CAPPARIDACE3J. 163 



androceum is most developed towards the anterior side of the flower ; 

 so that the fertile stamen superposed to the enveloped anterior petal 

 is the longest of all, while the posterior pair are the shortest. 

 The gynaeceum consists of a stipitate ovary, surmounted by a slender 

 cylindrical tubular style, undilated at its stigmatiferous apex. 1 In 

 the one-celled ovary there are three* parietal placentas, whereof two 

 are posterior. Each bears an indefinite number of descending 

 anatropous ovules, with their micropyles upwards and inwards. The 

 fruit is a siliquiform elongated trigonous capsule, which at maturity 

 opens by three longitudinal clefts into three valves, bearing the 

 seeds on the middle of their inner surface. The seeds, more or less 

 separated by a peculiar fungous tissue, 3 are winged or wingless, 4 and 

 contain in their coats a large, fleshy, oily, exalbuminous erabyro, 

 with a short superior radicle. Moringa consists of unarmed trees or 

 shrubs, with alternate bi- or tri-imparipinnate leaves. Their divi- 

 sions are opposite, and the leaflets are entire and caducous. 

 The petioles, petiolulcs, and leaves are all articulated at the base ; 

 the petiole is exstipulate, or has stipitate glands at its base, which 

 are sometimes also found at the origin of the petiolules and leaflets. 

 The flowers are very numerous, in much ramified racemes of cymes. 

 Three species of Moringa 6 are known, natives of the warm districts 

 of North Africa and South Western Asia ; one has been introduced 

 into nearly all tropical countries. 



Thus we admit seventeen genera in the order Capparidacem. 

 This was originally distinguished in B. de JussieuV list of Ordines 

 naturales, under the name Capparides, including the then known 

 CapparidacecB, besides Tropceolum, Viola, Reseda, Melianthus, and 



1 Perforated in the centre. those of their neighbouring seeds, which may at 



2 Exceptionally we do find two or four carpels, maturity be arranged in a single vertical row 

 with the same number of placentas and valves along the axis of the capsule. The number of 

 to the fruit. wings will vary of course with that of the valves, 



3 Produced from the inner wall of the pericarp. and also because the wing may exceptionally 



4 There are no wings on the seeds of M. aptera, remain rudimentary on one or two angles of the 

 which are triangular, each angle corresponding seed, or not be formed at all, as is normally the 

 to the meeting point of two adjacent valves of case in M. aptera. 



the fruit. In M. pterygosperma the superficial 5 Wight & Abn., Prodr., i. 178. — Wight, 



seed-coat is here hypertrophied into a vertical III., t. 77. — Geiff., Notul., iv. 572, t. 609 



wing, which extends into the sinus between the (Hyperantha). 



two valves. These wings are imbricated with 6 In A. L. de Juss. Gen., lxvii. 



M 2 



