136 CLASS TETRADYNAMIA. 



stance as at first might appear, for we have uniform 

 examples of this abridgment in the family of the 

 Euphorbias ; and, in that genus itself, the flower, till 

 lately considered simple, is always a compound of 

 one female individual without any perianth, and 

 many masculine flowers, perfected progressively, con- 

 sisting each of a mere jointed stamen, and its minute 

 inconspicuous scale. That such are real flowers appears 

 from the occasional occurrence of a calyx and corolla 

 in connexion with the single stamen, and arising from 

 the articulated point, of which the lower joint alone 

 thus represents the whole perianth. 



THE ORDER SILICULOSA. 



In this order the pod is short, round, and convex ; 

 or circular and flat, approaching more to the nature 

 of an ordinary capsule than the silique of the next 

 order. Its diminutive size, however, is not always the 

 most characteristic distinction which it presents for ob- 

 servation. In both kinds of fruit the pod is divided 

 into 2 cells by a partition, and opens by 2 valves, hav- 

 ing the seeds attached (when several), alternately, to 

 either edge of the dissepiment, which at once removes 

 this kind of fruit from the nature of the legume, or 

 pod of the Pea tribe, for this, though furnished with 

 2 long valves, has no partition, and only a single suture, 

 for the attachment of the seed. The partition of the 

 silique, or long pod, of the second order of this class, 

 is said to be parallel with the plane of the valves, and 

 is nearly their breadth, allowing for their convexity ; 

 but, in several of the silicles of our present order, 

 such as that of the Cress and Shepherd's-purse, the 

 valves are not merely convex, but folded together, 

 and so compressed as to appear keeled like a boat. 

 In this case, the partition appears very narrow com- 

 pared to the whole breadth of the silicle, and, is said. 



