NAHTUUTIUM. 



93 



clmrnctoristios, both of or<]fanu' Htniotiiro and rlipmioal composition, than 

 this; and honco to know a singUi plant of th(^ family will — lor example, 

 nuiHtard — is to know tlu-m all. Many of them — for instance, the ('al)ba<.(e 

 and turnip — havo been modified to a considerable extent by long cultivo- 

 tion, and havo become valuable articles of food. 



NASTURTIUM. 



Character of the Oeyius. — Pod a silicjue or silicde, liucar-oblonpf or glob- 

 ular, nearly or quite roinid. Seeds small, nunjcrous, marginlcss, in two 

 irregular rows in each cell. Cotyledons accund)cnt. Annual, biennial, or 

 perennial herbs, aquatic or growing in marshes and wet i)laces, with Avhito 

 or yellow ilowers, and com- 

 monly smooth, shinin;,', pin- 

 nate or pinnatifid leaves. 



Nasturtium officinale 

 Itobert IJrown. — Walcr-crcfis. 



Description. — Calyx : se- 

 pals ovate, caducous. Co- 

 rolla : petals white, twice the 

 length of the sepals. Siliques 

 one-half to two-thirds inch 

 long, bending upward, more 

 or less, on divergent, ascend- 

 ing pedicels, of nearly the 

 same length. Root biennial, 

 long, and creeping. Stem 

 spreading and rooting. 

 Leaves pinnate ; leaflets 3 to 

 11, roundish or oblong, near- 

 ly entire, the terminal one 

 largest. 



Habitat. — Introduced from 

 Euroi^e, -where it has long been cultivated as a salad. Escaping from cul- 

 tivation hero, it has become estal)lished in brooks and ditches. 



Nasturtium Armoracia Fries {Gochlearia ArmoracialAimd). — Horse- 

 radish. 



Description. — Calj'x : sepals ovate, obtuse, caducous. Corolla : petals 

 white, twice the length of the sepals. Style very short, persistent. Pod 

 nearly globular, about 4-seeded, seldom attaining perfection here or in 

 Britain. Root perennial, large, tapering, (5 to 12 inches long. Stem erect, 

 2 to 3 feet high. Radical Jeaves long and large, crenate, seldom pinnat- 

 ifid : stem-leaves smaller and narrower than the radical, the lower ones 

 7 



FiQ. 107. — N.isturtiuni offlcinalo. 



