XVII. LINAGES. 83 



slightly connected at the base, with capitate stigmas. Ovary 

 with as many cells as styles, or incompletely divided into twice 

 as many. Capsule separating into as many carpels as cells, 

 without any central column ; each carpel opening inwards by 

 longitudinal slits, and containing 2 seeds, often separated by an 

 incomplete partition. No albumen. 



A small Order, widely spread over the globe, differing from Qeraniaceas 

 chiefly in the foliage and the absence of any persistent axis to the fruit, 

 from Caryopkyllaccce by the capitate stigmas and the fruit. 



Parts of the flower in fives 1. LINUM. 



Parts of the flower in fours 2. B.ADIOLA. 



I. LINUM. FLAX. 



Sepals, petals, and stamens 5. Cells of the capsule apparently 10 but 

 really 5, each divided into two by a nearly complete partition. 



A rather numerous genus, spread over nearly the whole of the 

 temperate and warmer regions of the .globe, but chiefly abundant in 

 the Mediterranean region and western Asia. 



Flowers small, white. Lower leaves opposite . . . . 4. L. catharticum. 

 Flowers blue. Leaves all alternate. 

 Root annual. Sepals pointed. 



Stem erect Leaves lanceolate. Petals 7 or 8 lines long . 1. L. usitatissimum. 

 Stem decumbent. Leaves short and linear. Petals not 6 



lines long . 3. L. angustifolium. 



Rootstock perennial. 



Sepals obtuse. Petals deep blue, 7 or 8 lines long . . 2. L. perenne. 

 Sepals pointed. Petals pale blue, not 6 lines long . . 3. L. angustifolium. 



The L. flavum, a south European perennial, with yellow flowers, and 

 some other exotic species, are to be met with in our gardens. 



1. L. usitatissimum, Linn. (fig. 190). Common F., Linseed. A tall, 

 erect annual, perfectly glabrous, and usually branched only at the top. 

 Leaves alternate, erect, narrow lanceolate, pointed and entire, to 1 

 inches long. Flowers of a rich blue, in a loose terminal corymb. Sepals 

 obovate or lanceolate, all pointed. Petals obovate, entire or slightly 

 crenate, 7 or 8 lines long. Capsule globular or slightly depressed. 



An extensively cultivated plant, whose origin is unknown, but it readily 

 sows itself as a weed of cultivation in Europe, Asia, and other parts of the 

 world, and as such it is met with in some parts of England. Fl. summer. 



2. L. perenne, Linn. (fig. 191). Perennial F.A very variable plant, 

 sometimes resembling much L. usitatissimum, but it forms a perennial 

 stock, either tufted or rootlike ; the stems are usually more slender, and 

 not so erect, and sometimes quite procumbent, the leaves smaller and 

 narrower, and the sepals, or at least the inner ones, are always obtuse. 



In dry chiefly limestone pastures and waste lands, or sometimes in 

 rich mountain pastures, varying much according to soil or situation, 

 and widely diffused over central and southern Europe, and southern 

 Russian Asia, but not extending into northern Germany. Common in 

 western N. America. Occurs in some of the eastern counties of England, 

 but in other localities L. angustifolium, is often mistaken for it. Fl. 



3. L. angnstifolium, Huds. (fig. 192). Pale P. Usually a perennial, 

 with the decumbent stem* and qarrow leave* of some varieties of & 



