ORDER DECANDRTA. 



173 



divided halves, or cotyledons, the first true leaves and the 

 root. 



252. Order Pent- Octandria^ from five to eight sfmnens. — We 

 could not expect from the character of the class, " stamens 

 united into two sets," to find any plants with but one stamen. 

 In this order we find the Corydalis, an elegant plant with 

 bulbous roots ; the corolla is rather ringent than papilionace- 

 ous. Fumaria is nearly allied to Corydalis by natural charac- 

 ters. In some cases the stamens have very broad bases, and 

 scarcely seem united, as in the characters of this class. We 

 find here Polygala, one species of which is called Seneca 

 snake-root ; this not only j^roduces a beautiful flower, but is 

 valuable in medicine. We have many species of this genus in 

 our woods and meadows. 



253. Order Decandria^ ten stamens. — ^The tenth Oi'der is 

 wholly composed of plants with leguminous pods ; the general 

 character of these plants is, a calyx, often five-parted ; corolla 

 five-petaled, inserted on the calyx, and consisting of a banner, 

 two wings and a keel ; stamens generally ten, mostly united 

 into two sets, nine and one ; ovary free ; style one ; legume 

 generally two-valved, one-celled, sometimes transversely divid- 

 ed into many cells ; seeds affixed to the edge on one side. At 

 Fig. 149, (3^ is a papilionaceous flower ; h 

 shows the stamens divested of their petals ; 

 c the pistil, the ovary already exhibiting 

 the form and appearance of the legume. 

 In this large family of plants with legu- 

 minous pods, are many genera of great im- 

 portance in the vegetable kingdom. The 

 form of the corolla and the nature of the 

 fruitj" with few exceptions, settle the char- 

 acter of this class. The large fiimily known 

 as the natural order Leguminosce, have been 

 divided into three tribes : 1st, Papiliona- 

 cese ; with papilionaceous flowers, parts imbricated in aestiva- 

 tion, and upper one exterior, as the pea. 2d, Csesalpinse ; 

 flowers irregular, but not papilionaceous : we bring from the 

 class Decanclria to this tribe the Cassia. 3d, Mimosse ; flowers 

 regular, petals valvate in aestivation. 



254. The most savage nations usually cultivate leguminous 

 plants. When Ferdinand de Soto marched his army into 

 Florida before the middle of iliQ sixteenth century, he found, 

 according to an historian, the granaries of the natives " well 

 stored with Indian corn and certain leguminous seeds. ''^ The 



Fig. 149. 



252. Order Pent-Octandria— Corydalis— Polyjjala.— 253. General character of plaiiU of the order 

 T)ecandri»i — Division of the Leguminosa;. — 254. Leguminous jilants long known. 



