GRUINALES. 



417 



Order 2. Linaceae. Herbs with scattered or opposite, sessile, 

 simple, small, entire leaves, without (rarely with small) stipules. 

 The flowers (Fig. 430) are regular, 5- or 4-merous. Petals are 

 free, twisted, quickly falling off. Stamens united at the base ; the 

 petal-stamens are either reduced to teeth (Fig. 431 A, in) or entirely 

 suppressed. Styles free. The (5-4) epipetalous loculi of the 

 ovary are incompletely halved by false divisional walls, each half 



431. 



430. 



432. 

 FIG. 430-433. Linum usitatissimum. 



433. 



Fio. 430. The Flax plant. 



FIG. 431. A Flower after removal of sepals and petals; m petal-stamens reduced to 

 teeth.*' B Longitudinal section of ovary. C Transverse section of capsule. 



FIG. 432. Capsule (nat. r>ize). 



FIG. 433. Transverse and longitudinal section of seed : bl the cotyledons j k the 

 plumule; R the radicle ; fr the endosperm ; si: the testa. 



contains one ovule (Fig. 431 C). The fruit is a spherical 

 capsule, dehiscing along the divisional wall (Fig. 432) ; the 10 (-8) 

 seeds kave a straight embryo and very slight endosperm (Fig. 

 433). 



