56 CAPER FAMILY. 



18. LEPIDIITM, PEPPERGRASS. (A Greek word, meaning little scale, 

 from the pods.) Our common species have incised or pinuatilid leaves, and 

 very small white or whitish flowers. ® 



L, Virginicuna, Wild P. A common weed by roadsides, with petals, 

 and usually only 2 stamens ; the little pods orbicular and scarcely margined at 

 the notcliL'd tojj ; seeds flat, the radicle against the edge of the cotyledons. 



L. rudsrale, introduced from Europe, is much less common, more 

 branched, with no petals, smaller scarcely notched pods, and turgid seeds, the 

 radicle against the back of one of the cotyledons. 



L. sativum, Garden P. Cult, as a cress, has petals, and the larger ovate 

 pods are winged and slightly notched at the top. 



19. ALYSSUM, MAD WORT. ( Name refers to being a fancied remedy for 

 canine madness.) Cult, for ornament ; from Eu. 



A. maritimum, Sweet Alyssusi. A spreading little plant, from Eu- 

 rope, fl. all summer in gardens, or in the greenhouse in winter, green or slightly 

 hoary, with lanceolate or linear entire leaves tapering at the base, and small 

 white honey-scented flowers, in at length elongated racemes, the round little 

 pods with a single seed in each cell. A variety much used for borders has 

 paler and white-edged leaves. 



A. saxatile, Rock A. Low, hoary-leaved, with abundant bright yellow 

 flowers, in sjiring ; cult, from Europe. % 



20. ISATIS, WOAD. (Name of obscure derivation.) © One common 

 species of Eu., 



I. tinctdria, Dyer's Wo ad. Rather tall, glabrous and glaucous, with 

 the stem-leaves lanceolate and entire, sessile and somewhat sagittate ; the ra- 

 cemes of small yellow flowers panicled, succeeded by the hanging samara-like 

 closed pods ; fl. in early summer. Old gardens, formerly cult, for a blue dye. 



21. CAKILE, SEA-ROCKET. (An old Arabic name.) ® ® 



C. Americana, American S. A fleshy herb, wild on the shore of the 

 sea and Great Lakes, with obovate wavy-toothed leaves, and purplish flowers. 



22. RAPHANUS, RADISH. (Ancient Greek name, said to refer to the 

 rapid germination of the seeds.) (T) @ All from the Old World. 



R. sativus. Radish. Cult, from Eu. ; with lyratc lower leaves, purple 

 and whitish flowers, and thick and pointed closed pods ; the seeds separated by 

 irregular fleshy false partitions : cult, for the tender and fleshy pungent root : 

 inclined to run wild. 



R. caudatus. Rat-tail R., from India, lately introduced into gardens, 

 rather as a curiosity, is a probable variety of the Radish, with the narrow pod 

 a foot or so long, eaten Avhen green. 



R. Raphanistrum, Wild R. or Jointed Charlock. Troublesome 

 weed in cult, tields, with rough lyrate leaves, yellow petals changing to whitish 

 or purplish, and narrow long-beaked pods, which ai-e divided across between the 

 several seeds, so as to become necklace-form. 



11. CAPPARIDACEiE, CAPER FAMILY. 



In our region these are herbs, resembling Cruciferce, but with 

 stamens not tetradynamous and often more than 6, no partition in 

 the pod (which is tlieretbre 1 -celled with two parietal placentas), and 

 kidney-shaped seeds, the embryo rolled up instead of folded to- 

 gether : the leaves commonly palmately compound, and tlie herbage 

 bitter and nauseous instead of pungent. But in warm regions the 

 Cress-like pungency sometimes appears, as in capers, the pickled 

 flower-buds of Capparis spinosa, of the Levant. This and its 

 near relatives are trees or shrubs. 



