CONVOLVULACEiE. 



GJ9 



snine, and to (lie scropliulaiiiiic. But it is (lis- 

 liiin;uislied from the former by its cylindrical 

 stem, alternate leaves, regular corolla, stamina 

 five ill number, and from the latter by the struc- 

 ture of its ovary and fruit. 



Among the genera are the following. 

 Sect. I. Genera witliout appendages to the 

 corolla: echium, lithospermum, pulmonaria^ onos- 

 ma, cordia, &c. 



Sect. II. Genera furnished with appendages : 

 si/mphytum, -lyccpsis, anchtisa, horago, a/noglos- 

 sum, &c. 



Ventenat proposed separating from the bora- 

 gineae the genus cordia, on account of its simple 

 and fleshy fi-uit, and fomiing of it a family 

 under the name of sebeslcnw. Mr Brown thinks 

 that the genera hydrophyllum, cUisia, and pha- 

 cclia, which have a capsular fruit, a large horny 

 endosperm, and compound or deeply-lobed leaves, 

 form a distinct family, which he names hydro- 

 phyllce. Lastly, Professor Schradcr, in his excel- 

 lent memoir on the boragine*, proposes to divide 

 them info three distinct orders : horagenece, 

 hydrophyUev, and hcliotropicete. 



The plants of this fiimiiy are common in 

 Europe, and the norih of Africa, less abundant 

 in India, and the equatorial regions, and not 

 unfrequent in New Holland; they are mucilagi- 

 nous and emollient, but possess no properties 

 that qualify them to be of much importance as 

 food or medicine ; many species are mere weeds, 

 others are beautiful ornamental flowers. The 

 roots of andmsa tinctoria, lithospermum tinctor- 

 iiim, anclinsa virginica, and some other species, 

 are used to dye a red colour. Pure nitre ha? 

 lieen found in several species. 



CoxvoLVULACEvE, Jussieu. Herbaceous or suf- 

 fnitescent plants, often voluble and climbing, 

 having alternate leaves, which are simple, or 

 more or less deeply lobed; axillar or terminal 

 flowers ; a monosepalous, persistent calyx, with 

 five divisions ; a monopetalous, regular corolla, 

 with five ]dicate lobes; and five stamina inser- 

 ted into the tube of the corolla. The ovary is 

 simple and free, supported upon a hypogynous 

 disk, and has from two to four cells containing 

 a small number of ovules. The style is simple 

 or double. The fruit is a capsule having from 

 one to four cells, usually containing one or two 

 seeds, attached towards the base of the disse])i- 

 ments. It opens into two or four valves, the 

 edges of which are applied upon the dissepi- 

 ments which remain in place. More rarely the 

 capsule remains closed, or opens into two super- 

 imposed valves. The embryo, of which the 

 cotyledons are flat and plicate, is rolled upon 

 itself, and placed in the centre of a soft and as it 

 were mucilaginous endosperm. 



The essential character of this family consists 

 in its capsule, the sutures of which correspond 

 to the dissepiments. This character being want- 



ing in some genera formerly united with tlie 

 convolvulaceic, such as liydrolca, nama, sagonca, 

 and diopjensia, Mr Brown has proposed fonning 

 them into a distinct family under the name of 

 hi/drohacem. The princijfal genera of the eon- 

 volvulacea: are conzohuiiis, ipomitQ,, cuscuta, 

 evolvulus, cressa, &c. 



The roots are generally acrid and purgative. 

 Jalap is obtained from convolmihis jalapa, and 

 scammony from c. scammonia. The root of c. 

 pandztratits is used fls a purgative in North 

 America, and those of many other species pos- 

 sess the same properties. On the other hand, 

 those of the sweet potato (c. batatas) and edulis 

 are articles of food. Several species are garden 

 flowers. 



PoLEMONiACE^, Jussicu . Ilerbaccous Or woody, 

 sometimes twining plants, furnished with alter- 

 nate or opposite leaves, often divided and pinna- 

 tifid, and axillar or terminal flowers, forming 

 branched racemes. Each flower is composed of 

 a five-lobed, monosepalous calyx ; a regular, sel- 

 dom irregular, monopetalous corolla, with five 

 more or less deep divisions ; five stamina inser- 

 ted into the corolla ; an ovary ajiplied upon a 

 disk which is often spread out at the bottom of 

 the flower and lobed. This ovary has three cells, 

 containing one, or more frequently several 

 ovules. The style is simple, terminated by a 

 trifid stigma. The fruit is a three-celled cap- 

 sule, opening by three valves, which are septi- 

 ferous on the middle of their inner face, or only 

 bear the impression of the dissepiment, which 

 remains untouched at the centre of the capsule. 

 The seeds have an erect embryo in the centre of 

 a fleshy endosperm. 



This family is in some measure intermediate 

 between the convolvulacete and bignoniaceaj. It 

 differs from the former in having its valves sep- 

 tiferons in the middle of their inner surface, and 

 not contiguous at their margins over the disse- 

 piments, and in its erect embryo ; from the lat- 

 ter, in having the corolla almost always regular, 

 the ovary three-celled, its valves septiferous, &c. 

 The genera which compose this family are in 

 small number : polemonium, phlox, cantua, bon- 

 plandia, and probably colxea. They are natives 

 of the mountainous parts of Europe. Some are 

 showy plants but possess no remarkable pro- 

 perties. 



Bignoniace/t;, Jussieu. liignoniacea;, and 

 PedalinerB, Brown. Trees, shrubs, or more 

 rarely herbaceous plants, with the stem often 

 samientose and furnished with cirri. The leaves 

 are commonly opposite or temate, rarely alter- 

 nate, usually compound. The flowers, which 

 are teniiinal, or axillar, and variously grouped, 

 have a monosepalous, often persistent, five-lobed 

 calyx, a monopetalous corolla, more or less iiTe- 

 gular, and with five divisions. The stamina are 

 commonly four and didynamous, accompanied 



