THE FUMITORY TRIBE. 33 



orange-coloured juice, which, is a violent acrid poison. 

 It is a popular remedy for warts, and has been employed 

 successfully in rernbving films from the cornea of the 

 eye ; a property which, Pliny tells us, was discovered 

 by swallows ; and hence it derived its name from cheli- 

 don, a swallow. According to the same author, it comes 

 into flower at the time when those birds arrive, and 

 fades at their departure. Perennial. 



* The Lesser Celandine is a species of Ranunculus, 

 and bears little resemblance, either in appearance or 

 properties, to the present plant. 



ORD. V. FUMARIACE.E. THE FUMITORY TRIBE. 

 Sepals 2, deciduous ; petals 4, irregular, and more or 

 less united and swollen, or spurred at the base ; stamens 

 6, in two sets ; ovary 1 -celled ; style thread-like ; stigma 

 lobed ; seed-vessel 1-or 2-seeded ; seeds shining, crested. 

 Herbaceous plants, with brittle stems, and watery 

 juice, growing mostly in temperate climates. Closely 

 allied to the Poppies, from which they may well be 

 distinguished by their irregular corollas, and watery 

 (not milky) juice. 



1. CORYDALIS. Petals 4, of which one is spurred at 

 the base ; seed-vessel many-seeded. (Xame, the Greek 

 name of Fumitory.} 



2. FUMARIA (Fumitory). Petals 4, of which one is 

 swollen at the base ; seed-vessel 1 -seeded. (Xame from 

 fnmuSj smoke ; the smoke of this plant being said by 

 the ancient exorcists to have the power of expelling 

 evil spirits.) 



1. CORYDALIS. 



1. C. claviculata (Climbing Corydalis). Stem climb- 

 ing ; leaves pinnate, ending in branched tendrils.' 

 Bushy places, in many parts of Great Britain. A long 

 and slender plant, with delicate green stems and foliage, 

 rising to the height of several feet, by the help of the 

 bushes among which it grows. Flowers in small clus- 

 ters, yellowish white. FL June August. Annual. 



D 



