RKSEOACEvE. 



637 



'riu'ir properties arc similar to those of the 

 cnicifera;. The caper plant belongs to this 

 family, and the clcome rosea, as well as the 

 S2)eeies of cratcera are pretty garden flowers. 



Resedace.«, De Candolle. Plants generally 

 herbaceous, rarely suflrutescent, with nlteniate 

 leaves, destitute of stipules, and often having two 

 glands at tlieir base. The flowers form simple 

 and terminal spikes. The calyx has from four 

 to six deep and ]>ersistent divisions. The corolla 

 is composed of the same number of petals alter- 

 nating with the sepals. The petals are generally 

 composed of two parts, a lower entire part, and 

 an upper, divided into a greater or less number 

 of segments. The stamina are generally in 

 indetemiinate number (from fourteen to twenty- 

 six) ; their filaments free and liypogynous, their 

 anthers two-celled, each cell opening by a longi- 

 tudinal groove. Between the stamina and the 

 })etals, is a kind of annular, glandular mass, more 

 elevated on the upper side, and thus forming a 

 liypogynous disk of a peculiar kind. The pistil, 

 which is slightly stipitate at its base, appears 

 formed by the intimate union of three carpels, 

 and is terminated above by three horns, each 

 bearing a stigma at its summit. The ovary has 

 a single cell, open at the top, containing a great 

 number of ovules, attached to three parietal tro- 

 phosperms, which are remarkable for not corres- 

 jionding to the stigmas, but alternate with them. 

 'I'lie fruit, which is very rarely fleshy, is com- 

 monly a more or less elongated capsule, natu- 

 rally open at the summit, which is terminated 

 by three angles ; it is one-celled, and the seeds 

 are arranged upon three parietal trophosperms. 

 'J'he seeds, which are very frequently kidney- 

 shaped, are composed of a rather thick integu- 

 ment, a very thin fleshy endosperm, and an 

 embryo bent in the form of a horse's shoe. 



This family contains only the two genera 

 reseda and ochradenus. 



The species are generally weeds; reseda lut ola 

 affords a yellow dye, and r. odorata is the com- 

 mon mignonette, the peculiarities of whose 

 inflorescence have already been described. 



Fi,ACouRTiANE/F., llicli. Bixineic, Kunth. 

 This family consists of shrubs with alternate, 

 simple, entire, often coriaceous, persistent leaves, 

 destitute of stipules, and pedunculate, axillar, 

 often unisexual and dioecious, at other times 

 with hermaphrodite flowers. Their calyx is 

 formed of from three to seven sepals, which are 

 distinct, or slightly connected at the base. The 

 corolla, which is sometimes wanting, is com- 

 posed of five or seven petals alternating with the 

 sepals. The stamina, which are determinate or 

 indeterminate in number, and inserted at the 

 circumference of a liypogynous annular disk, 

 which is rarely wanting, have their filaments 

 free, and their anthers two-celled. 'I'he ovary 

 is sessile or stipitate, globular, one-celled in all 



the genera of the family excepting ^«coMrt«a, in 

 which it has from six to nine cells. In the 

 former case, it contains a considerable number 

 of ovules attached to parietal trophospenus, the 

 number of which is the same as that of the stig- 

 mas, or of the lobes of the stigma. The fruit is 

 unilocular, except m fiacourtia. It is indehis- 

 cent, or dclusceut, and each of the valves bears 

 a trophosperm on the middle of its inner face. 

 In general the proper tegument of the seed is 

 (leshy, and tlie embiyo, which is liomotrope and 

 straight, is placed in the centre of the fleshy 

 endosperm . 



The principal genera which compose the 

 flacourtianea; twe flacourtia, roumea, kiggellaria, 

 erythrospermum, tkc. This family is related to 

 the cappaiidea;, from which it differs chiefly in 

 having the embryo destitute of a fleshy endo- 

 sperm, and the seeds inserted on the middle and 

 not on the edge of the valves. It has also some 

 affinity to the cistea; and tiliaceie. Little is 

 known of the properties of the species, all of 

 which are tropical. 



C1STE.E, De Candolle. Annular or perennial 

 herbaceous plants, or shrubs, hearing entire, 

 often opposite leaves, sometimes furnished with 

 stipules. The flowers are axillar or terminal, 

 solitary or spiked, in racemes or in sertules. 

 Their calyx has three or five very deep divisions, 

 sometimes equal, sometimes unequal, with two 

 more external. The corolla has five puckered, 

 very caducous petals, spread out in a rosaceous 

 form, and sessile. The stamina are very numer- 

 ous and free; the ovary globular, rarely unilo- 

 cular, more commonly with five or ten cells, 

 containing several ovules inserted at the inner 

 edge of the dissepiments. In the unilocular 

 ovary, the ovules are attached to parietal tro- 

 phosperms. The style and stigma are simple. 

 The fruit is a globular capsule enveloped in the 

 calyx, which is persistent, with one, three, five, 

 or even ten cells, and opening by three, five, or 

 ten valves, each bearing one of the dissepiments 

 and one of the tro])hosperms on the middle of 

 its inner surface. The seeds, which are pretty 

 numerous in each cell, contain an embryo, which 

 is more or less curved, or spirally twisted, in a 

 fleshy endospemi. 



This small family contains only the genera 

 eistus and helianthemum. 



The eistus or rock roses are ornamental plants. 

 The resinous substance called labdanum, used as 

 an article of perfumery, is collected from eistus 

 ereticus. 



Droseuacea:, De Candolle. Composed of 

 herbaceous, annual or perennial, rarely suflru- 

 tescent plants, having alternate leaves, often fur- 

 nished with glandular and pedicellate hairs, and 

 rolled in the form of a crosier previous to their 

 development. The calyx is monosepalous. w ith 

 five deep divisions, or with five distinct sepals. 



