DICOTYLEDONS 71 



all belong to one tribe, called Papilionacece^ from 

 the imaginary likeness to a butterfly [Papilio, in 

 Latin). 



Though it is a family which supplies us with 

 many useful foods, as peas, beans, haricots, lentils, 

 etc. ; as well as clovers, sainfoin, melilots, lucerne, 

 etc., for horses and cattle ; yet several plants are 

 very poisonous, and should be carefully noted, and 

 children warned, as usual, never to put flowers, 

 fruits, or seeds into their mouths, especially those 

 of the Laburnum, which belongs to this family. 



Broom {Cytisus scoparius). — This plant is too 

 familiar to need much description. It may be 

 taken as a type of our British plants of this order. 

 It has a calyx of five sepals, but coherent forming 

 two lobes, on which three minute teeth can be 

 detected in front and two behind. There are five 

 petals, the large one at the back being called the 

 " standard," the two at the sides being the " wings," 

 and two in front, coherent along the lower edges 

 so as to form a boat-shaped structure, are called 

 the "keel." There are ten stamens, all being 

 coherent into a tube by their filaments. They 

 surround the pistil composed of a single carpel, 

 which forms the pod. The receptacle has spread 

 out horizontally ; and in most other leguminous 

 plants secretes honey within the staminal tube. To 

 enable the bees and other insects to reach it, the 

 uppermost stamen is left free, allowing a passage 



