484 SYSTEMATIC BOTANY. 



called, from the large embryo of its seed resembling in a remarkable degree a 

 coiled-up snake. 



The truit of many plants belonging to this order, besides those already 

 named, are edible, as that of Pierardia saliva and dulcfs, producing the 

 Rambeh and Choopa of Malacca; and Hedycarpus malayanus producing 

 the Tampui. Schmidelia edulis, in Brazil ; Melicocca bijuga in the West 

 Indies and Brazil ; Pappea capensis at the Cape of Good Hope, &c. also yield 

 edible fruits. 



Natural Order 41. Polygalaceje. — The Milkwort Order 

 {figs^^\ — 896). — General Character. — Shrubs or herbs. 

 Leaves alternate (Jig. 891) or opposite, exstipulate, and usually 

 simple. Pedicels with 3 bracts. Flowers irregular, unsym- 

 metrical (figs. 891 and 892), and apparently papilionaceous 

 (fig. 891), but only falsely so, as here the wings belong to the 

 calyx, whereas in the true papilionaceous flower, which is only 

 found in the Leguminosse, they belong to the corolla. Sepals 

 5 (fig. 892, s), very irregular, usually distinct; of which 3 are 

 placed exterior, and of these 1 is posterior and 2 anterior; the 

 2 interior are lateral, they are usually petaloid, and form the 

 wings to the flower. Petals hypogynous, usually 3, more or 

 less coherent, of which 1, forming the keel, is larger than the 

 rest, and placed at the anterior part of the flower (fig. 892); 

 the keel is either naked, crested, (fig. 891), or 3-lobed; the 

 other 2 petals are posterior (fig. 892), and alternate with the 

 wings and posterior sepal of the calyx, and are often united 

 to tlie keel: sometimes there are 5 petals, (fig. 892J, and then 

 the 2 additional ones, pr, pr, are of small size, and alternate 

 with the wings and anterior sepals. Stamens hypogynous, 8 

 (figs. 892, e, and 896), usually combined into a tube, unequal, 

 the tube split on the side next to the posterior sepal (fig. 896); 

 anthers clavate, innate, usually 1-celled (fig. 896), rarely 2- 

 celled, opening by a pore at their apex (fig. 896). Ovary 

 superior (figs. 892, c and 893, ov), 2— 3-celled, one cell is fre- 

 quently abortive; oy«/e.s solitary or twin, susiDcnded; s/y/e simple 

 (fig. 893, sti/l) curved, sometimes hooded at the apex ; stigma 

 simple (fig. 896, stig.) Fruit varying in its nature and texture 

 (fig. 894), indehiscent, or opening in a loculicidal manner, occa- 

 sionally winged. Seeds pendulous (fig. 894, gr), smooth or 

 liairy, with a caruncula next the hilum (figs. 894, r and 895, ar); 

 embryo straight or nearly so, in copious fleshy albumen, and 

 Avith the radicle towards the hilum (fig. 895, pi). 



Diagnosis. — Herbs or shrubs with exstipulate leaves. Flowers 

 complete, hypogynous, irregular, unsymmetrical. Sepals and 

 petals imbricated, not commonly corresponding in number, and 

 usually arranged so as to form a faUely papilionaceous flower; 

 odd petal anterior ; odd sepal posterior. Stamens 8, hypo- 

 gynous, usually combined ; anthers generally 1-celled, with 

 porous dehiscence. Fruit flattened, usually 2-cellcd, and 2- 

 secdod. Seeds with abundant fleshy albumen, and with a 

 caruncula next the hilum. 



Distribution, Sfc. — Some genera of the order arc found in 



