82 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



ORDER XLVIL— P OLEMONIACEiE. 



Herbs, rarely under-shrubs or shrubs, having watery juice, with 

 alternate simple or compound leaves without stipules, the lower 

 ones sometimes opposite. Flowers perfect, regular or slightly 

 irregular, generally in panicles or corymbs, often in involucrate 

 heads. Calyx persistent, free from the ovary, of 5 sepals more or 

 less united at the base. Corolla deciduous, hypogynous, mono- 

 petalous, tubular-funnelshaped or salver-shaped ; limb 5-partite, 

 twisted in bud. Stamens 5, inserted in the tube or throat of the 

 corolla, and alternate with its lobes ; anthers 2-celled. Ovary 

 3-celled ; style 1 ; stigma 3-lobed ; ovules 1 or more in each cell of 

 the ovary. Fruit a 3-celled capsule, loculicidally 3-valved. Seeds 1 

 or more in each cell, with a mucilaginous testa containing 

 spiral cells, which uncoil when the seed is immersed in water ; 

 embryo straight, with foliaceous cotyledons in the midst of fleshy 

 albumen. 



GENUS I.—V OLEMONIUM. Tournef. 



Calyx bellshaped, 5-cleft, herbaceous, persistent. Corolla sub- 

 rotate, deciduous, regular ; tube very short ; limb 5-lobed, usually 

 concave ; segments rhombic-obovate or -suborbicular. Stamens 5, 

 declinate, inserted in the throat of the corolla ; filaments dilated 

 and hairy at the base, their dilated bases nearly closing the mouth 

 of the corolla. Style single ; stigma 3-cleft. Capsule ovoid, obtuse, 

 3-celled, 3-valved. Seeds numerous, not winged, or narrowly 

 winged. 



Herbs, Avitb pinnate leaves, and showy blue, purple, or white 

 flowers, arranged in terminal corymbs or short panicles. 



It is said that the name of this genus of plants conies from the word rroXtfios 

 (polemos), war, — " two kings went to war about this plant." 



SPECIES I.— POLEMONIUM CJIRULEUM. Linn. 



Plate DCCCCXXII. 



Reich. Ic. Fl. Germ, et Helv. Vol. XVIII. Tab. MCCCXXXIV. 

 Billot, Fl. Gall, et Germ. Exsicc. No. 1273. 



