G26 



HISTORY OF THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 



ovule, and crowned at its summit by an epi- 

 gynous and two-lobed disk ; and two styles, ter- 

 minated each by a small simple stigma. The 

 fruit is a diakenium of very diversified form, 

 separating, at maturity, into two monospermous 

 akenia, connected by a small filiform columella. 

 The seed is reversed, and contains, in a pretty 

 large endosperm, a very small axile embryo. 



The genera of this family are extremely num- 

 erous, as dauctis, cartim, amni, scandix, apium, 

 pastinaca, and many others. 



The roots of the wild carrot (daucus carota), 

 are aromatic and rather pungent, but eatable. 

 Those of the cultivated carrot, skirret, and par- 

 snip, are used as articles of food. The root of 

 bunhim hulbocastanum is also eatable ; as are the 

 stems of the celery, and heracleum, sphondylUum, 

 and the leaves of the parsley. But, in general, 

 the stems and leaves of the plants of this order 

 are nauseous, and often poisonous. Those of 

 cenanthe crocata, conium maculatum, cicuta virosa, 

 and mtJiusa cynapium, are of the latter character. 

 The fruits are often agreeably aromatic, as in 

 carum carui, coriandrum sativum, &c. Opopo- 

 nax and asafoetida, are procured from plants of 

 this order, as are galbanum and gum ammoniac. 

 The species which produce aromatic seeds gene- 

 rally grow in dry soil, and those which are most 

 virulent in their properties usually in watery, 

 damp, or shady places. 



Araliace/e, Jussieu. The ai-aliace£e form a 

 group scarcely distinct from the umbelliferae. 

 They are herbaceous plants, or sometimes very 

 tall trees. Their flowers, which are also very 

 small, are disposed in simple or paniculate um- 

 bels. Their calyx is adherent and toothed, as in 

 the umbellifcKe. Their corolla is formed of five 

 or six petals. Their ovary has from two to six 

 monospermous cells, and is surmounted by as 

 many styles, terminated by simple stigmas. The 

 fruit is sometimes fleshy and indehiscent, some- 

 times dry, and separating into as many mono- 

 spermous cocca, as the ovary has cells. 



This family is very closely allied to the um- 

 bellifera?, from which it differs in having a 

 greater number of cells and styles, or in having 

 the fruit fleshy, as in aralia, panax, gaslonia, &c. 



Ginseng, a tonic much used by the Chinese, 

 is the root oi panax quinquefolia. 



Ranunculaoe^, Jussieu. This great family 

 is composed of lierbaceous plants, bearing alter- 

 nate leaves, amplexicaul at their base, most 

 commonly divided into numerous segments. 

 The leaves are opposite in the genus clematis 

 only. The flowers vary much in their disposi- 

 tion ; sometimes they are accompanied with an 

 involucre formed of three leaves, which may be 

 distant from the flower, or placed near it and 

 calyciform. The calyx is polysepalous, often 

 coloured and petaloid, rarely persistent. The 

 corolla is polypetalous, sometimes wanting. The 



petals are sometimes simple, with a small hollow 

 or a glandular lamina at their inner base ; moi-e 

 commonly diversiform, or irregularly hollowed 

 in the shape of a horn, and abmptly unguicul- 

 ate at their base. The stamina, which are gene- 

 rally numerous, are free, with anthers continu- 

 ous with the filaments. The pistils are some- 

 times monospermous, and aggregated into a kind 

 of capitulum, or polyspermous and circularly 

 grouped, and sometimes more or less intimately 

 united. The style is very short, commonly 

 lateral ; the stigma simple. The fruits are 

 monospermous, indehiscent, disposed in capitula 

 or spikes : or they are aggregated capsules, which 

 are distinct or united, sometimes solitary, uni- 

 locular, polyspermous, opening by their internal 

 suture, which bears the seeds ; very rarely the 

 fruit is a polyspermous beiTy. The seeds are 

 not arillate ; the embryo is very small, has the 

 same direction as the seed, and is contained in 

 the base of a fleshy or hard endospeim. 



The numerous genera of this family may be 

 divided into two great sections, according as the 

 ovaries are monospermous or polyspermous. 



Among the first are, ranunculus, flcaria, cera- 

 tocephalus, myosurus, adonis, anemone, clematis, 

 thalictrum. 



And among the second, pnonia, caltha, trol- 

 lius, eranthis, helleborus, nigella, garidella, 

 aquilegia, delpliinium, aconilum, actrFa. 



Tliese plants are generally acrid and poisonous, 

 and their properties are supposed to depend upon 

 a volatile principle, removed by the application 

 of heat or by drying. The fresh leaves and 

 stems of ramtnculus sccleratiis and ^^ammjjfo pro- 

 duce blisters on the skin. The root of aconittim 

 napellus, and pmonia officinalis, are acrid and 

 bitter. That of several species of helleborus is 

 purgative. Anemone nemorosa is supposed to 

 produce the disease called red-water in cattle. 

 With the exception of clematis, and xanthoriza 

 which have shrubby stems, all the others are 

 herbaceous. The anemone, ranunculus, and 

 others are esteemed garden flowers. 



Dilleniace^, De CaudoUe. This family con- 

 sists of tx'ees, or shrubs, chiefly natives of tropi- 

 cal countries, having alternate, very rarely oppo- 

 site leaves, without stipules, often amplexicaul 

 at their base, and solitary or clustered flowers, 

 sometimes opposite to the leaves. Their calyx 

 is persistent, monosepalous, with five deep divi- 

 sions, laterally imbricated. Their corolla is 

 commonly of five petals. Their stamina are very 

 numerous, free, disposed in several rows, some- 

 times unilateral and disposed in several bundles. 

 The carpels, which vary from two to twelve, 

 are generally distinct, but sometimes united. 

 Their ovary is unilocular, containing two or 

 more ovules, attached to the lower part of their 

 inner angle, and erect. The styles are simple, 

 and terminated each by a simple stigma. The 



