544 



FABACEiE. 



[Perigynous Exogens. 



Order CCIX. FABACEjE.— Leguminous Plants. 



*.— * j uss . Ge> , 34, ^*~A S,:^:^ WalpersinLiim ^ 



Diagnosis.—Ro^ Exogens, with polypetalous or apetalous flowers, a papilionaceous co- 

 roZor a leguminous fruit, and a solitary carpel whose style proceeds from the apex. 



Herbaceous plants, shrubs, or vast trees, extremely variable in appearance Leaves 



base of the petiole, and 2 at the base 

 of each leaflet. Pedicels usually ar- 

 ticulated, with 2 bractlets under the 

 flower. Calyx 5-parted, toothed or 

 cleft, inferior, with the odd segment 

 anterior; the segments often unequal, 

 and variously combined. Petals 5, 

 or by abortion 4, 3, 2, 1 , or none, 

 inserted into the base of the calyx, 

 either papilionaceous or regularly 

 spreading; the odd petal, if any, pos- 

 terior. Stamens definite or indefinite, 

 perigynous, rarely hypogynous, 

 either distinct or monadelphous, or 

 diadelphous; very rarely triadel- 

 phous ; anthers versatile. Pistil 

 simple, superior, 1 -celled, 1- or many- 

 seeded, commonly consisting of a sin- 

 gle carpel, but occasionally of 2, or 

 even of 5 ; style simple, proceeding 

 from the upper margin ; stigma sim- 

 ple. Fruit either a legume or a 

 drupe. Seeds attached to the upper 

 suture, solitary or several, occasion- 

 ally with an aril ; embryo with or 

 without albumen, either straight or 

 with the radicle bent upon the coty- 

 ledons ; cotyledons either remaining 

 under ground in germination, or 

 elevated above the ground, and be- 

 coming green like leaves, always 

 very large in proportion to the radicle, 

 and very often amygdaloid. 

 Fig. CCCLXX. rj.j le most common feature of Le- 



rmminous plants is to have what are called papilionaceous flowers ; and when.these exist, 

 no difficulty is experienced in recognising them, for papilionaceous flowers are found 

 nowhere else. Another character Y is to have a leguminous fruit ; and by one ot these 

 two characters all the plants of the Order are known. It is remarkable, however, that 

 one or other of these distinctions disappears in a great many cases. Csesalpirneas nave 

 an irregular flower, with spreading petals and stamens adhering to the calyx ; othe s 

 have no petals at all, or some number less than five; while Mimosas have perfectly 

 regular flowers and indefinite hypogynous stamens. Detanum, Dipteryx, and otlieis, 

 instead of a legume, bear a fruit not distinguishable from a drupe. This ^sterag 

 stance is easily to be understood, if we bear m mind that a legume and a drupe difhr 

 more in name than reality, the latter being formed upon precisely the same plan as t lie 

 former, but with this modification, that its pericarp is thickened, more or less fleshy on 

 the outside and stony on the inside, 1-s eeded, and indehiscent. Hence some o t the 



Fig CCCLXX.-Adenocarpus frankenioides. 1. the standard, wings, and keel split open ; 2. the 

 stamens ; 3 a cross section of a seed ; 4. a legume, with a portion of one of the valves turned hack. 





