DICOTYLEDONES— DISOIFLOE^ 311 



Brazil. Illustrative Genera : — Csesarea, Cambess. ; Viviania, 

 Willd. There are 15 species. 



Properties and Uses. — -Unimportant. 



Order 92. Trop^olaceze, the Indian Cress Order. — Cha- 

 racter. — Smooth twining or traihng herbaceous plants, with 

 an acrid juice. Leaves alternate, exstipulate. Flowers irregular. 

 Sejyals 3 — 5, the upper one spurred; valvate or very slightly 

 imbricate in aestivation. Petals 3 — 5, hypogynous, more or 

 less unequal ; cEstivation convolute. Stamens 6 — 10, somewhat 

 perigynous, distinct ; anthers 2-celled. Disc none. Ovary of 

 3 or 5 carpels, each of which contains one pendulous ovule ; 

 style 1 ; stigmas 3 or 5. Fruit indehiscent, usually consisting 

 of 3 carpels arranged round a common axis, from which they 

 ultimately separate, each carpel containing one seed. Seed 

 large, exalbuminous ; embryo large ; radicle next the hilum. 

 This order is included in Geraniacece by Bentham arid 

 Hooher. 



Distribution and Numbers. — Chiefly natives of South Ame- 

 rica. Illustrative Genera : — Tropgeolum, Linn. ; Chymocarpus, 

 Don. There are about 40 species. 



Properties and Uses. — Generally acrid, pungent, and anti- 

 scorbutic, resembling the Cruciferae. The unripe fruit of Tro- 

 ])ceoluin Tuajus, which is commonly known as Indian Cress, or 

 Garden Nasturtium, is frequenth' pickled, and employed by 

 housekeepers as a substitute for Capers. Most of the Tro- 

 jiceolmns have tubercular roots, some of which are edil)le, as 

 T. tuberosum. 



Order 93. Limnanthace^, the Limnanthes Order. — Dia- 

 gnosis. — -This is a small order of plants included by Lindley in 

 the Tropaeolaceae, with which it agrees in its general characters; 

 but it is distinguished from that order by having regular flowery, 

 more evidently perigynous stamens, and erect ovules. It is 

 2)laced in Geraniacece by Bentham and Hooher. 



Distribution and Numbers. — Natives of North America. 

 Illustrative Genus : — Limnanthes, R. Br. There are 3 species. 



ProjJcrties and Uses. — In these they resemble the Cruciferae 

 and Tropaeolaceae. 



Order 94. Oxalidace^, the Wood-sorrel Order. — Charac- 

 ter. — Herbs, or rarely shrubs or trees, generally with an acid 

 juice. Leaves alternate or rarely opposite, usually compound or 

 occasionally simple, generally with stipules, or rarely exstipu- 

 late. Flowers regular and symmetrical. Sepals 5, persistent, 

 imbricate, occasionally somewhat united at their base. Petals 5, 



