210 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



various localities, as in Askc "Woods, Yorkshire ; near Penzance, 

 Cormvall ; Isle of Jersey, etc. ; bvxt seems scarcely sufficiently 

 'naturalized to find a i:)lace in our riora. It cannot well be mistaken 

 for any of the other species. It resembles G. nodosum, but has 

 the stem hairy and the flowers white with purple veins. 



Sue-Ordeu II.— OXALIDE^. 



Flowers regular. Sepals herbaceous, persistent, generally 

 slightly imited but none of them spurred at the base. Petals 

 caducous, free or slightly united at the base. Stamens 10 (rarely 

 15) all antheriferovis ; filaments frequently united into a short 

 ring at the base. Torus not produced beyond the insertion of the 

 uppermost ovules. Fruit of 5 carpels completely united together, 

 without a distinct beak, 5-celled. Cells splitting down the back, 

 each with several or numerous ovules, rarely indehiscent. Seeds 

 generally enclosed in a succulent arillus, which is ruptured at 

 maturity, and by its elasticity expels the seeds. Albumen fleshy. 

 Radicle straight. 



GENUS 7Z/.— OXALIS. Linn. 



Flowers regular. Sepals 5, persistent, free, imbricated, the 

 upper one not spurred. Petals 5. Stamens 10, all with anthers; 

 the 5 opposite the petals the longest. Capsule herbaceous-mem- 

 branous, oblong or ovoid-prismatical, pyramidal towards the apex, 

 with 5 angles. Seeds numerous, compressed, striate. 



Herbs (or more rarely undershrubs), sometimes with tuberous 

 or elongate fleshy rootstocks, and frequently stemless. Leaves 

 alternate, most commonly trifoliate and resembling those of clover, 

 but sometimes quadrifoliate or pinnate. Peduncles axillary or 

 radical, generally with the flowers cymose or umbellate, more 

 rarely solitary. Flowers yellow, rose-colour, purple, or white, 

 sometimes dimorphous, with one of the forms having the petals 

 extremely small. 



The generic uame of Oxalis comes from olv<; {oxys), acid, the leaves leaving an acid 

 taste. 



