The plants are 

 almost all herbs, with a watery or milky and 

 often pungent juice. The order includes six 

 families, the Papaveraceae, Cruciferae, To- 

 variaceae, Capparidaceae, Resedaceae and 

 Moringaceae. 



Family Papaveraceae. Poppy Family. 

 Contains about 25 genera and 200 species, of 

 wide distribution, but most abundant in the 

 north temperate zone. They are herbs or 

 rarely shrubs, with milky juice, alternate 

 leaves, and solitary or clustered flowers. The 

 sepals ore usually only two, and caducous, 

 that is, they fall as soon as the blossom ex- 

 pands. The petals are from 4 to 6; stamens 

 few [to many; ovary one-celled, capsular in 

 fruit. 



The Poppy family furnishes us with a 

 number of highly ornamental plants. The 

 true poppies {Papaver) are natives of the Old 

 World, and have been so much improved by 

 long cultivation that we now have varieties in 

 all shades of red, white and yellow, with 

 single, semi-double or very double flowers, in 

 both annuals and perennials. The Califor- 

 nia poppies, which are the delight of every 

 visitor to the Pacific coast, belong to the 

 genus EscliSchoUzia; they have finely dis- 

 sected leaves and yellow or orange flowers. 

 In this region also occur several shrubby 

 genera, like Bonineya and Dendromecon. The 

 prickly poppy {Argemone) is introduced 

 from the tropics as a weed in certain parts of 

 the country, Avhile the bloodroot {S<ni(jai)iaria Caitaderms), shown in 

 Fig. 95, is familiar to everyone. 



A group of closely related genera, comprising the Fumariaceae or 

 Fumitory Family, has been included by recent authors among the poi)- 

 pyworts. They may be known by the irregular flowers, lia\dng one or 



Fiu;, 97. The lace-pod { Thysaii- 

 ocarpus curvipes') about two-thirds 

 natural size. Origiual. 



