TETRADYNAMIA— SILICULOSA. Vella. 155 



duced. Their qualities are rather acrid, most wholesome 

 in a boiled state ; the seeds warm and jiungent. 

 Prof. DeCandolle follows Mr. Brown's principles, but re- 

 fines still more in the generic distinctions, and abolishes 

 the Linna3an orders, though he acknowledges them to be 

 commodious. I retain these orders, thinking them liable 

 to as few difficulties or ambiguities as almost any syste- 

 matical contrivance whatever. They are but two. 



1. SILICULOSA. Those whose seed-vessel is a short, 

 roundish jmd, denominated a pouch. In these the seeds 

 are sometimes very few, or even solitary ; the 7;/<27/i5 are 

 of more humble stature, though most inclined to be 

 shrubby. 



2. SILIQUOSA. Pod much elongated, linear or cylin- 

 drical, with numerous seeds; rarely jointed. Plants larger 

 and more upright, generally herbaceous. 



TETR ADYNAMIA SILICULOSA. 



31G. VELLA. Cress-rocket. 



Linn. Gc.n. 33 1 . Juss. 24 1 . Fl. Br. C7o. Br. in Jit. H. Kew. ed. 2. 

 r. 4.79. DeCaml. Syst. v. 2. G39. Lam. t.5r>5. Gccrtn. ^ 141. 

 Carrichtera. DeCand. Sjjst. v. 2. 64 1 . 



Cat. erect, equal at the base, deciduous; leaves oblong, 

 acute. Pet. obovate, undivided ; their claws as long as 

 the calvx. Filam. awl-shaped, 1- of them longer than 

 the cafyx, in one instance combined in })airs. ///////. 

 somewhat heart-sha})ed, bluntish. Germ, ovate. Style 

 vertical, dilated, elliptical, leafy, longer than the germeii, 

 permanent. Stigma obtuse. Pouch ovate, terminated by 

 the hardened style ; valves concave ; partition membra- 

 nous, continued into the style. Seeds few in each cell, 

 globose, pendulous ; cotyledons folded together, accuin- 

 bent. 



Species few, one herbaceous, two >hrul)by. Leaves various. 

 Fl. vcllowish, erect. 



