592 



BOTANY 



PART II 



periods of the year. The nectaries, which are borne on the receptacle at the base 

 of the stamens, also show that the flowers are entomophilous. The family includes 

 a number of economic plants. 



1. Siliquosae dehiscentes : Cheiranthus Cheiri, the Wallflower (Figs. 582, A, 

 584, A). Matthiola, the Stock. Numerous species of Brassica have been long in 

 cultivation ; B. oleraeea, the Wild Cabbage, in its various forms — {a) sylvcstris, 

 which occurs on the coasts of Northern Europe and is to be regarded as the 

 wild form ; {b) acephala, Borecole or Kale ; (c) gonglyodes, Turnip-rooted Cabbage ; 



{d) gemmifcra, Brussels 

 Sprouts ; (e) sabauda, 

 Savoys ; (/) capitata, the 

 Cabbage; {g)Botrytis, Cauli- 

 flower and Broccoli. Bras- 

 sica campestris, with the 

 cultivated forms — (a) an- 

 nua, {b) oleifera, (c) rapi- 

 fera. Brassica napus, the 

 Turnip — (a) annua, (6) 

 oleifera, (c) napibrassica. 

 Brassica nigra, Black 

 Mustard (Figs. 583-586), an 

 annual plant derived from 

 the eastern Mediterranean 

 region, was cultivated even 

 in ancient times. The 

 radical leaves are long- 

 stalked and lyrate with 

 rounded terminal lobes ; on 

 ascending the copiously 

 branched stem they be- 

 come lanceolate and gradu- 

 ally smaller. The plant is 

 glabrous except for some 

 bristly hairs on the upper 

 surface of the leaf. In- 

 florescence a I'aceme ; the 

 bright yellow flowers stand 

 out from the main axis, 

 while the developing fruits 

 are erect and applied to the 

 axis. The mature fruits 

 have a short beak ; the slightly convex valves are keeled and traversed by a 

 well-marked midrib. Seeds spherical. Sinapis alba, White Mustard, is a hairy 

 plant, distinguislial)le from the Black Mustard by the long broadly-beaked fruits, 

 the valves of which bear coarse bristly hairs. The fruits project from the axis 

 of the inflorescence. The seeds are yellowish-white and twice as large as those 

 of Brassica nigra. Anastatica hierochuntica. Rose of Jericho, is an annual desert 

 plant of N. Africa characterised by the liydroscopic movements of its branches. 



2. Siliquosae lomentaceae : Cramhc (Fig. 582, E), with the lower portion of the 

 siliqua sterile, and Cakilc are thick-leaved, strand plants. Rapihanus sativus, the 

 Kadish. 



Fig. 587. — Capparis spinosa. Flowering branch and a young 

 fruit borne on the gynophore. (J nat. size.) 



