PTYCHOTIS. 



77. P. involucrata, aneeson of Northern India, chanoo and 

 raahooni of Bengal, used by Europeans in India as a substitute 

 for parsley. Royle. 



SISON. 



Calyx obsolete. Petals roundish, curved, deeply emarginate, 

 with an inflexed segment. Styles very short, quickly disap- 

 pearing. Fruit ovate, compressed at the side. Half-fruits with 

 5 filiform equal ridges, of which the laterals form the border. 

 Vittse short, clavate, one in each channel. — An herbaceous 

 plant, with a panicled racemose habit. Leaves pinnated ; seg- 

 ments of the lower ones somewhat lobed toothed and cut, of 

 the upper linear multifid. Each involucre few-leaved. Rays of 

 the umbel 4, long, unequal, of the umbellets 4-5, short. 



78. S. Amomum Linn. sp. pi. 362. Eng. Bot. t. 954. — 

 Chalky fields through most parts of Europe. (Honewort.) 



Stem about 3 feet high, with rigid wiry branches. Leaves dark -green 

 with ovate, deeply cut, serrated segments, the upper narrower, multifid. 

 — The fruit is pungent and aromatic, but has a nauseous smell of bugs 

 when fresh. It formed the Semen Amomioi the old apothecaries. 



CARUM. 



Calyx obsolete. Petals regular, obovate, emarginate, with an 

 inflexed lobe. Disk depressed. Styles bent down. Fruit con- 

 tracted at the side, ovate or oblong. Half- fruits with 5 filiform 

 equal ridges, of which the lateral form the border. Vittae in the 

 channels solitary, on the commissure 2. — Smooth and usually 

 perennial herbs. Root tuberous, eatable. Leaves pinnated, 

 with multifid segments. Involucre variable. Flowers white. 



79. C. Carui Linn. sp. 378. DC. prodr. iv. 115. Eng. 

 Bot. t. 1503. Nees and Eberm. med. pi. t. 276. handb. iii. 21. 



Woodv. t. 45. S. and C. i. t. 59. Smith Eng.fi. ii. 87. — Mea- 

 dows and pastures all over middle Europe ; not really wild in 

 Great Britain. (Caraway.) 



Root tapering. Stem about 2 feet high, erect, branched, leafy, angu- 

 lar and furrowed. Lower leaves nearly a span long, stalked, doubly 

 pinnate, with numerous, opposite, finely cut leaflets, of which the pairs 

 next the midrib cross each other : those on the stem much smaller, 

 opposite, very unequal. Umbels numerous, erect. General bracts, if 

 present, capillary, connected when more than one by a membranous 

 base. Flowers numerous, white, or pale flesh-coloured ; the marginal 

 (not central) ones only, perfect and prolific. Calyx always extremely 

 minute, and not constantly complete, or discernible. Pedicels small, 

 convex, in the middle flowers nearly equal. Epigynous disk white, 

 undulated, very distinct from the bases of the styles. Fruit narrow, 

 bright brown, li line long, with pale elevated filiform ridges and shining 

 convex channels. — Similar in action to Dill and Anise ; used in the 

 37 D 3 



