52 ILLUSTRATIONS OF INDIAN BOTANY. 



Class 3d CalVciflor.e Epipetal^, 



" Torus lininef the tube of the cilyx and fartnln* at its extremity a small disk (epigynous) 

 on the sum rnit of the ovary which coheres vvith the calyx tube. Petals distinct and with the 



stameas inserted on 'he outside of the disk." 



Ill our fl ira two orders only are referred to this class, Umbelliferae and Araliaceae ; a third 



corne'ie, ih« only other, is also found in the northern parts of India, Wallich having discovered 



two handsome species of cornus in Nepaul, and Blume 5 in Java. 



LXXVIII.-UMBELLlFERiE. 



A large and most natural order, but at the same time by far the most difficult we have 



yet had to encounter, whether our object be to dispose of its genera into suboriiers and tribes, 

 or its species into genera and sub-genera. Various indeed are the eiForts which, from the days 

 of Linnaeus to the present, have been made systematically to distribute the species of this or- 

 der, but each in its turn has been found wanting in some particulars, in proportion as our know- 

 ledge extended, and at tnis moment, two arrangements contend for the palm of adoption by 

 future Botanists. 



Linnaeus viewed the umbel as a sort of compound flower with a branched in place of solid 

 recepta'-.le and considered the involucrum as a sort of exterior calyx. Observing that most 

 species had a double umbel, these, he designated univeral and partial umbels. The first 

 consisting of several rays springing from the apex of the branch, each of which again terminat- 

 ed ma smaller uml»el of flowers forming the second. Further observing, that some species had 

 mvolucres at both, some at the second only, and some at neither, he, with his usual tact, 

 availed himselfof these simple and easily observed distinctions to distribute the 44 genera which 

 he knewmto three principal groups. His Hrst division including all those with both universal 

 and partial mvolucres his second all those with partial only, and his third those having 

 neither. His generic characters were then taken from the flowers, the involucrum and form of 

 the seed, bpiengel, whose system next claims attenti.m as being that which has met with most 

 support forms his sections on the seed, I compressed flat.-2 rather solid winged-3 fruit blad- 

 dery -4 frui coated -5 fruit armed -6 fruitsolid, naked -A variety of secondary characters 

 are afforded by the involucra the costne^xA the intermediate furrows of the seed, whether with 



"IIT^^? wT'' ^'' ^f^'^T "'^«^:"^"' of Moscow, proposed another arrangement the sec 

 IwwTk -r ""^'?""'^' '"^^^"^ petals-seed furnished with, or without, t./^«e- 

 whether the vdtae are epicarpous or epispermous -whether the viuoe are on both the dorsum 



Defal's^'^^eTrnVTh? "^''^ ^' '''Y\^\ Th« g«»eric characters are taken from the involucrum, 

 petals, seed and the number of viUae between the cosLae &c 



seemslTaC«rr'''''^l^^'r"7^V* '^"^ arrangem.'ut of Koch and DeCandolle, which 

 ^as been Drooose ""^^ \^. «<l?Pted-though not u.iquestioned, as a more recent arrangement 

 tias been proposed the peculiarities of which will be noticed in tne proper phce 



much thi^t Wharen'"" TJh' ^'^^ '"^^ '^^^^'^ '' ^^-^ m i g'l7 h7; e b e e n , to show ho^ 

 ^cha Ik ouU L^^^^^^^^ *« prove how difRcnb it must be 



Extent tl^r.reTfr.lT'' ""? '^^ '}^' ^'^ ^'' ^'''^ '^^^^''^P'^'l "»"^^ »" « greater or less 



suffrut.tsfb'^tl^jittfr^^^^^^^^^^^ 'Z:!r'Trf' ^" ^"^^^^^'^^^^^ ^rvr 



low other, arefillel with a larJe VI^ .,n:T;p.i^l u'"'^" Ih*^ '^^^-' «-^-« f-^"-!.!; ^± 



i to supply section- 



ty of form through- 



uiviuni. I he irwolucra are equilly variabl*^ h^m-^ td\. '.....un. 



