232 CLASSIFICATION 



the Mediterranean region and of Soutli America. They 

 are herbs or shrubs with decussate leaves, penta- 

 merous spurred corolla, and inferior trilocular ovary, 

 tipped by pappus while in fruit; of no importance in 

 Indian Botany. Nardostachys Jatamansi is an Alpine 

 Himalayan herb used in kaviraji pharmacopoeia. 



Nat. Order 4. Compositce. — Herbs or shrubs. 

 Leaves alternate, usually simple. Flowers many, small 

 (florets), aggregated in a head orcapitulum, embraced 

 at the bottom by an involucre of bracts; each floret 

 is either embraced by a scaly bracteole called a palea 

 or is non-paleated ; the florets all tubular, or the inner 

 tubular and the outer ligulate, or all ligulate; all 

 bisexual, or the inner bisexual and the outer female 

 or neuter. Calyx superior, consisting of pappus or 

 scales. Petals epigynous and connate, stamens 4 to 

 5, epipetalous, syngenesious. Ovary inferior, i-celled; 

 ovules solitary, basal, erect, anatropous; style usually 

 2-fid at the top and recurved. Fruit an achene 

 (cypsela) (fig. 200). Seeds single, exalbuminous. 



This is the largest family of Dicotyledonous plants, 

 and at the same time one of the best defined and most 

 easily recognized. It is represented in every quarter 

 of the globe. This family possesses only a few plants , 

 of economic importance. A few are used in medicine 

 and a considerable number as salad or pot-herbs, 

 amongst which Salad or Lettuce {Lactuca sativa) and 

 Artichoke or hatichoke {Helianthus tuberosus, Linn.) 

 are cultivated in our gardens. Sunflower or surya- 

 mukhi {Helianthus annuus, Linn.), Garden Zinnia 

 {Zinnia elegans, Linn, and Z. pauciflora, Linn.), 

 gendha {Tagetes patula, Linn.), and chandra-mallika 

 {Chrysa7ithemum) are cultivated as garden flowers all 

 over India. Sarguja {Guizotia abyssinica) is a stout, 

 erect, annual herb, grown as an oil-seed crop in the 



