154 



sules, and oibuaainious seeds. Geraniaceae, Oxahdeae, Violaceae, and Portuiu- 

 cese, are all also allied in many particulars, but they are readily distinguished. 

 Elatineae differ in their exalbuminous seeds and capitate stigmas. Bartling 

 combines in one order Caryophylleae, Paronychia^ Amarantaceae, Phytolac- 

 ceae, and Chenopodeae ; and all these orders, although artificially separated 

 widely, do in fact concur in a number of essential points ; but the rest may be 

 readily known from Caryophylleae by their want of petals ; their combining 

 character is the embryo curved round the albumen, in which particular Poly- 

 goneae also agrees with them. Macraea, a genus of mine, which Mr. Don 

 states to be the same as Viviania, a neglected genus of Cavanilles, (see 

 Jameson's Journal, Jan. 1830, p. 170.), if really belonging to the order, differs 

 remarkably in the curved embryo lying, according to Dr. Hooker, in the midst 

 of fleshy albumen, in its dry persistent petals, and in the vernation of both the 

 calyx and petals ; but I incline to think that this remarkable genus indicates 

 the existence of an order allied to Frankeniacese or Geraniaceae more closely 

 than to Caryophylleae. Hydropityon, doubtfully referred here by Decandolle. 

 belongs to Scrophularineae, as I learn from Mr. Bentham. 



Geography. Natives principally of the temperate and frigid parts of the 

 world, where they inhabit mountains, hedges, rocks, and waste places. Those 

 which are found within the tropics are usually natives of high elevations and 

 mountainous tracts, almost always reaching the limits of eternal snow, where 

 many of them exclusively vegetate. The Mollugos are the most tropical 

 form of the order. A little plant, called Physa, is found in Madagascar ; and 

 some Silenes are scattered in many different parts of the globe. According to 

 the calculations of Humboldt, Caryophylleae constitute ¥ V 0I * the flowering 

 plants of France, ~ of Germany, T \ of Lapland, -^ of North America. 



Properties. Remarkable for little except their uniform insipidity. A few, 

 such as the Dianthuses and Lychnises, are handsome flowers ; but the greater 

 part are mere weeds. Saponaria officinalis, Gypsophila Ostruthium, Lychnis 

 dioica, and L. chalcedonica, have saponaceous properties : Saponaria has been 

 used in syphilis. Arenaria peploides, having been fermented, is used in Ice- 

 land as a sort of food. A decoction of the root of Silene virginica is said to 

 have been employed in North America as anthelmintic. Dec 



Decandolle admits two sections (Prodr. 1.) 



1. SlLENEiE. 



Sepals united in a cj'lindrical tube. 

 Examples. Lychnis, Dianthus. 



2. Alsine^:. Dec. Fl. Franc. 4. 766 

 ►Sepals distinct, or only cohering at the base. 

 Examples. Stellario. Alsine. 



CXLI. FRANKENIACE/E 



1'kanK£Niac±:jE, Aug. St. Ililaire Mem. Plac. Ccntr. 39. (1815); Dec. Prodr. I. 349. (1824;; 

 lAndl. Synops. 38. (1829.) 



Diagnosis. Polypetalous dicotyledons, with definite, hypogynous stamens, 

 concrete carpella, a 1-cclled ovarium with narrow parietal placentae, 5 connate 

 sepals, an erect embryo, cxstipulate leaves, and a capsule with septicidai 

 dehiscence. 



A-nomaxies v.,,. Luxembursia be excluded 



