CHAPTER NINTH. 

 THE CRUCIFER&, OR CROSS-BEARERS. 



EXERCISE LXV. 

 Characters of the Cruciferae. 



THE plants of this order bear flowers with a crucifer- 

 ous corolla. About sixteen hundred species have been 

 discovered, and they are all wholesome. They grow in 

 every zone and country, but chiefly in temperate regions. 

 Both wild and cultivated species are common, and the 

 characters by which they are known are few and obvious, 

 so that you may easily make their acquaintance. Mus- 

 tard, horse-radish, shepherd's-purse, turnip, cabbage, rad- 

 ish, pepper-grass, cress, and honesty, are familiar examples, 

 which you must often have observed and studied ; and 

 I wonder how many of you can recollect certain charac- 

 ters peculiar to these plants. Procure them, and confirm, 

 by direct observation, the following statements : 



The flowers of this family of plants have four petals, 

 so placed as to resemble a cross. They have six stamens, 

 four long and two short (Fig. 158) tetradynamous sta- 

 mens. Their inflorescence is racemose, and without bracts. 

 Any plant with these characters is a crucifer. These 

 three characters are alone sufficient to characterize a plant 

 as cruciferous ; but they always accompany certain other 

 traits of structure, which you will discover on glancing 

 at the columns of the schedules you have made in de- 

 scribing them. In each case there are four sepals and 



