VIII. LEGUMINOSJK. 



Leguminosa 1 are plants whose fruit is nearly always a pod or 

 legume (Fr., gousse ; Lat., legumen). Their gynaeceum also almost 

 invariably consists of a single free excentric carpel, whose unilocular 

 ovary contains a pluriovulate, or more rarely uniovulate, parietal 

 placenta. Most of the other characters are variable and have war- 

 ranted the separation of this order into three suborders, received as 

 such by most authors, but by some considered as so many distinct 

 orders. These three groups we shall be compelled to study sepa- 

 rately ; we shall therefore follow other botanists, and first point out 

 the distinctive features of each. 



I. Papilionace^e. — Flowers with an irregular corolla known as 

 papilionaceous, the standard outside the other petals in the bud. 

 Eeceptacle concave, of a single piece, and bearing on its edges the 

 perianth and androceum. Radicle of embryo inflexed, accumbent, 

 rarely very short and straight. 



II. CiESALPiNiE<E. — Flowers with an imbricated corolla, the petal 

 corresponding to the standard overlapped on both edges (more 

 rarely on one only, or even uncovered) by the two neighbouring 

 lateral petals. Eeceptacle convex with hypogynous insertion, or 

 concave with perigynous insertion of perianth and androceum. 

 Radicle of embryo straight, rarely slightly oblique. 



III. Mimose.e. — Flowers regular, usually small, with a concave 

 or convex receptacle. Calyx valvate (rarely imbricate), usually 

 gamosepalous, petals valvate, free or coherent to a variable height. 

 Embryo usually straight. 



1 Legnminosce J., Gen., 345. — G.ertn., Pralect. ed. Gies., 415. — PapUionacea efc 



Fruct., ii. 301.— DC, Mem. Legum. (1825); Casalpiniem It. Br., in Flind. Toy.,\\. 551.— 



Prodr., ii. 93. — Exdl., Gen., 1253. — B. H., Sicartziere et Mimosea Endl., op. <il., 1321, 



Gen., 434. — Papilionacea et Lomentaeea L., 1323. — Fabacea Lindl., Veg. Kingd., 544. 



