214 SYSTEMATIC BOTANY. 



Olic/omcris is remarkable for the reduction of the parts of the flower, 

 having but 2 petals and 3 stamens, and the disk is likewise absent. 

 Astrocarpus has separate carpels. A small order. Most of the kinds are 

 European ; but a few occur in India, South Africa, and in California. 

 The best known plant of the Order is Reseda odorata, so much Tallied 

 for its perfume and hardy character. Reseda luteola, a native weed, com- 

 monly called Weld, yields a yellow dye. Some of the species are acrid. 



BIX ACE M are shrubs or small trees with alternate, usually exsti- 

 pulate, entire, leathery, often dotted leaves ; regular hermaphrodite or 

 unisexual flowers ; sepals 2-7, slightly coherent below, imbricate ; petals 

 as many and distinct, or absent, sometimes very numerous; stamens 

 hypogynous, generally indefinite; ovary sessile, or slightly stalked, 1- or 

 rarely more-celled, with two or more parietal placentas; ovules curved; 

 seeds numerous, with a straight or slightly curved embryo in the axis of 

 fleshy perisperm ; cotyledons broad ; radicle next the hilum. Illustra- 

 tive Genera: Bixa, L. j Oncoba, Forsk. ; Flacourtia, Commers.j.E'n/^Arosper- 

 mum. Lam. 



Affinities, &c. Related to the Samydaceee, but distinguished by their 

 hypogynous stamens, and to the Passifloraceae, but destitute of a coronet. 

 From Capparids they differ in their perispermic seeds ; from Cistacese in 

 their straight embryo. Benthain and Hooker refer the small group 

 Pangiacese here, while Baillon includes Papayacese, Lacistemaceae, and 

 Turneracese. The species are not very numerous, and are mostly natives of 

 the hottest regions of the globe; some of the plants are bitter and astrin- 

 gent; the pulpy fruits of Oncoba, of Flacourtia Ramontchia, sapida, and 

 sepiaria are edible. Bixa Orellana yields the substance called Annatto, 

 used for colouring cheeses and as a dye j it is derived from a pulp sur- 

 rounding the seeds. 



CISTACESE are low shrubs or herbs with regular hermaphrodite 

 flowers, persistent imbricate calyx, caducous crumpled petals, distinct 

 hypogynous, mostly indefinite stamens ; pod 1-celled, 3-o-valved, with as 

 many parietal placentas ; ovules straight ; seeds perispermic : embryo 

 curved or spiral, with the radicle remote from the hilum. Illustrative 

 Genera : Cistus, Helianthemum. 



Affinities, &c. Nearly related to Violaceae, Bixaceae, and Droseraceae, 

 but distinguished by the form and direction of the embryo ; from the 

 Hypericaceae by the structure of the fruit and the absence of dots on the 

 leaves, and from Linacese by the fruit ; they also approach Papaveraceaa 

 by Dendromecon : and Lindley considers that there is some connexion 

 with Capparidaceae and Cruciferae ; but the 4-merous plan and aperisper- 

 mic seeds of these Orders remove them widely. Some of the Heliantliema 

 have dimorphic flowers. The pollen is ellipsoid. Lechea has stamens 

 fewer than the petals. The Cistaceae are most abundant in South Europe 

 and North Africa, but occur in other parts of the globe. The gum-resin 

 called Ladanum is obtained from Cistus creticus, ladaniferus, Ledon, and 

 others ; and the plants generally are regarded as resinous and balsamic. 

 Many species are cultivated for their beautiful but fugacious flowers. 

 Helianthemmn rulyare, a native plant, is remarkable for the irritability of 

 the stamens in the newly opened flowers. 



