A SYNOPSIS OF THE PLANT KINGDOM 



31 



podiaceae with which it has been united; also to the 

 Polygonaeea; and Portulacacece. The twining stem, 

 and the two sets of floral envelopes, together with the 

 l-eelled ovary and single seed, are distinctive. 



Bd.stUd alba (red and white spinach) is eaten as a 

 pot-herli. The starchy root of Uliucns lubcrosus is 

 eaten in Peru. It is used as a substitute for the potato, 

 which it resembles. 



The genera apparently in cultivation in America are: 

 .\nredera; Basella (Malabar Nightshade), grown as 

 ornamental greenhouse plants, or eaten as spinach; and 

 IJoussingaultia (Madeira Vine. Mignonette Vine), orna- 

 mental garden or greenhouse plants. 



72. Caryophyllaceae (from the genus Caryo-phyllus, an 

 old botanical name for the clove pink [Dianthus], the 

 application of the name obscure). Pink Family. Fig. 

 20. Herbs, rarely suffruticose, with opposite entire 

 leaves: flowers bisexual, rarely unisexual, regular; se- 

 pals 5, separate or united; petals 5, rarely wanting; 

 stamens twice as many as the petals, rarely fewer, hy- 

 pogynous or perigynous; carpels 3-5; ovary superior, 

 1-celled with a free-central or basal placenta; ovules 1 

 to many; styles 3-5: fruit a capsule, rarely a berry, 

 opening by valves or indehiscent; seed albuminous; 

 embryo strongly curved or coiled. 



The pink family consists of 70 genera and from 

 1,200-1,500 species, distributed over all parts of the 

 earth, though most abundant in the temperate and sub- 



20. BASSELLACE.E: 1. Boussingaultia, flower calyx removed. 

 Caryophyllace.e: 2. Silene, flower. 3. Agrostemma (Lychnis), 

 seed. 4. .\renaria, flower. 5. Sagina, flower. 6. Spergula, floral 

 diagram. 7. Paronychia, flower. 



arctic zone. Many have become weeds in cultivated 

 ground and are now very widely dispersed. The 

 Gary ophy Dacca; are related to the Chenopodiacese, 

 Amarantacea?, Phytolaccacea;, Portulacaceae, Nyctagi- 

 nacea; and Aizoacea;, all of which have a coiled, curved 

 or annular embryo. Of these, the Phytolaccaceoe proba- 

 bly represent more nearly the ancestral type. By most 

 recent authors (see Pax) the lUecebracea; (Paronychia, 

 Anychia, Scleranthus and Herniaria) are included in 

 the Caryophyllacea;. The curved embrj'O, the 1-celled 

 ovary with several styles and central placenta, the 10 

 stamens, the 5 separate petals and the opposite entire 

 leaves are together distinctive. 



The family is very naturally divided into two dis- 

 tinct tribes: Tribe I. Silenoidese. — Sepals united form- 

 ing a tubular calyx; stamens hypogynous. This in- 

 cludes Silene, Lychnis, Dianthus, Tunica, Saponaria 

 and Gypsophila. 



Tribe II. Abdnendese . — Sepals separate; stamens 

 mostly perigynous. Includes Spergula, Cerastium, 

 Stellaria, Arenaria, Sagina, Paronychia, Anychia, 

 Herniaria and Scleranthus. 



In the Silenoideffi, the long-clawed petals often have 

 a scale at the top, the five together forming a tiny 

 crown. Some species of Silene and Lychnis flower only 

 at night or in cloudy weather, and are pollinated by 



night-flying moths. The bracts at the base of the flower 

 in Dianthus are distinctive. The petals of chickweed 

 are curiously 2-parted, simulating 10 petals. 



The Caryophyllacea) are of little economic impor- 

 tance. Some were formerly used in medicine, but have 

 fallen into disrepute. The roots of Sapnnaria officinalis 

 contain a saponaceous substance, saponin, and have 

 been used for washing, whence the common name 

 "soapwort." Saponin is a powerful local irritant, and, 

 if applied strong, is said to kill either muscular or ner- 

 vous tissue. Sperguld nnvnuis has been used as a 

 fodder plant. Many members of the family are well- 

 known ornamental plants, of which the most famous 

 is Dianthus Caryophyllus, the carnation pink. 



Perhaps 20 genera (including Illecebracea) are 

 grown, mostly for ornament. Among these are: Are- 

 naria (Sandwort); Cera,stium (Mouse-ear Chickweed); 

 Dianthus (Carnation, Clove Pink, China Pink, Plumed 

 Pink, Sweet Wilham, Picotee, Grenadine); Gypsophila 

 (Baby's Breath); Lychnis (Ragged Robin, Maltese 

 Cross, Dusty Miller) ; Paronychia (Whitlow-wort) ; 

 Sagina (Pearl-wort); Saponaria (Bouncing Bet, Soap- 

 wort, Cow Herb); Silene (Catchfly, Campion, Wild 

 Pink); Spergula (Spurry); Stellaria (Chickweed, Star- 

 wort); Tunica. 



Order 34. Ranales 



73. Nymphaeaceae (from the genus Nymphsea, a 

 name intended for the white water-lilies; dedicated by 

 the Greeks to the water nymphs). Water-Lily Fam- 

 ily. Fig. 21. Aquatic herbs: leaves alternate: flowers 

 usually bisexual, regular, the organs, in part at least, 

 spirally arranged; sepals mostly 4, rarely 3, 5, 6, or 12; 

 petals 3-many, usually very numerous, hypogynous, 

 or more or less epigynous, often a distinct transition 

 to the stamens; stamens very numerous (rarely 6), 

 inserted with the petals; carpels rarely 3-4, usually 

 many, rarely distinct, usually cohering in a whorl or 

 sunken in the enlarged receptacle; stigmas radially 

 arranged on a sessile disk (as in poppy) or single: 

 fruit indehiscent or irregularly dehiscent, usually 

 fleshy; seeds several. 



Nympha^aceffi has 8 genera and about 60 species, 

 distributed in all parts of the world, but more especially 

 in tropical South America. The family is closely 

 related to the other families with spiral structure of the 

 flower, as the Ranunculacea', Magnoliaceae and Dille- 

 niaceiB. There is also a relation to Podophyllum of 

 the Berberidacese, and to the Papaveracea?. The habit, 

 spiral arrangement of floral parts, when present, the 

 numerous stamens, the usually coherent carpels, and 

 the type of fruit, are characteristic. 



The leaves of Nelumbo are raised on long petioles, 

 those of Nymphsea usually float, those of Brasenia are 

 covered with a thick layer of slime, those of Victoria 

 regia are .5-8 feet in diameter and floating. The recep- 

 tacle of Nelumbo in fruit is Uke an inverted top with 

 the ripe 1-seeded carpels loosely rattling in small cavi- 

 ties on the flat surface. The Nymphseacea; in stem- 

 structure and character of the embryo shows a transi- 

 tion to the monocotyledons. 



Because of their unique appearance among plants, 

 some species were venerated by the ancients. The lotus 

 of the Egyptians, represented on their monuments 

 and statues of their gods 5,(K)0 years ago, was 

 Nymphsea cseruha or A'. Lotus, though Nelumbo 

 nucifera has long passed under that name. (See arti- 

 cle on Nympha;a. ) The rootstocks of the Nymphsea^ 

 ceiE contain abundant starch, mucilage and sugar, 

 which render them nutritive. The seeds are edible 

 and the negroes of the Nile used them as millet. The 

 Egyptians still eat the seeds and rootstocks. The 

 seeds and rootstocks of Euryale fernx are cultivated 

 and eaten in China. 



In the American trade a few genera appear. Cabomba 

 (Fish-Grass), with dissected submt^rged leaves and 



