CRCCIFKRJE. 



CKUCIFBRA 



< stamens, 4 of which an- lunger than the 



lm rf 1 T' "1 1 - '-' ' ' *"' 



M ftttod a pair of .Widuous valves, and from UK sides of which under 

 UM valvw IB tUttaniJ thin doubU transparent diaphragm. In each 

 0.11 ar two or DMT* seeds, with an embryo folded upon iUelf, and 

 ilsstiliili of albumen. The fonn of the fruit in extremely rariable : 

 wnea it is long and (lender it U called a Silique, and when short and 

 iwoad a aOiole ; hence the two divisions of the Tetradynamia of Lin- 

 as into ?ili|ii and 'ilifulnta 



About a couple of thousand specie* art dispersed over the milder 

 paru of the world, refusing alike to <xit beneath the severe cold of 

 Ike arctic lone and the exsive heaU of the tropic*. A Urge pro- 

 portion consists of inconspicuous and useless weed* ; many are object* 

 of beauty from the sin and gay colour* of their petal* ; and the namea 

 enow that another part of the order consists of 



*t from which the peuli hart bwn remoTcd ; J, the .Umeni ; , a 

 UM orarjr j 4, a rips fruit, from which the vaUes are separatlnf ; 



. aa 



Owinf to the number of the species, and the great resemblance 

 between them, the systematic arrangement of Cruciferous Plant* wan 

 until late yean exceedingly unsatisfactory. It hat however been dis- 

 oorered that the embryo preeenU the moet constant character, and 

 that by fir. modifications of the manner in which it is folded up five 

 precisely limited divisions of the order are secured. The following 

 ert illustrates them. Let A 1 be an embryo with the radicle applied 

 to UM cotyledons in such a way at to Ho against its edge*; then B 1 

 II 4 t 



'> (Do <8> (BD 



will be the appearance of such an embryo when cut across, and C 1 

 wUI be a aim sxprtttinf the mutual positions of the radicle and coty- 

 ledons by a circle and two ban: thees are flnnrkium. Then^.A2 



will be the tame embryo with the radicle applied to the back of the 

 cotyledons ; and B 2 and C 2 will give the section and sign of what 

 are called Nolorkata. When the cotyledons instead of being flat arc 

 channeled so as to receive the radicle in a kind of groove, as at A 3, 

 it gives the division Ortkoploettt. If the cotyledons are to long aa to 

 be doubled twice, A 4, they constitute Spirolobeir ; and if, as if 

 the cotyledons are doubled three times, they indicate the division 

 JHplttolobetr. Upon these distinctions all recent arrangement* of 

 Crufifmr have been formed. 



The affinities of this order are with Papareratta, Cittacea, Cappa- 

 ridaeeir, and Fumarituta. There are 173 genera and above 1600 

 species described. It w eminently a European order : 166 species 

 are found in Northern and Middle Europe, and 178 on the northern 

 shore or islands of the Mediterranean ; 45 are peculiar to the coast of 

 Africa between Mogadore and Alexandria ; 184 to Syria, Asia Minor, 

 Tauria, and Persia; 99 to Siberia; 35 to China, Japan, or India; 

 76 to Australia and the South Sea Islands ; 6 to Mauritius, and the 

 neighbouring islands; 70 to the Cape of Good Hope; 9 to the 

 Canaries or Madeira ; 2 to St Helena ; 2 to the West Indies ; 41 to 

 South America; 48 to North America; 5 to the islands between 

 North America and Kamtchatka ; and 35 are common to various parts 

 of the world. This being their general geographical distribution, it 

 appears that, exclusive of the species that are uncertain or common 

 to several different countries, about 100 are found in the southern 

 hemisphere and about 800 in the northern hemisphere ; or 91 in t In- 

 New and the rest in the Old World. Finally, if we consider tin M 

 with regard to temperature, we shall find that there are 



In the frigid zone of the northern hemisphere . . . 205 



In all the tropics (and chiefly in mountainous regions) . 30 



In the temperate zone 



Of the northern hemisphere .... 548 1 ... 

 Of the southern hemisphere . . 86 J 



Such were the calculations of Do Candolle in 1821. Although re- 

 quiring considerable modification, especially in the Asiatic and North 

 American numbers, which are much too low, they serve to give a general 

 idea of the manner in which this order is dispersed over the globe. 



The character of the genera of this order is antiscorbutic and stimu- 

 lant, combined with an acrid flavour. The officinal species are among 

 the commonest of all plants, and will be found treated of under their 

 respective heads. A large number of genera are natives of Britain. 

 The following U a synopsis of the British genera, according to 

 Babiugton's ' Manual of British Botany :' 



Sub-Order I. SiLiQuo&jB. 



Pod (silique) linear or linear-lanceolate, opening by two valves ; 

 dissepiment narrow, but in its broadest diameter. 



Tribe I. ARABIDK.G. 



Cotyledons accumbent, parallel to the dissepiment ; radicle lateral ; 

 seed compressed. 



1. Malthiola. 



2. Chtiranthut 



3. Xaiturtium. 



4. Sarbarea. 



5. Turrilit. 



6. Arabit. 



7. Cardamine. 



8. Deataria. 



Tribe II. SISVMBRIK.K. 



Cotyledons incumbent, contrary to the dissepiment ; radicle dorsul 

 teed compressed. 



9. ffaperi*. 



10. Suymorium. 



11. AUiana. 



12. Kryii mum. 



Tribe III. BRASSICEJE. 



Cotyledons conduplicate, longitudinally folded in the middle ; 

 radicle dorsal within the fold. 



13. Brauica- 



14. Sinapit. 

 15. 



Sub-Order II. LATISEPT*. 



Pouch (silicle) short, opening with two valves; dissepiment in its 

 broadest diameter. 



Tribe IV. ALTSgiNKJt 

 Cotyledons accumbent 



16. Alyuum. 



17. Koniya. 



18. Draba. 



19. Cochlearia. 



20. Armoracia. 



Tribe V. CAMELINE.E. 

 Cotyledons Incumbent 



21. CamAina. 



Tribe VI. VtLLE.fi. 

 Cotyledons con duplicate. 



22. 



