636 



IIISJORY OF TUK VEGKTABLE KINGUOM. 



containing very numerous ovules attached to 

 trospliospernis, wliicli project in tlie form of 

 Jamins or iiilse dissepiments. The style, which 

 is very short or scarcely distinct, is terminated 

 by as many stignins as there are trophosperms. 

 1"he fruit is an ovoidal capsule, crowned by the 

 stigma, indehiscent, or opening by pores under 

 the stigma ; or it is elongated in the form of a 

 pod, opening by two valves, or breaking across 

 by ai-ticulations. The seeds, which are usually 

 very small, are composed of a proper integument, 

 sometimes bearing a kind of small fleshy carun- 

 cula, and of a fleshy endosperm, in which is 

 placed a very small cylindrical embryo. 



Jussieu united with the papaveracca the 

 i;enus fiiinaria, which is now considered a dis- 

 tinct family. The genera of the papaveracese 

 are papaver, argemotic, meconopsis, sangiiinaria, 

 pocconia, remeria, gloucium, chcUdotiium, and 

 liypecoum. 



Many (if the poppies are possessed of a nar- 

 cotic property. Opium is the concrete milky 

 juice of papaver album. The seeds of the pop- 

 pies, however, yield an oil which is perfectly free 

 of deleterious properties, and is used in food. 

 Other species of this family are purgative, 

 emetic, and diaphoretic, as sanguinaria cana- 



Jlany of this species are mere weeds. 



CituciFERiE, Jussieu. This is one of the 

 largest, most natural, and important families of 

 the vegetable kingdom, composed of herbaceous 

 or sometimes sufFrutescent plants, most of which 

 grow in Europe. Their leaves are alternate, 

 simple, or more or less deeply incised; tlieir 

 flowers disposed in spikes, or in simple or pani- 

 culate racemes. Tlie calyx is formed of four 

 caducous sepals, two of which are sometimes 

 swelled out at the base. The corolla consists of 

 four ungniculate petals placed opposite eacli 

 other in paire, so as to represent a cross (whence 

 the name of the family). The stamina, six in 

 number, are tetradynamous, that is, there are 

 four larger placed close to each other in pairs, 

 and two smaller, opposite to each other. At 

 the base of the stamina there are seen upon the 

 receptacle two or four glands, one lietwetn each 

 pair of large stamina, and a larger one under 

 each of the small stamina. 



Tlie ovary is more or less elongated, with two 

 cells separated by a false dissepiment. Each 

 cell contains one or more ovules attached to the 

 outer edge of the membranous dissepiment, 

 wliich is merely a prolongation of the two 

 Butural trophosperms. The style is short or 

 almost none, and seems a continuation of the 

 dissepiment : it is terminated by a two-lobed 

 stigma. The fruit is a siliqua or a silicula, of 

 variable fonn, indehiscent, or opening by two 

 valves. The seeds are attached on eacli side of 

 the dissepiment. Tlicir embryo is immediately 



covered by the proper integument, and is more 

 or less bent upon itself. 



The genera which compose this family are 

 exceedingly numerous, and there are upwards 

 of 900 species. Linnwus divided them into two 

 orders, according as the fruit is a silicula or a 

 siliqua. In the first of these orders we find 

 among others the genera lapidium, thlaspi, isatis, 

 myagrum, cochlearia, iberis, hmaria, &c.; in the 

 other the genera cheiranthus, sisymbrium, hcs- 

 pcris, brassica, eruca, sinapis, &c. 



The properties of the crueiierte are more or 

 less acrid and stimulant, and are considered as 

 antiscorbutic. Mustard, the seed of sinapis 

 nigra, is extremely acrid, and is apj)lied exter- 

 nally as a rubefacient or blister. The horse- 

 radish, the cress, the root of raphanns maritiimis, 

 and many other species, are equally pungent ; the 

 seeds contain fixed oil, which is extracted from 

 those of some species. When the acrid principle 

 is corrected by an abundant mucilage, the plants 

 become useful as food, as is the case with the 

 water-cress, the sea-kale, the field-mustard. 

 Cultivation diminishes the acrimony, so as to 

 render some species almost destitute of it, as in 

 the numerous varieties of the cabbage and turnip. 



Some of the species are lieautiful and fragrant 

 garden flowers, as the stock gelly flower, candy 

 tuft, &c. 



Cappauride^. Herbaceous or wood^- plants, 

 bearing alternate, simple or digitate leaves, ac- 

 companied at their base by two foliaceous sti- 

 pules. Their flowers are terminal, spiked or 

 racemed, or axillar and solitary. The calyx is 

 composed of four caducous sepals, very rarely 

 united togetlicrat their base. ThecoroUaisfomied 

 of four or five equal or unequal petals. The 

 stamina are sometimes definite, more frequently 

 indefinite. The ovary is simple, often raised 

 upon a more or less elongated support, which 

 bears the name of podogynum, at the base of 

 which are inserted the stamina and petals. It 

 has a single cell containing several trophosperms 

 projecting in the form of plates or false dissepi- 

 ments, bearing a great number of ovules. The 

 fruit is dry or fleshy. In the former case, it is 

 a kind of more or less elongated pod, opening by 

 two valves, as in most of the cruciferte. In the 

 latter case, it is a unilocular, many-seeded berry, 

 of which the seeds are either parietal, or are 

 scattered in the pulp of wliich the fruit is com- 

 posed. These seeds are generally renifomi, 

 composed of a dry, crustaceous episperm, which 

 immediately covers a somewhat curved embryo, 

 destitute of endosperm. 



The principal genera of this family are: cap- 

 paris, cratwva, morisonia, Boscia, cUome, Sec. 



The family is nearly allied to the cruciferir, 

 but did'ers from them in having their leaves 

 furnished with stijxiles, their numerous stamina, 

 and the structure of their fruit. 



