26 WAYSIDE WEEDS. 



fer«, or cross-like plants, the petds being arranged 

 in the shape of a cross, as a very little examination 

 will show. Turning for a moment from wild to culti- 

 vated blossoms, you will find the characters of the 

 crucifers well marked in any turnip, cabbage, or 

 radish, which may chance to run to seed in your 

 garden. In an economical point of view, there are 

 few plant families more valuable to man than these 

 crucifers. 



Buttercup, poppy, wallflower, each types of their 

 own particular family, have regular flowers ; you can 

 divide them in any direction through the centre into 



Fig. 22.—Blo8BOm of Violet, a, corolla ; b, caljx; g, pednncle or flower-Etalk 

 (2, bracts ; e^ spur of corolla. 



two equal halves. Not so our sweet little violet 

 (Fig. 22), which holds its place beside them. It, 

 too, is many-petaled, and has stamens and petals 

 attached Hke the others, but its flower is irregular ; 

 to divide its five petals equally, you must cut the 

 centre in one direction only. The stamens and 



