218 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



that which, indehiscent and one-seeded, resembles an achene at 

 maturity. In the silicule he saw that one form is flattened parallel 

 to the broad septum, the other perpendicular to a long narrow 

 septum. Hence he makes four sections — 1. Roqueites (Rockets), 

 whose fruit is a siliqua of longitudinal dehiscence ; 2. Lunaires, whose 

 fruit is a silicule with valves parallel to the septum ; 3. TAlaspis, 

 with the valves of the silicule perpendicular to the septum ; 

 4. Half oris (Radishes) with achenes, or elongated fruits with 

 either one-seeded joints, or chambers in two lateral vertical 

 rows. 



For these characters, which are very satisfactory, and, if not 

 absolute, subject to but few exceptions, A. P. de Candolle preferred 

 to substitute those derived from the relative position of the radicle 

 and cotyledon; and divided Cruciferce into four suborders : 1. Pleuro- 

 rldzeae, with accumbent cotyledons ; 2. Notorhizece, with incumbent 

 cotyledons; 3. Orthoplocece, with them conduplicate; 4. Sjnrolobece, 

 with them spiral ; 5. Dijjlecolobece, with them biplicate. To this pro- 

 cedure grave objections have been made. 1 We ourselves are con- 

 vinced that in so natural an order hardly any absolute characters can 

 be found ; while to classify it (artificially after all is said) it is well 

 to put in the first place the least inconstant characters, and those 

 of easiest practical application ; and hence we fall back in principle 

 upon Ad an son's scheme, modifying it by the admission of the new 

 tribes subsequently added. 2 We thus form seven series. One alone 

 is characterized by a concave receptacle and a perigynous flower. 

 The others comprise the hypogynous Crucifers, with a convex recep- 

 tacle. These again fall into Siliquosce and SilicuLosce. The former 

 are divided into three series, according as the fruit is longitudinally 

 dehiscent, indehiscent, or transversely divided. Next come the three 

 Siliculose series in which the fruit is respectively indehiscent, com- 

 pressed parallel to the broad septum, compressed at right angles to 

 the narrow septum. These series are : 



1 See Bull. Soc. Bot. de Fr., vii. 252 ; ix. 2 We have already said what use we have 



536. — Payee, Lee. sur les Fain. Nat., 140. The made of the results obtained by J. Hookee, 



cases where accumbency and incumbency occur which, though they too have met with criti- 



in one and the same genus are very numerous. cism (Fouen., in Bull. Soc. Bot. de Fr., x. 449), 



Still more so are those of obliquity of the radicle are tbe most satisfactory we have met with, 

 in every degree. 



