PENTANDRIA. 521 



dangerous qualities ; as Datura^ t. 1288, Ilyoscya- 

 mus^ t. 391, Atropa^ t. 592, and Nicotiana^ or Tobac- 

 co. In a subsequent part we meet with the VinCj, 

 Currant, and Ivy, and the Older finishes with some 

 of the natural family of Contort ce^ so called from their 

 oblique or twisted corolla, and which are many of 

 them very fine plants, as Finca, t. 514, 917. They 

 often abound with milky juice, generally highly acrid ; 

 but Dr. Afzelius met with a shiub of this order at 

 Sierra Leone, the milk of whose fruit was so sweet, as 

 well as copious, as to be used instead of cream for tea* 

 This is certainly what no one could have guessed 

 from analogy. Gardenia is erroneously reckoned » 

 eontorta by Linnaeus. 



2. Digynia begins with the remainder of the Contorted > 

 then follows some incomplete flowers, as Chtnopo- 

 dium, t. 1033, Beta, t. 285, and afterwards the fine 

 alpine genus of Gentiana, t. 20, 493, 895, famous 

 for its extreme bitterness and consequent stomachic 

 virtues. 



The rest of the Order consists of the very natural 

 Umbelliferous family, characterized by having five 

 superior petals, and a pair of naked seeds, suspended 

 vertically when ripe from the summit of a slender 

 hair-like receptacle. Of the inflorescence of this 

 tribe, and the difficulties attending their generic dis- 

 tinctions, we have spoken p. 243. la Eryn^ium, t. 

 718, and 57, the umbel is condensed into i capitulum^ 

 or conical scaly head, showing an app»o;ch tf)u..'d^ 

 the compound flowers, and accompanied, as JussieU 



RR 



