638 



HISTORY OF THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 



perfume. Olive-oil is obtained from tlie peri- I 

 carps -of the common olive. The flowers of 

 olea fragrans are used by the Chinese in flav- 

 ouring tea. 



VERBENACEiE, Jussicu, The verbenaceae are 

 trees or shrubs, rarely herbaceous plants, usually 

 with opposite, sometimes compound leaves. The 

 flowers are disposed in spikes or corymbs : more 

 rarely they are axillar and solitary. Their calyx 

 is monosepalons, persistent, and tubular. The 

 corolla is monopetalous, tubular, commonly 

 irregular. The stamina are didynamous, some- 

 times only two in number. The ovary has two 

 or four cells, containing one or two erect ovules. 

 The style is terminated by a simple or bifid 

 stigma. The fruit is a berry or drupe, contain- 

 ing a nut with two or four cells, which are often 

 monospermous. The seed is composed of a pro- 

 per integument, and a thin and fleshy endos- 

 perm, which covers a straight embryo. 



This family, which is composed of the genera 

 verbena, vitex, clerodendrum, zapania, &c., is dis- 

 tinguished from the preceding by its fruit being 

 fleshy (excepting in verbena), and by its seeds 

 being usually solitary in each cell. Many of the 

 species are mere weeds. Others are esteemed 

 for their showy flowers. Tectona furnishes the 

 Indian teak wood so much employed in ship 

 building. 



MvopOKiNEiE, Brown. Shrubs generally gla- 

 brous, with simple, alternate, or opposite leaves, 

 and axillar flowers, destitute of bracteas. Their 

 calyx is persistent, with five deep divisions. 

 Corolla monopetalous, nearly regular, or slightly 

 two-lipped. The stamina are didynamous or 

 sometimes five in number, one occasionally 

 rudimentary. The ovary is free, applied upon 

 a hypogynous and annular disk. It has from 

 two to four cells, containing each one or two 

 ovules hanging from its summit. The simple 

 style is tenninated by a simple stigma. The 

 fruit is a drupe, containing a nucleus with two 

 or four cells, each containing one or two seeds, 

 composed of a cylindrical embryo, placed in the 

 centre of a rather dense endosperm. 



The myoporineae are allied to verbenaceae, 

 from which they differ, especially in having 

 their seeds pendent, and furnished with a thick 

 endosperm. The family consists of the genera 

 myoporum, bontia, pliolidia, stenochilus, and 

 eremophila. They are all natives of New Hol- 

 land. The avecennias grow on the shores and 

 among water, something like the mangrove. 



Labiate, Jussieu. The Labiatae form one 

 of the most natural families in the vegetable 

 kingdom. They are herbaceous plants, or some- 

 times shrubs, of which the stem is square, the 

 leaves simple and opposite, the flowers grouped 

 in the axillae of the leaves, and thus forming 

 spikes or branched racemes. Their calyx is 

 monosepalous, tubular and irregular, and is 



divided into two lips, an upper and a lower. 

 The stamina are four in number, and didyna- 

 mous : sometimes the two shorter are abortive. 

 The ovary, which is applied upon a hypogy- 

 nous disk, is deeply four-lobed, and much 

 depressed at its centre, from which springs a 

 simple style, sui-mounted by a bifid stigma. A 

 transverse section of the ovary presents four 

 ceUs, containing each an erect ovule. The fruit 

 is composed of four monospermous akenia, 

 enclosed by the persistent calyx. The seed con- 

 tains an erect embryo in the centre of a fleshy 

 endosperm, which is sometimes very thin. 



The very numerous genera of this family may 

 be divided into two sections, according as they 

 have two or four stamina. 



Sect. I. Two stamina: salvia, rosmarinus, 

 monarda, Ij/copiis, &c. 



Sect. II. Four didynamous stamina : betonica, 

 leonurus, thymus, hallota, marriibium, phlomis, 

 satureja, &c. 



The plants of this family contain an aromatic 

 volatile oil, camphor, and a bitter extractive, 

 which render them stomachic, stimulant, and 

 tonic. No poisonous or deleterious species has 

 been found amongst them. The roots of stacJiys 

 palustris are eatable. Many species are used as 

 aromatics in food, such as mint, marjoram, and 

 basil. From others agreeable perfumes are 

 extracted, as thyme, lavender, mint, and rose, 

 mary. 



BoKAGiNEiB, Jussieu. The boraginese are herbs, 

 shrubs, or even sometimes tall trees, bearing 

 alternate leaves, often covered, as well as the 

 stems, with very stiff hairs. Their flowers form 

 unilateral spikes, rolled in the form of a crosier 

 at their summit, often aggregated, and forming 

 a kind of panicle. Their calj-x is monosepal- 

 ous, regular, persistent, and five-lobed. The 

 corolla is monopetalous, regular, five-lobed, and 

 in a certain number of genera presents, near the 

 throat, five projecting appendages, which ai-e 

 hollow within, and open externally at their base. 

 The five stamina are inserted at the upper part 

 of the tube of the calyx, and alternate with the 

 appendages just mentioned, when these are pre- 

 sent. The ovary, which is supported upon a 

 hypogynous, annular and sinuous disk, is deeply 

 four-lobed, with four monospennous cells, and 

 deeply depressed at its centre. The style springs 

 from this depression, and is terminated by a two- 

 lobed stigma. The fruit is composed of four 

 monospermous carpels, which are more rarely 

 united, and form a &vy or fleshy fruit, with two 

 or four cells, which are sometimes osseous, or 

 with only one cell through abortion. The seeds 

 have their embryo reversed in a fleshy but 

 very thin endosperm, which is sometimes want- 

 ing. 



The family of boraginese is related to the 

 labiatae in the structure of its pistil, which is the 



