616 



HISTORY OF THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 



seeds present an embryo immediately covered 

 by the proper integument. 



This small family is distinguished from the 

 primulacese by its irregular corolla, its two sta- 

 mina, and its embryo destitute of endosperm ; 

 and from the antirrhinse by its one-celled fruit, 

 of which the trophosperm is central, and its 

 embryo destitute of endospei-m. 



Globular!^, De Cand. 'She gemis fflobularia, 

 which was at first placed among the primulaceae, 

 constitutes of itself this little family, of which 

 the following are the principal characters. The 

 calyx is monosepalous, tubular, persistent, with 

 five divisions. The corolla is monopetalous 

 tubular, irregular, with five narrow, unequal 

 segments, disposed so as to form two lips. 

 The stamina, four or five in number, are alter- 

 nate with the divisions of the corolla, T^he 

 ovary is unilocular, containing a single pendent 

 ovule. The style is slender, and terminated by 

 a stigma with two tubular and unequal divisions. 

 At the base of tlie ovary is a small unilateral 

 disk. The fruit is an akenium covered by the 

 calyx. The embryo is nearly cylindrical, axile, 

 and placed' in a fleshy endosperm. 



The globulariae are herbaceous or suflFrutescent 

 plants, with leaves all radical or alternate, and 

 small bluish flowers collected into a globular 

 capitulum, and accompanied with bracteas. They 

 differ from tlie primulaceae in having their cor- 

 olla irregular, their stamina alternate, and their 

 ovary containing a single reversed ovule. 



OrobanchejE, Vent. Plants sometimes par- 

 asitic on the Tocrts of other plants, sometimes 

 growing in the earth. Their stem is sometimes 

 destitute of leaves, which are substituted by 

 scales. The flowers, which are accompanied by 

 bracteas, are terminal, sometimes solitary, some- 

 times disposed in a spike. The calyx is mono- 

 sepalous and tubular, or divided to the base into 

 distinct sepals. The corolla is monopetalous, 

 irregular, often two-lipped. The stamina are 

 generally didynamous. The ovary, which is 

 applied upon a hypogynous and annular disk, 

 has only one cell, which contains very numerous 

 ovules attached to two parietal trophosperms, 

 bifid on their free side. The style is terminated 

 by a stigma with two unequal lobes. The fruit 

 is a unilocular capsule, opening into two valves, 

 each of which bears a trophosperm on the middle 

 of its inner face. The seeds, which have a double 

 integument, present a fleshy endosperm, which 

 bears a very small embryo, placed in a depres- 

 sion in its upper and lateral part. 



The genera orobanche, phelippea, lathrcea, &c., 

 form this family, which differs from the scro- 

 phularinae in its unilocular ovary, the position 

 of the embryo, and especially the general ap- 

 pearance of the plants of which it is composed. 



Astringent, but of little importance in a medi- 

 cal point of view. 



ScROPHULARiN.s;, Brown. Scrophularim and 

 Pediculares, Jussieu. Herbs or shrubs, with 

 simple leaves, which are often opposite, some- 

 times alternate, and flowers disposed in spikes 

 or terminal racemes. Their calyx is monose- 

 palous, persistent, with four or five unequal 

 divisions. The corolla is monopetalous, irregu- 

 lar, two-lipped, and often personate. The stamina 

 from two to four in number, are in the latter 

 case didynamous. The ovary, applied upon a 

 hypogynous disk, has two polyspennous cells. 

 The style is simple, terminated by a two-lobed 

 stigma. The fruit is a bilocular capsule, vary- 

 ing much in its mode of dehiscence. Sometimes 

 it opens by holes formed towards the summit, 

 sometimes by iiTegular plates, sometimes by two 

 or four valves, each bearing the half of the dis- 

 sepiment on the middle of its inner face, or 

 opposite to the dissepiment which remains entire. 

 The seeds contain, under their proper integu- 

 ment, a kernel, composed of a fleshy endosperm, 

 which encloses a straight cylindrical embryo, 

 having its radicle directed towards the hilum, or 

 opposite to that point of attachment. 



"We have followed," says Richard, "the 

 example of Mr Brown, who unites into one the 

 two families proposed by Jussieu, under the 

 names of scrophularicB and pediculares. The 

 principal diff^erence which served to distinguish 

 these two families, was derived from the mode 

 of dehiscence of the capsule, which, in the 

 scrophularijE, takes place by holes or valves 

 opposite to the dissepiment, which remains 

 untouched; whereas, in the pediculares, eacli 

 valve bears, on the middle of its inner surface, 

 the half of the septum. But these differences, 

 which appear very decided, present numerous 

 shades; and, for example, in the genus veronica^ 

 we find almost all modifications of them. But 

 we have observed another difference between 

 these two groups, which we have not had an 

 opportunity of remarking in all the genera, but 

 which has appeared to us constant in all those 

 of which we have examined the seed, and which 

 is, that in the pediculares of Jussieu, the embryo 

 has always a direction the reverse of that of the 

 seed, that is, its cotyledons are turned towards 

 the hilum, whereas the contrary happens in the 

 scrophularice. 



1. Pediculares: pedicularis, rfiwant/ius, me- 

 lampyrum, veronica, euphrasia, erinus, &c. 



2. ScROPHULARiiE : antirrhinum, linaria, scro- 

 phularia, digitalis, gratiola, &c. 



A great proportion of the didynamia angios- 

 permia of Linnteus, belong to this family; cap- 

 sular fniit, and didynamous stamens, being 

 among the most obvious characteristics of the 

 order. The species are generally herbs, rarely 

 shrubs, and are found in mountains, valleys, 

 ditches, and way-sides, in all parts of the world, 



Pedicularis, rhinanthu ; melampi/rum, and 



