98 THE TOUCH-ME-NOT FAMILY. 



flaccid. Flowers extremely irregular, and often curiously twisted ; in 

 structure and affinities pentamerous, but of only six distinguishable 

 pieces. Stamens five, the filaments thick and short, and the anthers 

 cohering in a ring round the five minute and sessile stigmas. Which 

 of the six pieces are calyx, and which are to be considered petals, and 

 how much of the flower is wanting or imperfect, is matter of dispute. 

 The most reasonable view is that one only of the ten theoretical pieces 

 is really deficient, the calyx being composed of the spur, the pair of 

 lateral bract-like leaves, and the large posterior leaf, the latter con- 

 sisting of two sepals united by their edges ; while the two inner leaves 

 are in reality four, united like the others, by their edges, and consti- 

 tuting a genuine, though abnormal, corolla. The fruit of the Touch- 

 me-nots is generally a capsule formed of five elastic valves. As soon 

 as ripe, especially if touched, the valves suddenly separate from one 

 another, rolling inwards like a frightened hedge-hog, and by the 

 rapidity of the movement, leaping to a long distance from the plant, 

 the large brown seeds being dropped upon the way. The peculiarity 

 in question is sufficient, in connection with the irregular flowers, to 

 characterise the family. 



India and the adjacent archipelago are the chief abodes of the 

 Touch-me-nots, a few belonging to the temperate parts of Eui'ope and 

 North America. They are conspicuous for their eccentric beauty, but 

 of little discovered use, though the name " Balsam" might lead to the 

 supposition that they are generous and aromatic. The balsam-yielding 

 plants are trees, and constitute an entirely different family. 



Two species intermingle with the wild -flowers of England, and both 

 are found near Manchester. 



1. Stem and leaves as described above; peduncles axillary, ■> 



slender, bearing about four large and shewy yellow flowers, Yellow 



which expand one at a time, and last a very little while, the fXoucn-ME-NOT. 

 inside spotted with orange; the spur curved upwards, and 

 then bent back ' 



2. Resembling the former, but with flowers of a deep orange) Tawny 



colour, spotted with brown J Touch-me-not. 



HABITATS AND LOCALITIES. 



1. Yellow Touch-me-not — {Impittiens NoU-me-Uingere.) 



Abundant in a rocky ravine in Bamford Wood, where it has 



flourished for at least fifty years. Up to 1854 it grew plentifully 



opposite Bowdon new Church, but owing to the alterations of the 



