138 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



narrow cone. Sepals imbricate or contorted, very caducous. Corolla 

 double ; petals of each of similar form, imbricate or twisted, crumpled 

 at apex, deciduous. Stamens hypogynous co ; anthers basifixed 

 extrorse. Germ en shortly stipitate, usually 1 -celled, more or less 

 deeply septate by the intruded placentas, bearing ovules nearly all 

 over their surface ; style short, thick, soon dilated into a convex or 

 pyramidal disk-like head, and applied to top of ovary; lobes radiating 

 sulcate from the centre and stigmatose opposite the placentas. 

 Capsule varying in shape, surmounted by persistent style, usually 

 dehiscing by short pore-like valves underneath the vertex and between 

 the placentas. Seeds oo, subreniform, pitted : albumen copious oily; 

 embryo thin, more or less bowed. — Perennial or annual herbs, glabrous 

 glaucous hispid; juice milky; leaves alternate, mostly lobed or dis- 

 sected ; flowers terminal pedunculate ; buds drooping {Temperate 

 and Subtropical Europe, Asia, North Africa, South Africa, Subtropical 

 Australia, North America). See p. 106. 



5? Meconopsis Vig. — Flowers almost of Papaver ; style distinct 

 with clavate head ; lobes of stigma 4-6 radiate-deflexed. Capsule 

 ovoid or oblong, dehiscing by short valves. — Annual or usually 

 perennial herbs ; juice yellow ; flowers and inflorescence of Papaver 

 {Himalaya, South Europe, North America). See p. 110. 



6. Argemone T. — Flowers mostly 3-merous (almost of Papaver') ; 

 placentas of ovary 4-6, nerviform. Style short ; apex dilated, 

 depressed; lobes 4-6 opposite, placentas deflexed radiating from 

 centre, concave stigmatose within. Capsule oblong, dehiscent by 

 short valves, exposing placentas persisting with style. Seeds pitted. 

 — Herbs, branched glaucescent ; juice golden-yellow; leaves 

 much pinnatifid, usually spinose-dentate or stiffly setose ; flowers 

 terminal ; often erect in bud, surmounted by 3 prickles (arising from 

 back of sepals) {Tropical and Subtropical America, all tropical ret/ions). 

 Seep. 111. 



7. Cathcartia Hook. f. — Flowers 2-merous (almost of Papaver) ; 

 placentas 4-6, nerviform. Style short, soon thickened into an 

 enlarged-depressed head ; lobes radiating outwards opposite the 

 placentas. Capsule cylindrical ; subdehiscent from apex to base by 

 valves uncovering the persistent placentas and style. Seed pitted ; 





