22 



4. CRUCIFEK.E. 



arranged in 3's ; flowers white, pink or lod 6-12 mm. (under 

 i in.) long, in loose racemes; sepals oval about as broad 



as the corolla, and from 

 shorter than the pedicel ; ripe 

 fruit globular, often mucronate. 

 Divided by some botanists into 

 several species. The forms most 

 common here have white or pink 

 flowers, sepals half as long as 

 corolla and pedicels recurved in 

 fruit (F. capreolota, L.), or 

 purplish flowers, sepals about 

 one-third as long as c{irolla, and 

 straight pedicels (F. mural is, 

 Sonder). 



Cultivated land, and known 

 as Pinkweed near Adelaide. 

 May - Oct. — Europe ; temperate 

 Asia. 



2. F. parviflora, Lamarck. 

 Small-floirrrcd F. Branchinjj: 

 annual; leaA'cs Avitli narrow- 

 linear segments; floAvers whitish 

 with green tips, 3-4 mm. (under 

 5 in.) long; sepals very small 

 and narrower than pedicels ; ripe 

 fruit globular, finely tnborculate. 



to I as long; bracts usually 



f.parvipofa. 



Fumaria ofHcinalis. 



Cultivated land.- 



with 'J 

 Oct. -Nov. — "Warm 



small pits on top. 

 covintries. 



Family 4.- CRUCIFER/E. 



Petals 4, in the form of a cross (hence the name of the 

 family) ; stamens 6, 4 large and 2 shorter, or sometimes 

 wanting; fruit a pod, sometimes long and linear (silic), 

 sometimes short and broad (t<iUnilc) opening from base to 

 summit in 2 valves, which are separated by tlu> thin parti- 

 tion bearing the seeds, or in a few genera the pod does 

 not open. Flowers in simple terminal racemes which 

 lengthen after flowering; leaves alternate or all radical; 

 herbs. 



To ascertain the genus to which doubtful specimens 

 belong, it is sometimes necessary to soften the seed in hot 

 water, detach the skin, and examine the embryo to see the 

 relative positions of the cotyledons and radicle. 



A. Pod at least 3 times as long as broad, 

 opening' by valves. 

 B. Stigma 2-lobod ; pod siibcylindrical ... Matthioi.a 1 

 B. Stigma entire, or slightly notched. 

 Seeds in 2 rows in each coll. 

 Pod 1-nerved, straight Diplotaxis 2 



