182 



CRUCIFERvE. 



or pouch, as is seen in Honesty, Shepherd's Purse, 

 &c. ; second, Siliquosa, in which the fruit is a very 

 long pod, as is seen in wallflower, gilliflower, &c. 

 Decandolle and others have divided the order into 

 sections, according to the mode in which the coty- 

 ledons are plaited or folded, and the position of the 

 radicle in relation to them. The following are the 

 sections founded on these characters : 



I. Pleurorhizece, in which the cotyledons are flat, 

 with the radicle lying upon their edges,as in the genera 

 Mathiala, stock ; Chetranthus,vfa\\-fio\ver; Nasturtium, 

 cress; Barbarea, Arabis, Cardamine; Lunaria, honesty; 

 Alyssum, rocket ; Draba, Cochlearia, Thlaspi, Iberis, 

 candytuft, &c.. 



II. NotorhizecB, in which the cotyledons are flat, 

 with the radicle lying on their back, as is seen in the 

 genera Hesperis, dame's-violet; Sisymbrium,Erysimum, 

 Camelina, Senebiera, Lcpidium, Isatis, &c. 



III. OrthoplocefB, in which the cotyledons are 

 folded lengthwise, as in Brassica, cabbage; Sinapis, 

 mustard ; Diplotaxis, Vella; Crambe, sea-kale ; Rapfia- 

 nus, radish, &c. 



IV. SpirolobetE, in which the cotyledons are coiled 

 up spirally, as in Bunias and Erucaria, 



V. Diplecolobces, in which the cotyledons are bent 

 double, as in Heliopkila, Subularia, and Brachycarpcea. 



This is a most extensive order, including many of 

 our valuable esculent vegetables, such as cabbage, 

 raddish, sea-kale, and cress, and some articles of 

 materia medica, as mustard and scurvy grass. In it 

 too we find some plants used in the arts, such as 

 woad, and others which are cultivated in gardens on 

 account of their beauty, such as stock, gilliflower, 

 wallflower, candytuft, rocket, &c. In general cruci- 

 ferous plants are antiscorbutic, stimulating, and acrid. 

 The pungent taste and powerful odour which many 

 of them possess are owing to the presence of a vola- 

 tile oil, which is easily procured by distillation. The 

 properties of the plants vary according to the quantity 

 of this oil which enters into their composition. 

 When by cultivation the plants are made to contain 

 a large quantity of mucilage and water, their acrimony 

 is either altogether destroyed or much diminished, and 

 they become agreeable articles of food. A similar 

 effect is produced by blanching. 



Cruciferous plants contain sulphur and nitrogen in 

 their composition, and during the process of decay 

 give out an ammoniacal odour, similar to that evolved 

 from animal substances. In consequence of the nitro- 

 gen which they furnish, the plants of this order have 

 been used in place of the horns and hoc fs of animals 

 in the manufacture of Prussian blue. Their seeds 

 abound in a fixed oil, which is often expressed and 

 put to important uses. 



In their botanical, medical, and chemical characters, 

 vhe cruciferae exhibit such an analogy and uniformity 

 hat it is needless to dwell long on the individual 

 /enera and species. We shall notice a few of the 

 most interesting. The genus Sinapis furnishes several 

 important species. Sinapis nigra, common mustard, 

 is found under hedges and in waste places in many 

 parts of Britain. Its seeds furnish the mustard of 

 our tables. They are very acrid and stimulating, 

 and when reduced to powder and mixed with vinegar 

 and crumb of bread, they form rubefacient cataplasms 

 known by the name of sinapisms. When applied 

 externally these are useful in causing a rapid deter- 

 mination of blood to the surface of the body, and in 

 rousing the energy of the circulation. If kept applied 



for a considerable time they will even produce inflam- 

 mation and vesication. The powder or flour of mus- 

 tard is sometimes administered as an emetic in the 

 dose of a dessert spoonful. It has been given suc- 

 cessfully in cases of cholera and gout, and in intoxica- 

 tion threatening apoplexy. The seeds of mustard, 

 according to chemical analysis, yield a fixed and a 

 volatile oil, vegetable albumen, mucilage, sulphur, 

 nitrogen or azote, sulphate and phosphate of litnc, 

 and silica. The fixed oil is bland and insipid, and is 

 obtained by expression. The cake which is left con- 

 tains all the acrimony of the mustard. This acrimony 

 is owing to the presence of the volatile oil, which is 

 procured by distillation.' Sinapis alba, white mustard, 

 is frequent in waste places in Britain, and is well dis- 

 tinguished by the long beak which terminates its 

 pods. Its seeds are whiter and more mucilaginous, 

 less acrid, and not so large as those of the last spe- 

 cies. They were formerly employed to stimulate and 

 strengthen the tone of the stomach. In a young 

 state the plant is eaten under the name of mustard 

 along with cresses. 



The seeds of Sinapis C'hinensis are considered by 

 the Hindoo and Mahometan practitioners as stimu- 

 lant, stomachic, and laxative. Sinapis arvensis, wild 

 mustard or charlock, is one of the most common 

 weeds in corn fields. 



O'er the young corn the charlock throws a shade, 

 And clasping tares cling round the sickly blade. 



The next genus we shall notice is Nasturtium or 

 water-cress. Nasturtium officinale, formerly Sisym- 

 brium nasturtium, common water-cress, is a perennial 

 plant frequent in all the brooks and rivulets of this 

 country. Its leaves remain green during the whole 

 year, but are in the greatest perfection in spring. They 

 have an acrid taste and a somewhat pungent smell 

 when bruised. By drying or boiling they lose their 

 sensible qualities entirely. When fresh they are ex- 

 tensively used as an excellent and wholesome salad. 

 Since 1808 this plant. has been much cultivated in the 

 neighbourhood of London. Large plantations of it 

 exist at Uxbridge, Gravesend, in Hertfordshire, and 

 other parts of England. It has also been raised in the 

 vicinity of Edinburgh and Paris. In its cultivation a 

 constant supply of running water is required. The 

 expressed juice contains the pungency and slight bit- 

 terness of the plant, and has been prescribed in doses 

 of an ounce or two as a gentle stimulant and diuretic. 

 It enters as an ingredient into antiscorbutic syrups 

 and wines. 



Cardamine pratensis, common meadow lady's smock, 

 is abundant in moist meadows, where it is rendered 

 conspicuous by its large blush-coloured flowers, which 

 are sometimes double. It is used in the same way as 

 the water-cress. It was formerly looked upon as a 

 diuretic, and given in doses of one or two drachms 

 twice or thrice a day. It has sometimes been recom- 

 mended in nervous diseases, such as epilepsy. 



Sisymbrium officinal*.', formerly Erysimnni officinale, 

 common hedge-mustard, is another indigeneous plant 

 found in waste places and by way sides every where. 

 The leaves of this plant do not possess the pungency 

 of those of the other cruciferous plants. They are 

 slightly acid, and arp employed as tonics. The herb 

 is used by singers to cure hoarseness and strengthen 

 the larynx. 



Brassica oleracea, sea-cabbage, is the origin of the 

 common garden cabbage, of which there are nume- 



