28 



BRITISH BOTANY. 



Ambleside, Westmoreland, in Bot. Gaz. vol. ii. p. 54, Tlie fol- 

 lowing character is drawn up from Grenier and Godron, ' Flore de 

 France/ vol. i. p. 67 : — Leaves bipinuate, with lanceolate seg- 

 ments. Flowers in lax clusters, with lanceolate bracts, which 

 equal or exceed the pedicels of the flowers (shorter than the pe- 

 dicels of the fruit). Sepals ovate-lanceolate, toothed, narrower 

 than the corolla, and only one- third of its length. Fruit glo- 

 bular, rough, rounded at the summit and pointed with the base of 

 the style. Seeds depressed at the summit, nearly round. 



South of France. Annual ; June-iiugust. 



The distinctive characters of these species are chiefly drawn up 

 from the sepals and the fruit. 



In F. officinalis the sepals are less than half as long as the 

 corolla, and are nearly as broad as it is. The fruit is almost ob- 

 cordate, depressed at the apex, and slightly apiculate. 



In F. micrantha the sepals are broadly ovate, much broader 

 than the tube of the corolla, and half as long. The fruit is 

 globular, very slightly depressed, and faintly apiculate at the 

 summit. 



In F. capreolata the sepals are about as broad as the corolla, 

 and about half as long. The fruit is globular, not apiculate. 



In F. Vaillantii the sepals are very small, scarcely one-sixth 

 part as long as the corolla, and much narrower. Fruit globular, 

 rounded, and not apiculate at the summit. 



In F. parviflora the sepals are broader than in F. Vaillantii, 

 and about as long as they are in that species. The fruit is glo- 

 bular and apiculate at the summit. 



In F. agraria the sepals are narrower than the corolla, and 

 about one-third as long. The fruit is globular, rounded at the 

 apex and apiculate. 



CEUCIFER^, Juss. The Cruciferous Family. 



Annual, biennial, or perennial, herbaceous (rarely half-shrubby) 

 plants, with aqueous and usually acrid juice. Leaves alternate, 

 sessile or stalked, usually more or less divided. Inflorescence 

 racemose (in simple clusters, which are elongated after flower- 

 ing). Flowers perfect, regular or nearly so. Sepals 4, fi'ce, 

 rarely persistent, imbricated, rarely valvular in prefloration ; the 

 two sepals opposite to the valves of the fruit often larger than 



