SYSTEMATIC BOTANY. 



of structure in common. They are herbaceous 

 plants or shrubs, with alternate leaves, and with 

 angular or rounded stems ; calyx, five (rarely four) 

 parted and persistent ; corolla, with the limb 

 having the same number of lobes as the calyx, 

 somewhat unequal, and deciduous ; estivation, 

 folded or imbricate ; stamens, alternating with 

 the segments of the corolla, sometimes one abor- 

 tive ; anthers, bursting longitudinally, or by ter- 

 minal pores ; ovary, two or more celled, rarely 

 one-celled ; ovules, usually indefinite ; style, con- 

 tinuous ; stigma, obtuse, very rarely lobed ; fruit, 

 either a capsule opening variously, a berry with 

 the placenta adhering to the dissepiment, or a 

 nuculanium, with five spurious-celled nucules, 

 which have one seed in each ; seeds, sessile. 



The Solanacece closely resemble each other in 

 their flowers, and also in their berry-like fruit, 

 which is always crowned by the persistent calyx ; 

 seeds, albuminous ; embryo, curved. The estiva- 

 tion is valvate or induplicato-valvate. The genus 

 Solatium, to which belongs the bitter-sweet (S. 

 Dulcamara), the garden nightshade (S. nigruni), 

 and the potato (S. tuberosuin), has the anthers 

 opening by pores like the heaths ; whereas all 

 the other members have a slit down each cell, 

 as the tomato, or love-apple (Lycopersicum escu- 

 lentutn), with its edible fruit ; the capsicum (C. 

 frutescens, &c.), whose dry inflated berry yields 

 the cayenne-pepper of commerce ; and the winter- 

 cherry (Physalis Alkekengi), also with edible 

 berry-like fruit. To the Atropacea belong the 

 deadly nightshade or dwale (Atropa Belladona}, 

 which furnishes the deadly poison of that name ; 

 and the Barbary or box-thorn (Lycium barbarum). 

 They are dangerous in their qualities, the leaves 

 and flowers being narcotic and poisonous. They 

 are distinguished from the preceding principally 

 by the more or less imbricated estivation of the 

 corolla ; it is never valvate. The flowers are also 

 more funnel-shaped, with a longish tube and 

 spreading limb. The principal genera are Nico- 

 tiana, N. Tabacum, being the Virginian tobacco 

 of commerce, and N. persica is the source of 

 Shiraz or Persian tobacco, so much esteemed by 

 smokers. Petunia, which furnishes some of our 

 best known garden favourites ; Nierembergia, a 

 genus of ornamental green-house plants ; Hyos- 

 cyamus, the poisonous henbane ; Datura, D. 

 Stramonium, being the common thorn-apple ; and 

 Brugmansia and Salpiglossis, all more or less 

 prized for their showy funnel-shaped flowers, some 

 of which are highly fragrant. The plants of this 

 order display marked narcotic properties, and 

 cause dilatation of the pupil. Nolanacece. ' This 

 tribe,' says Loudon, ' is principally known by the 

 genus Nolana, the species of which are annual 

 plants, natives of Chili and Peru, which have of 

 late been much cultivated in British gardens. 

 The flowers of N. atriplicifolia, one of the com- 

 monest kind, very much resemble those of the 

 Convolvulus tricolor, and the leaves are large and 

 juicy like those of the spinach. On opening the 

 corolla there will be found five stamens, surround- 

 ing four or five ovaries, which are crowded together 

 on a fleshy ring-like disc. These ovaries, when 

 ripe, become as many drupes, enclosing each a 

 three or four celled nut, which is marked with 

 three or more grooves on the outside, and has 

 three or more little holes beneath. All the 

 species of Nolana have the same peculiarities in 



Foxglove, 

 the well-known snap- 



their seed-vessels, though they differ in many 

 other respects.' 



SCROPHULARIACE*. The Figworts, of which 

 the common foxglove may be taken as the type 

 form rather an extensive order, consisting of about 

 170 genera, and 1800 species. The plants are 

 herbaceous, rarely shrubby, with round or square 

 stems ; the leaves being simple and exstipulate, 

 opposite or whorled, seldom alternate, and either 

 sessile or with footstalks. The inflorescence is 

 very variable, being axillary or united, usually in 

 spikes, racemes, or in panicles ; calyx, inferior, 

 persistent, and often unequal ; corolla, tubular or 

 inflated, with a short 

 limb, which is flat or 

 erect, nearly equally 

 divided, or labiate j 

 stamens, definite, two 

 or four (didynamous), 

 rarely five, filaments, 

 free ; anthers, two- 

 celled ; ovary, two- 

 celled ; style, simple ; 

 stigma, obtuse, rarely 

 bifid ; fruit, a dry cap- 

 sule, rarely baccate. 



The following genera 

 may be mentioned as 

 illustrative of the order : 

 Scrophularia, weeds 

 common in Britain. 

 Digitalis, the foxglove 

 of our waysides and 

 gardens ; Antirrhinum, 



dragon ; Linaria, the toad-flax of our hedges arid 

 banks ; Euphrasia, the eyebright j Veronica, in- 

 cluding the brooklime and the speedwells ; Rhin- 

 anthus, the yellow rattle, Verbascum, the mullein ; 

 and Calceolaria, Buddlea, Mimulus, and others, 

 now favourites in every flower-garden. The form 

 of the flowers in the different genera varies con- 

 siderably, as may be seen by examining the fox- 

 glove, the speedwell, and calceolaria plants at 

 the command of every one. The stamens also 

 present considerable differences : in the foxglove 

 (Digitalis purpured) there are two long and two 

 short ; in Pentstemon there are five, the fifth being 

 long and slender, and without an anther ; in Cal- 

 ceolaria and Veronica there are only two. Various 

 attempts have been made to subdivide the order 

 as, for example, into two sections, the one 

 including the genera having four anther-bearing 

 stamens, and the other those having only two- 

 anthered stamens. Mr Bentham divides it into 

 three sub-orders, according to the inflorescence, 

 each of which is again subdivided into several 

 tribes. 



The majority of this family contain a principle 

 more or less acrid, purgative in some, and poison- 

 ous, as in the foxglove, unless taken in small doses. 

 The meadow eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis) is 

 slightly astringent and aromatic, without the 

 deleterious qualities of the other genera. Cows 

 are said to be fond of Melampyrum pratcnse ; and 

 Linnaeus says the best and yellowest butter is 

 made where it abounds. One or two species of 

 Linaria and Calceolaria are named as yielding 

 colours for the dyer. Mimulus luteus affords an 

 interesting example of an exotic plant from 

 America becoming speedily diffused throughout 

 Europe in a naturalised state. It is now not 



