RESEDA.] RESEDACE^E. 45 



i. RESE'DA, L. MIGNONETTE. 



Herbs. Leaves entire lobed or pinnatifid ; stipules glandular. Flowers 

 racemed. Calyx irregular. Petals .unequal, 2-multifid, the posticous 

 with a membranous appendage on its face. Disk broad, honeyed, dilated 

 behind. Stamens 10-40. DISTEIB. Europe, W. Asia, N. Africa ; species 

 26. ETYM. resedo, being a supposed sedative. 



1. R. Lu'teola, L. ; leaves linear-lanceolate undivided, sepals 4, 

 stigmas 3. Dyer's weed, Weld. 



Waste dry places, from Ross southd. ; rarer in Scotland ; common in Ireland ; 

 Channel Islands ; fl. June-Aug. Glabrous, 2-3 ft., annual or biennial, 

 branched. Racemes long, spike-like. Flowers yellow-green. Petals 3-5, if 

 5 upper 3-4 cleft, two lateral 3-cleft, t\vo lower entire. Disk large, crenate. 

 Stamens 20-24, Capsule short, 3-lobed ; seeds subglobose, black. DISTBIB. 

 Europe, N. Africa, W. Asia introd. in U. States. Yields a yellow dye. 



2. R. lu'tea, L. ; leaves 2-3-fid or pinnate or bipinnatifid, lobes few 

 distant linear obtuse, sepals and petals 6 very unequal, stigmas usually 3. 

 Waste places in England ; very rare, and native ? Scotland and Ireland ; 



Channel Islands; fl. June-Aug. Biennial. Stem 1-2 ft., branched, ribbed, 

 papillose. Leaves very various in lobing. Racemes dense-flowered, conical ; 

 flowers pale yellow. Sepals linear, upper smaller. Upper petals with a 2- 

 lobed claw and 3-fid limb, lateral 2-fid, lower entire. Stamens 16-20, 

 deflexed. Capsule |-f in., oblong, 3-toothed ; seeds obovoid, black. 

 DISTRIB. Europe, N. Africa, W. Asia. 



R. AI/BA, L. ; leaves pinnate undulate glaucous, sepals 5-6, petals 5-6 

 all 3-fid, stigmas usually 4. R. suffruticulo'sa, L., and R. fruticulo' sa, L. 

 R. HooJce'ri, Guss. 

 Waste places, chiefly near the sea, an outcast ; fl. June-Aug. I follow Ben- 



tham in taking the name of al'ba for this, which most authors agree in 



considering the same with fruticulo'sa and suffruticulo'sa. Flowers white. 



Stamens 12-14. Seeds reniform, rough. DISTRIB. S. Europe and N. Africa. 



The true R. alba is more often 6-merous than is fruticulo'sa. 



ORDER VIII. 



Herbs or shrubs. Leaves mostly opposite, entire ; stipules foliaceous, 

 small, or 0. Flowers terminal and solitary, or in scorpoid cymes, not 

 honeyed. Sepals 3-5, imbricate, 2 outer (bracts of some) small or ; 

 3 inner often convolute in bud. Petals 5, rarely 3 or 0, fugacious, con- 

 volute in bud. Stamens many, rarely few, hypogynous, free. Ovary 

 1-celled, or divided by parietal septa ; style simple, stigmas 3 ; ovules 2 

 or more, on parietal placentas, orthotropous, funicle slender. Capsule 

 3-5 valved ; valves placentiferous. Seeds with mealy or firm albumen, 

 testa crnstaceous often mucilaginous ; embryo usually curved and excentric. 

 DISTRIB. Europe, X. Africa, and W. Asia ;^ rare in N. America; 



