490 



BALSAMINACE^. 



[Hypogynous Exogens. 



Order CLXXXVI. BALSAMINACEJE.— Balsams. 



Balsaminese, Ach. Rich. Diet. Class. 2. 173. (1822) ; DC. Prodr. 1. 685. (1824) ; Lindl. Synops. 59. (1829) ; 

 Roper de Floribiis et Affinitatibus Balsaminearum , (1830) ; Wight and Arnott, Prodr. Fl. Ind. 

 Renins. 1. 134. (1834) ; C. B. Presl. Bemerkungen iiber den bau der Blumen der Balsamineen, (1836) ; 

 Wight and Roper Linncea ix. 112. (1835) ; Bertihardi, ib. xii. 669. (1838) ; Ktmth in M^m. Soc. 

 Hist. Nat. Par. iii. 384. (1827) ; Wight in Madras Journal [Jan. 1837) ; Lindl. in Bot. Reg. sub. t. 

 8. (1840) ; Etidl. Gen. cclvii. ; Meisner Gen. p. 58.— Hydrocerese, Blume Bijdr. 241. (1825) ; Ed. 

 Prior, No. 125. (1830). 



Diagnosis. — Geranial Fxogeiis, with vei^ irregvlar and unsymmetrical flowers without an 

 involucre^ distinct stamens, and no albumen. 



Succulent, usually annual, herbaceous plants, having simple, opposite, or alternate 

 leaves, without stipules. Peduncles axillary, or quasiterminal and racemose. Flowers 

 very iiregular. Sepals 5, irregular, deciduous,'^ with an 

 imbricated aestivation ; the two exterior opposite, lateral, 

 somewhat unsj-mmetrical, with a valvate aestivation, but 

 giving way for the projection of the spur of the odd 

 sepal ; the odd sepal spvirred, symmetrical, with an equi- 

 tant aestivation in the bud, looking towards the axis 

 of the axillary racemose or umbellate inflorescence, con- 

 taining honey ; the two dorsal sepals usually connate, 

 sometimes vmsj-mmetrical, orbicular, always coloured, 

 appearing at that side of the flower which is opposite to 

 the spurred sepal. Petals either distinct or adhering, 5, 

 combined into 2 or 3, in'egular, deciduous ; the dorsal 

 usually abortive, and the side ones united more or less 

 in pairs ; their two larger lobes next the spur, their two 

 smaller next the odd petal ; aestivation convolute. Sta- 

 mens 5, sjTumetrical, alternate with the petals. Carpels 

 5, alternate mth the stamens, consolidated into a 5-celled 

 ovary ; style clear of the carpellary leaves, simple ; 

 stigma sessile, more or less divided in 5 ; cells 5, 2- or 

 many-seeded. Fruit capsular, with 5 elastic valves, and 

 \4I 13 'i\l ^\: \^ ^ ^ formed by membranous projections of the pla- 



*J lA A\} V centa, which occupies the axis of the fruit, and is con- 



nected with the apex by 5 slender threads ; sometimes 

 succulent and mdehiscent. Seeds sohtary, or numerous, 

 suspended ; albumen none ; embryo straight, with a 

 superior radicle and plano-convex cotyledons. 



The Balsams are, in the opinion of some Botanists, 

 scarcely distinguished from Cranesbills. But the latter 

 e\'idently diff'er in the torus or gj-nobase being length- 

 ened into a beak, in theh' leaves ha\-ing stipules, their 

 stems swollen articulations, and theu" carpels but one 

 seed in each cell. Their flowers too have none of the 

 pecuhar breaking up of sj-mmetry which is so character- 

 istic of Balsams, and which at once di\'ides them from 

 even Oxahds, to which they certainly approach very 

 nearly. 



Much discussion has taken place among Botanists as 

 to the real nature of the parts which constitute the very 

 irregular flower of a Balsam. According to Roper and 

 others, two membranous external scales, and a spur, 

 alone belong to the calyx, of which the two other sepals are usually deficient on that side 

 of the flower wliich is opposite the spur ; on the other hand, the corolla consists of a 

 large upper or back piece, and of two lateral inner wings, each of which last consists of 

 two petals ; and this view was adopted in the last edition of this work. On the other 

 hand, Achille Richard considers two smaller exterior scales, together wth the spuri'ed 

 and the back interior pieces, as forming a four-leaved calyx, while he regards the two 



CCCXXXVII. 



Fig. CCCXXXVII. — 1. Impatiens maciochila : 2. a diagram of its flower ; 

 of I. Balsamina ; 5. its embryo. 



3. its stamens ; 4. fruit 



