156 ILLUSTRATIONS OF INDIAN BOTANY. 
ously cathartic ***. A drachm of the dried plant is a convenient purgative, or we may employ 
infusion of a handful of the recent plant. Pereira*—Lind. Fl. Med ) 
EXPLANATION OF PLATE 60, 
1. Linum Mysorense, natural size. The same cut vertically—but very erroneously re- 
2. A flower. presenting the seed erect in place of attached above the 
3. The same, the petals removed to show the sepals, middle and pendulous: a point however very difficult to 
stamens, torus and ovary. ake out from the dried specimen. 
4. Anthers back and front views. 
0. A capsule cut transversely, showing it 5-celled, — 
5. Ovary and stamens. with two seed in each cell. ; 
6. A stigma. tl seed—with the exceptions mentioncd, all more 
7. A capsule—natural size. or less magnified. 
5. The same magnified. 
XLIV.—BALSAMINE#® 
A small order of tender herbaceous succulent plants with round branches; alternate, or 
opposite, exstipulate, serrated, simple leaves : usually confined to marshy grounds, or to moist 
shaded situations, and of most frequent occurrence in warm humid climates within the tropics. 
e flowers are bisexual, irregular, axillary, solitary or fascicled, or racemose, pedicelled; 
white, red, or yellow. ; 
* Sepals 5, or by abortion 3, irregular, deciduous, with an imbricated eestivation; the (wo 
exterior opposite, lateral, somewhat unsymuetrical, with a valvate estivation, but giving way 
for the projection of the spur of the odd sepal ; the odd sepal spurred, symmetrical, with an 
equitant estivation in the bad, looking towards the axis of the axillary racemose or umbellate 
inflorescence, containing honey; the two inner sepals very small, sometimes scale-shaped, 
sometimes unsymmetrical, larger, orbicular, always coloured, appearing at the side of the flower, 
which 1s opposite to the spurred sepal, and at the base of the odd petal; (usually altogether 
abortive in Balsamina). Pevals either distinct or a little adhering, 5, combined into 3, irre- 
the odd peral regular, placed between the inner 
the flower in pairs; their two larger lobes 
wstivation convolute. Stamens 5, symmetri 
the odd petal longer than the others. Car 
a 5-celled ovary. (Roper abridged). 
many seeded. Fruit capsular, with 5 
from that of Professor Kunth adopted in o 
different views of the 
—_— of its growth, the Spur in place of being the low 
icel 
green ones on either side are the jateral 
FS 
