CRUCIFEILE. LEGUMINOS^J. 



133 



so common in our gardens, belongs to this genus ; but the most 

 celebrated species is the white poppy Papaver somni'ferum 

 because the juice that is extracted from the capsules constitutes 

 opium, a peculiar substance which has the property of calming 

 pain and inducing sleep, when taken in small quantity, but in a 

 large dose, is a violent poison. Dissolved in proof-spirits it con- 

 stitutes lau'danum. 



97. The FAMILY OF RANUNCU- 

 LA'CE.E or Crowfoot tribe (fig* 

 162) also belongs to the class of 

 Hypopeta'leae. It consists of herbs 

 or very rarely shrubs. The petals 

 are from three to fifteen, hypo- 

 gy'nous, in one or more rows. 

 The leaves are alternate or oppo- 

 site, generally much divided, with 

 the petiole dilated and forming a 

 sheath half clasping the stem. 

 The Anemone, Buttercup, Monk's- 

 hood, and Traveller's-joy, are of 

 this tribe. The plants of this 

 family are in general acrid and 

 caustic, and some are even poison- 

 ous. 



98. The FAMILY OF CRUCI'FEKJE 

 is also composed of plants with 

 hypogy'nous stamens ; almost all 

 of them are herbaceous ; the leaves 



are alternate, and the flower has four ungui'culate petals arranged 

 in the form of a cross, and six tetrady'namous stamens (four long 

 and two short), and the fruit is a silique. In it we place mustard 

 Sina2)is Cabbages Bras' sica Radish Raphanus sati- 

 vus, &c. 



99. The FAMILY OF RESEDA'CE^E, the type of which is the 

 Reseda or Mignonette, that of the VIOLA'CK^E, which includes 

 Violets, &c., that of the CARYOPHI'LLE^E, which includes the 

 caper-bush (Capparis spinosa), &c., and several other families 

 belong to the class of Hypopeta'lese. 



100. The FAMILY OF LEGUMINO'S.E, of the class of Peripe- 

 ta'leae, is, next to the grasses, one of the most useful, on account 



Fig. 162. RANUNCULUS. 



97. What are the characters of the family of Ranuncula'cese ? 



98. What are the characters of the family of Cruciferse ? 



99. Name some other families of the class of Hypopeta'leae. 

 100. What are the characters of the family of Legumino's* ? 



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