44 



N. Ord. RUTACE.E. 

 Tribe Ruteas. 



Genus Ruta, Linn* B. & H. Gen., i, p. 286 ; Baill., Hist., 

 pi. iv, p. 373. Species 40 or more, natives of Western 

 Asia and the Mediterranean region. 



44. Ruta graveolens,t Linn., $p. PL, ed. 2, p. 383 (in part) 



(1753). 



Rue. 



Figures. Woodville, t. 174; Steph. & Ch., t. 71; Hayne, vi, t. 8; 

 Nees, t. 376; Berg & Sch., t. 24 f. ; Baill., 1. c., figs. 391397. 



Description. A perennial herbaceous or half -shrubby plant, 

 reaching 2 or 2^ feet in height. Stems cylindrical, slender, 

 branched in the upper part, quite smooth, pale glaucous green, 

 somewhat shrubby at the base, and there covered with a grey 

 bark. Leaves alternate, without stipules, compound, the lower 

 ones tripinnate, the upper ones sub-bipinnate or pinnate, the 

 highest simple, leaflets linear-oval or oblong, the terminal ones 

 obovate, all dotted with small pellucid glands, rather thick, bluish- 

 green. Inflorescence a terminal corymbose irregularly tricho- 

 tomous cyme. Flowers on long stalks, erect, nearly an inch across. 

 Calyx of 4 (or 5) sepals, slightly connected, narrow, acute, semi- 

 persistent. Petals alternating with the sepals which they greatly 

 exceed, distant, widely spreading, greenish-yellow, wide and 

 hooded at the top, suddenly contracted into a narrow claw below, 

 the margin more or less wavy and sometimes toothed. Stamens 

 twice as many as the petals, 8 (or 10), inserted below the hypo- 

 gynous disk, half opposite the sepals, half opposite the petals, in 

 the concave limbs of which they are at first contained ; filaments 

 slender, glabrous, at length straight and exceeding the petals. 

 Pistil surrounded at the base and supported by a thick fleshy 

 green sticky disk, marked opposite each stamen with a deep 



* Ruta, the classical name, 

 f graveolene, strong- smelling. 



