Chapter III. 



Order III.— CRUCIFERiE. The Cruciform Family. 



Character of thr Order. — Herbs, usually with small 

 rai'eiuosc flowers. Sepiils 4, free. Petals 4, free, jilaeed cross- 

 wise. Stamens 6, (rarely 1, 2 or 4), liypogynous, 2 longer than 

 the others. Ovary 2-eelled, with 2 or more ovules. Capsule 2- 

 (rarely 1) celled, bursting longitudinally by 2 valves, which 



fall away from the seed-bearing placentas. Seed, exalbuminous 

 with the radicle turned up towards the edges (accumbent) or 

 back of the cotyledons (incumbent). — Handbook of Neio Zea- 

 land Flora, p. 10. 



Description of the Order. 



LARGE ovcler ahounding in all temperate climates, especially in Europe and 

 Asia — most of the New Zealand genera are also British — the properties of tlie 

 plants are stimulant, and antiscorbutic. None of the plants are poisonous, 

 and many of them are culinary vegetables, such as Cabbage, CaulifloAver, 

 Turnip, Radish, Cress, Horse-radish, etc. They contain much sulphiu- and 

 nitrogen, and, on account of this, Avhen decaying, give off a disagr(>al)l(' 

 odour. Many garden flowers, such as Wall-flower, Stock, Rocket, and Honesty, are 

 found in this order, which takes its name from the four petals arranged like a cross, 

 which regularity of form, marks it as very distinguishable. The New Zealand genera 

 consists of the following:—!, Nasturtium, floAvers yellow; 2, Barbarea, flowers 

 yellow; 3, Sisymbrium, white or yellow flowers; 4-, Caedamine, white flowers; 

 5, Braya, white flowers; 6, Lepidium, Avhite floAvers ; 7, Notothlaspi, Avhite 

 flowers. 



