CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE. 



(Amygdalus), the pear and apple (Pyrus), the 

 sloe and plum (Prunus), the peach and nectarine 

 (Persica), the cherries 

 and laurels (Cerasus) ; 

 among the shrubs, the 

 rose (Rosa), the hawthorn 

 (Cratcegus), the bramble 

 and raspberry (Rubus), 

 and the quince (Cydonia} ; 

 among the herbs, the 

 common yellow Poten- 

 Rosaceous Flower. tilla of the roadsides, the 

 Ceum, the Tormentilla of 



our woods and commons, and the delicious straw- 

 berry (Fragarid). From the varied nature of its 

 genera, the order is divided by some authors into 

 seven sub-orders for the purposes of detailed 

 description. All the different sections exhibit the 

 following general characteristics : Leaves, alter- 

 nate, generally compound, and always furnished 

 with stipules ; calyx, five-lobed, united below, but 

 separate and expanding above ; corolla, of five, 

 or sometimes four petals. The ovary is one-celled, 

 and there is seldom more than one seed, scarcely 

 ever more than two in each cell. Carpels numer- 

 ous, and generally inclosed in the fleshy tube of 

 the calyx. 



The following are the sub-orders : i. CHRYSO- 

 BALANEJE, or cocoa-plum family, represented by C. 

 icaco, a shrub found in the West Indies, where its 

 fruit, which is about the size of a plum, of a whitish- 

 yellow, and possessing a sweetish taste, is brought 

 to the markets. There are about nine genera be- 

 longing to this tribe, all of which are trees or shrubs, 

 with simple alternate stipulate leaves, and flowers 

 in racemes or panicles. They are natives of the 

 tropical countries, and differ from the almond tribe 

 in having irregular petals and stamens, and in the 

 style arising from the base of the ovary ; the 

 stipules are not united to the petiole. 2. AMYG- 

 DALE^E, or almond family, represented by the 

 common almond (Amygdalus communis), and 

 embracing the peach, apricot, nectarine, plum, 

 cherry, &c. well known for their delicious fruits, 

 and a few bushes remarkable for their gay appear- 

 ance during the flowering season. The fruits of 

 this tribe are for the most part edible ; and though 

 the leaves and bark possess medicinal properties, 

 yet one of the most subtile poisons prussic acid 

 can be extracted both from the fruit and leaves 

 of the almond. 3. ROSEJE, or roses proper, the 

 type of which is the single wild-roses of our hedges. 

 The section is distinguished botanically by the 

 numerous achenes inclosed in a fleshy calycine 

 tube which is contracted at the orifice. They have 

 all a corolla of five equal slightly indented petals, 

 capable of being increased indefinitely by cultiva- 

 tion ; numerous stamens ; a five-cleft calyx. The 

 pitcher-shaped portion of the calyx becomes the 

 hip as the seeds ripen, and forms a false 

 pericarp, inclosing the numerous bony carpels. 

 Many of the plants have pinnate leaves and 

 prickles on their stems. Most of them are fra- 

 grant, and the leaves of some, as the sweet-brier, 

 are replete with a fragrant volatile oil, which 

 appears to be secreted by glands dispersed all 

 over the foliaceous surface of the plant. 4. POTEN- 

 TlLLlDjE, embracing those plants which agree 

 with the common Potentilla in the construction of 

 their flowers that is, in having a calyx of ten 

 sepals ; its tube short, or nearly flat, not inclosing 



the fruit ; a corolla of five petals ; and the stamens, 

 which are numerous, forming a ring round an 

 elevated or flat receptacle, on which are placed 

 numerous carpels. By this test the student will 

 find that the section comprises not only herbs, 

 such as the potentilla, geum, tormentilla, and 

 strawberry, but also erect and trailing shrubs, as 

 the raspberry and bramble. These genera, though 

 alike in their flowers and in many of their habits, 

 are otherwise very dissimilar. In the potentilla, 

 for example, the carpels form the prominent part 

 of the so-called fruit, while in the strawberry the 

 receptacle becomes fleshy and edible. Again, in 

 the raspberry, the receptacle is a torus surrounded 

 by the carpels, which swell out and soften, forming 

 the edible portion. The leaves and stems of these 

 genera are also very dissimilar, but the habit of 

 increasing by suckers or runners is prevalent in 

 all. 5. SANGUISORBIDJ<E, a section of herbaceous 

 perennials, illustrated by Sanguisorba officinalis^ 

 or the weed burnet of our pastures. This tribe i& 

 distinguished by having one or two achenes in- 

 closed within the dry calyx-tube. The flowers 

 often have no petals, but the clefts of the calyx arc 

 coloured, and the flowers are generally furnished 

 with glossy coloured bracts. 6. SPlR^ElDiE, decid- 

 uous shrubs and perennial herbs, represented bv 

 Spircea Ulmaria, or meadow-sweet. In this sec- 

 tion, the five-cleft calyx is lined with the dilated 

 receptacle, which forms a sort of cup for the 

 carpels, which are in the form of follicles. The 

 beautiful hardy shrub named Neillia thyrsiflora 

 belongs to this tribe, which contains a large number 

 of shrubby ornamental Spirceas, as well as her- 

 baceous kinds. 7. POME.E, an extensive and 

 varied section, the type of which is the common 

 apple (Pyrus malus). It comprehends the apple, 

 pear (Pyrus communis), the mountain-ash (P. 

 aucuparia\ the white beam-tree (P. Aria), the 

 quince (Cydonia}, and the hawthorn (Cratcegus). 

 In all of these genera, which are trees and shrubs, 

 the flowers are remarkably similar ; but the habits 

 of the plants, the leaves, and the fruit, present 

 numerous differences. 



The properties of the order have already been s 

 far noticed in the preceding detail, that it may be 

 stated of them generally as follows : The fruit of 

 some of the Chrysobalanece is eaten under the 

 name of the cocoa- plum. The Amygdafa* include 

 the almond, plum, cherry, and sloe ; the leaves 

 and kernels contain prussic acid, which, in a 

 concentrated form, is one of the subtilest poisons ; 

 but being generally diluted in a natural state with 

 gum, sugar, &c. it is harmless, and serves to give 

 an agreeable flavour to the fruits containing it 

 The Rosece are chiefly valued for their ornamental 

 flowers, but they also yield valuable extracts as 

 attar of roses, rose-water, conserve of roses, &c. 

 The fragrant essential oil called attar of roses is- 

 distilled chiefly from the common cabbage-rose 

 (Rosa centifolia) and its varieties ; 20,000 flowers 

 of roses are required to make a rupee weight of 

 the attar, which sells for 10. The general char- 

 acter of the Sanguisorbidce is astringency. The 

 roots of Spircea filipendula and Ulmaria, as well 

 as those of some other plants belonging to the 

 Spirceida, have been used as a tonic. Of the 

 Polentillidce, the roots of several are astringent 

 and febrifugal, and the fruits of such as the rasp- 

 berry and strawberry are delicious and wholesome. 

 The Pomes, under cultivation, supply wholesome 



