500 



VERBASCIN^:. IV. ISANTHERA. SCROPHULARINE.E. 



LIN. SYST. Polygamia, Dice' da. Flowers polygamous. Calyx 

 5-cleft. Corolla rotate. Stamens 5, equal, straight, glabrous. 

 Anthers reniform, 1 -celled, opening by a vertical, longitudinal 

 chink, clasping a semicircular connective. Stigma truncate. 

 Capsule 2-celled, many-seeded. Seeds small, inserted in 4 

 lamelliform placentas. Female flowers without any corolla. 

 Pistil as in the hermaphrodite flowers. Rudiments of stamens 

 tubercle-formed. 



1 I. FERMOLLIS (Nees, 1. c.) Native of the East Indies, but 

 in what particular part is unknown. Plant clothed with soft 

 rusty wool. Leaves obovate-cuneiform, acute, tapering into the 

 petioles, green above, white beneath, and rusty on the nerves 

 and rib beneath. Flowers fasciculately glomerate in the axils 

 of the leaves, nutant. Calyx woolly. Corolla glabrous, shorter 

 than the calyx. Stem erect, filled with white medulla. Down 

 simple. 



Soft Isanthera. PL ? 



Cult. For culture and propagation see Celsia, p. 499. 



ORDER CLXIX. SCROPHULARI'NE^ (this order con- 

 tains plants agreeing with the genus Scrophularia in particular 

 characters.) R. Br. prod. p. 433. D. Don, in edinb. phil. p. 

 108. Benth. scroph. ind. p. 15. Scrophulariae and Pediculares, 

 part. Juss. gen. p. 99. & 117. Personataa part. Lin. nat. ord. 



Calyx 4-5-parted, permanent. Corolla monopetalous, hypo- 

 gynous, deciduous, irregular, bilabiate, personate, or ringent, 

 imbricate in aestivation. Stamens usually 4, didynamous, some- 

 times only 2, and sometimes with the rudiment of a fifth. 

 Ovarium 2-celled. Style one ; stigma 2-lobed, or undivided. 

 Fruit capsular, rarely baccate, 2-celled, 2-4-valved. Seeds 

 small. Albumen copious. Embryo terete, erect, inclosed, 

 straight. Radicle inferior looking to the umbilicus. Herbs or 

 shrubs, various in habit, usually with opposite leaves. Inflo- 

 rescence various. 



From the great diversity of form found in this order, and 

 from its partaking, both in habit and structure, of those orders 

 to which it is more immediately allied ; for example, the group 

 Scrophulariea closely approximates them to Verbdscince and 

 Solanacece ; the Gratiolece connects them with Lentibularece ; 

 the Aniirrh'ineae and Gerardiece with Chelonece and Bignonidcece ; 

 the Calceolarece with Gesneriaceae ; the Euphrasies with Rhi- 

 nanthacece ; and their affinity to Verbenacece is clearly establish- 

 ed through the Buddleiece. The Verbascince approach so closely 

 to the first group as to be only distinguished by their symmetri- 

 cal flowers. 



The greater part of Linnaeus's Didynamia Angiospermia are 

 found in this order. Capsular fruit and didynamous stamens 

 being amongst the most obvious characteristics of the order. 

 The species are natives of all parts of the world. Some of the 

 plants of this order are highly ornamental, as Digitalis, Calceo- 

 laria, Veronica, Russelia, Alonsba, Linaria, Maurdndya, An- 

 tirrhinum, Gerdrdia, Mimulus, Collinsia, &c. ; others are mere 

 weeds. Most of them have a weak, unpleasant smell, a bitter- 

 ish taste, and acrid and suspicious properties ; the taste is refresh- 

 ing in Mimulus luteus, which is a culinary plant in Peru, and the 

 ordinary acrid properties become emollient in some Antirrhi- 

 nums. The leaves and roots of Scrophularia aqudtica, Gra- 

 tiola offtcinalis, and Peruviana and Calceolaria act as purga- 



tives, or, in strong doses, produce vomiting ; these proper- 

 ties exist in a high degree in Digitalis purpurea. The leaves 

 of this plant reduced to powder excite vomiting and vertigo, 

 excite urine and saliva, and lower the pulse ; in too strong doses 

 they cause death ; in moderate doses they are useful in scro- 

 phula, dropsy, asthma, &c. 



Synopsis of the genera. 



TRIBE I. 



SCROPHULARIE'*. Calyx deeply 5-parted ; segments dilated, 

 with scarious edges, imbricate in aestivation. Corolla tubular, 

 or campanulate, ventricose ; limb bilabiate, 5-lobed. Stamens 

 4, fertile, didynamous ; cells of anthers confluent at apex, 

 inserted in a fleshy connective. Stigma capitate, or 2-lobed. 

 Capsule crustaceous ; dissepiment double, fixed to the inflexed 

 margins of the valves, placentiferous on both sides. Testa of 

 seeds thick, spongy, corrugated. Albumen fleshy. Embryo 

 almost the length of the albumen. Shrubs and herbs. Leaves 

 opposite and alternate. Flowers terminal, racemose, yellow, 

 purple or scarlet. 



1 DIGITA'LIS. Corolla tubular, declinate ; lower lip the longest. 



2 ISOPLE'XIS. Corolla tubular, incurved ; upper lip the longest. 



3 SCROPHULA'RIA. Corolla with a subglobose tube, and a 

 very unequal limb. 



4 ALONSOA. Corolla subrotate, resupinate from the twisting 

 of the pedicels. 



5 RUSSE'LIA. Corolla tubular, straight. Valves of capsule 

 bipartible. 



TRIBE II. 



ANTIRRHI'NEJE. Calyx deeply 5-parted, imbricate in aesti- 

 vation. Corolla personate, ventricose ; limb 5-lobed, bilabiate. 

 Stamens 4, fertile, didynamous, sometimes with the rudiment 

 of a fifth. Cells of anthers distinct at top. Stigma 2-lobed. 

 Capsule crustaceous ; dissepiment undivided ; placentas spongy, 

 adnate. Seeds with a thick, spongy, corrugated, or cellular 

 testa. Albumen fleshy. Embryo almost the length of the 

 seeds Herbs or sub-shrubs. Leaves opposite, or alternate. 

 Flowers terminal, spicately racemose, or axillary solitary. 



6 ANTIRRHINUM. Corolla personate, saccate, or gibbous at 

 the base. Capsule opening by 3 valvate pores under the apex, 

 rarely by 2 irregular holes. 



7 LINA'RIA. Corolla personate, spurred at the base. Cap- 

 sule opening by 2 lids at top, or by 4-10-tooth-formed, or valve- 

 formed parts. 



8 ANARRHI'NUM. Corolla bilabiate, spurred, or spurless at 

 the base ; throat open and naked. Capsule opening by 2 

 valve-formed lids at top. 



9 GALVE'SIA. Corolla bilabiate ; throat naked ; tube elon- 

 gated, gibbous at the base. Capsule bursting irregularly under 

 the apex. 



10 MAURA'NDYA. Corolla personate, gibbous at the base. 

 Capsule dehiscing by 10 teeth at apex. 



11 LOPHOSPE'RMUM. Corolla bilabiate; tube wide, gibbous 

 at the base. Capsule dehiscing irregularly under the apex. 



