496 



CARYOPHYLLACE.E. 



[Hyfogynobs Exogens. 



Order CLXXXVIII. CARYOPHYLLACE^.— Silesads, or Cloveworts. 



Caryophylle*, Juss. Gen. 299. (1789) ; lie Cand. Prodr. 1. 388. CUM) ; EndUGen. ccvii. ; Meisner Gen. 

 24 _suf„ea> DC Prodr. 1. 351. (1824) ; Bartl. Ord. Nat. 305. 1830) ; Braun in Ann. Sc. Bat. 2. 

 fr. ^. 111 - AhiLT DC Fl. Franc. Ed. 3. 4. 766. (1805) ; BmO.Ord.MAWL (1830) ; Fenzl. 

 Versuch. (1833).- Queriacese, DC. Prodr. 3. 379. (1828).-Minuartiea?, Id. (1828).-MoUugineae, 

 Fenzl. Monogr.— bleudeliae, lb. 

 Diagnosis.— Siknal Exogens, with symmetrical flowers, a conspicuous corolla, amphitropal 

 ovules, and opposite leaves without stipules. 



Herbaceous plants, occasionally becoming suffrutescent. Steins tumid at the articu- 

 lations. Leaves always opposite and entire, often connate at the base, i lowers £>, 

 occasionally imperfect by 

 abortion, variously arranged. 

 Sepals 4-5, continuous with 

 the peduncle, persistent, dis- 

 tinct, or cohering in a tube. 

 Petals 4-5, hypogynous, un- 

 guiculate, inserted upon the 

 pedicel of the ovary ; fre- 

 quently split into 2 parts, 

 occasionally wanting. Sta- 

 mens usually twice as many 

 as the petals, sometimes 

 equal in number to the sepals 

 and opposite them, occasion- 

 ally fewer, inserted upon the 

 pediceL of the ovary along 

 with the petals ; filaments 

 subulate, sometimes mona- 

 delphous ; anthers innate, 

 2-cellcd, opening longitudi- 



CCCXL. 



nally. Ovary stipitate on the apex of a pedicel (called the gynophore), composed of 

 from 2 to 5 carpels, whose edges are either adherent and valvate, or turned inwards so 

 as sometimes to touch the free central placenta ; stigmas 2-5, sessile, filiform; papillose 

 on the inner surface ; ovules few or 00, amphitropal. Capsule 2-5-valved, eithei 

 1 -celled or 2-5-celled, in the latter case with a loculicidal dehiscence. Placenta central 

 in the 1 -celled capsules distinct, in the 2-5-celled capsules adhering slightly to the edgt 

 of the dissepiments. Seeds indefinite in number, rarely definite ; albumen meal} 

 embryo external, curved round the albumen, sometimes straight, very rarely spiral 

 with hardly any albumen ; radicle pointing to the hilum. 



Fig. CCCXL. 1. Stellaria Holostea : 2. pistil, calyx and petals of Lychnis Flos Cuculi ; 3. vertical sec 

 tion of its pistil ; i. vertical section of its seed. 



