164 



THE SECOND BOOK OF BOTANY. 



The affinities of these orders are so strong that, at 

 first, one almost wonders why botanists regard them 

 as distinct. But we remember that the characters by 

 which they differ, though not conspicuous, are yet 

 very important, being characters of the essential or- 

 gans and the fruit. The deeply-lobed ovary, with the 

 style growing out from its base, and surrounded in 

 fruit by the four nutlets, distinctly separates the two 

 groups. But does this structure of the ovary distin- 

 guish the Labiatse from all other plants ? Let us see. 



There is a family of rough, hairy herbs, known as 

 borages, with flowers in cymose clusters, unrolling as 

 they expand, as described (page 135), which it will be 

 well to study with reference to this point. One of 

 its species, the forget-me-not, is a common, widely- 

 diffused plant of this order, which you may get, and 

 compare with the following description : 



The Boraginacese are chiefly 

 rough, hairy herbs, with 

 (not aromatic) alternate, en- 

 tire leaves. 



Symmetrical flowers, with five- 

 parted calyx, and regular 

 fiVe-lobed corolla. 



Five stamens inserted on the 

 corolla tube. 



Ovary, deeply four-lobed, the 

 lobes surrounding the base 

 of the style, and forming in 

 fruit four seed-like nutlets, 

 each with a single seed. 



Albumen, none; cotyledons, 

 plano-convex ; radicle, point- 

 ing to the apex of the fruit. 



The Labiatse are chiefly herbs, 

 with square stems, and op- 

 posite, aromatic leaves. 



More or less two-lipped co- 

 rolla. 



Didynamous or diandrous sta- 

 mens. 



Ovary, deeply four-lobed, form- 

 ing in fruit four seed-like nut- 

 lets around the base of the 

 single style, in the bottom 

 of the persistent calyx, each 

 filled with a single erect seed. 



Albumen, mostly none; em- 

 bryo, straight; radicle, at 

 the base of the fruit. 



