DODECANDRIA— TRIGYNIA. Reseda. 347 



Nat. Ord. Miscellane(JE. Linn. 54. Capparides. Juss. 64. 

 Resedacece. DeCand. 31. Hook. Scot. p. 2. 204. This 

 order is marked with a sign of doubt by the learned 

 M. DeCandolle himself, and it is indeed very anomalous 

 and obscure. I can trace no affinity in Reseda to any 

 other order ; certainly not to Eitphorbice, or Tricoccce. 



Cal. inferior, of one leaf, deeply divided into several nar- 

 row, spreading, irregular, permanent segments. Pet. 3, 

 4, 5 or 6, unequal, deciduous, variously, for the most 

 part, jagged, some of them 3-cleft ; the uppermost con- 

 cave at the base, as long as the calyx; the lowermost 



. often undivided, Nect. a flat, erect, solid, permanent, 

 coloured gland, at the upper side of the flower, pro- 

 ceeding from the receptacle, between the uppermost pe- 

 tal, or petals, and the stamens. Filam. 11 or 15, in some 

 instances more, short, capillary, drooping. Anth. elliptic- 

 oblong, erect. Germ, superior, angular, unequally tumid. 

 Styles 3, rarely 4, terminal, short, or scarcely any. Stig- 

 mas obtuse. Caps, pitcher-shaped, angular, tumid, cori- 

 aceous, open at the top between the styles, of 1 cell. 

 Seeds numerous, kidney-shaped, stalked, ranged along 3 

 lateral longitudinal receptacles. 



The styles are occasionally 4 in various species, and the re- 

 ceptacles of the seeds always agree with them in number. 

 Nothing can be more various, or more changeable, than 

 the forms of the petals, or lumiber of the stamens. The 

 plants are herbaceous, their surface minutely papillary, 

 not hairy ; when bruised they are foetid, though the 

 jloxmrs of some are fragrant. Leaves alternate, simple, 

 mostly pinnatifid. Fl. numerous, pallid, racemose. 



Mr. J. Lindley, in a work no less scientific than splendid, 

 has given a most ingenious, though perhaps too meta- 

 physical, view of this genus, in which he considers the 

 flowers as aggregate, or capitate, the lateral ones being 

 but rudiments, represented by some of the petals, and 

 the central one alone perfect. Mr. Brown's idea of An- 

 thoxanthum and Hierocle, see v. 1. 37 and 110, is some- 

 what analogous to this. 



1. R. Luteola. Dyer's Rocket. Yellow- weed, or 

 Weld. 



Leaves lanceolate, undivided. Calyx in four segments. 



R. Luteola. Linn. 5/j. PZ. 643. Willd. v. 2.876. Fl. Br. 512. 

 Engl. Bot. V. 5. t. 320. Mart. Rust. t. 40. Hook. Scot. 147. 



