70 



Anomalies. The stipulae of Cliffortia cohere with the leaves. Alchemilla 

 arvensis has simple 1-celled anthers bursting transversely, and ascending ovula. 



Essential Character. — Flowers often diclinous. Calyx with a thickened tube and a 3 

 4- or 5-lobed limb, its tube lined with a disk. Petals none. Stamens definite, sometimes fewer 

 than the segments of the calyx, with which they are alternate, arising from the orifice of the 

 calyx ; anthers 2-celled, innate, bursting longitudinally, occasionally 1-cclled, bursting trans- 

 versely. Ovarium solitary, simple, with a style proceeding from the apex or the base ; ovulum 

 solitary, always attached to that part of the ovarium which is next the base of the style ; stigma 

 compound or simple. Nut solitary, enclosed in the often indurated tube of the calyx. Seed 

 solitary, suspended or ascending; embryo without albumen; radicle superior ; cotyledons large, 

 plano-convex. — Herbaceous plants or under-shrubs, occasionally spiny. Leaves simple and 

 fobed, or compound, alternate, with stipule. Flowers small, often capitate. 



Affinities. This order, usually combined with Rosacese, appears to me to 

 demand a distinct station, on account of its constantly apetalous flowers, its in- 

 durated calyx, and the reduction of carpella to one only ; it is, however, not, as 

 far as I know, distinguishable by any other characters. The presence of petals, 

 a character assigned to Acsena, I have shown, in the Botanical Register, to 

 have no existence. Usually the ovulum is suspended, the style arising from 

 below the apex of the carpellum ; but when the style proceeds from the base 

 of the carpellum, the ovulum is ascending, in all cases adhering to the ovarium 

 immediately over against the origin of the style. A genus usually referred to 

 this order, the Cephalotus of Labillardiere, offers a remarkable exception to the 

 usual characters, in having a coloured calyx, in the senary division of its flower, 

 and in the presence of ascidia, or pitchers, among its leaves, resembling those 

 of Nepenthes. It is, however, by no means well ascertained that this is the 

 station of Cephalotus, its seeds being unknown. Various kinds of adhesion be- 

 tween the leaves and the stipules take place in the genus Cliffortia, and have 

 given rise to a number of errors ; for an explanation of which, see M. Decan- 

 dolle's remarks in the Annates des Sciences Naturelles, 1. 447. 



Geography. Natives of heaths, hedges, and exposed places in Europe, 

 North and South America beyond the tropics, and the Cape of Good Hope j 

 in which latter country they represent the Rosacea; of Europe. 



Properties. Their general character is astringency. A decoction of 

 Alchemilla vulgaris is slightly tonic. This is asserted by Frederick Hoffmann 

 and others, to have the effect of restoring the faded beauty of ladies to its 

 earliest freshness. Sanguisorba officinalis, or common Burnet, is a useful 

 fodder. A. R. 



Examples. Acaena, Sanguisorba, Margyricarpus. 



LXXIII. ROSACEA. The Rose Tribe. 



Rosace*, Juss. Gen. 334. in part (1789); Dec. Prodr. 2. 525. in part (1825); Dec. ane Duby 

 Botan. Gall, in part (1828); Lindl. Synops. p. 88. (1829.) 



Diagnosis. Polypetalous dicotyledons, with lateral styles, superior simple 

 ovaria. regular perigynous stamens, exalbuminous definite seeds, and alternate 

 stipulate leaves. 



Anomalies. Stipulae absent in Lowea. Albumen present in Neillia, 

 according to Don. The fruit of Spirrea sorbifolia (Schizonotus m.) is cap- 

 sular. 



Essential Character. — Calyx 4- or 5-lobed, with a disk either lining the tube or sur- 

 rounding the orifice ; the fifth lobe next the axis. Petals 5, perigynous, equal. Stamens 



