COMPOSITE.. 517 



in the axis of fleshy albumen ; radicle superior. — Herbaceous plants, 

 with alternate, exstipulate leaves, and. sessile capitate flowers, sur- 

 rounded by an involucre. They inhabit South America, rarely occur- 

 ring in the tropical districts, but more plentiful in South Chili. Their 

 properties are unknown. There are 3 known genera and 20 species. 

 Examples — Calycera, Boopis. 



Order 98. — ComposiTjE (Asteracese of Lindley, and Synantherse 

 of other authors), the Composite Family. (Monopet. Epigyn.) (Figs. 

 733-744). Calyx superior, its limb either wanting or membranous, 

 or divided into bristles, palese, or hairs, and called pappus (figs. 301, 

 p. 199 ; 736 a). Corolla gamopetalous, ligulate (figs. 326, p. 207 ; 

 734), or tubular (fig. 736 p), in the latter case usually 5-toothed, 

 .sometimes bUabiatB (fig. 735) ; two marginal veins, containing spiral 

 cells, run along each of the coroUine divisions, and afterwards proceed 

 along the axis of these divisions ; sestivation valvate. Stamens usually 

 5, alternate with the teeth of the' corolla (fig. 736 e) ; filaments dis- 

 tinct; anthers (figs. 326 a, p. 2Qll ; 734, 735, 736 e) cohering into a 

 cylinder (synantherous or syngenesious). Ovary inferior, closely adhe- 

 rent to the tube of the calyx (figs. 734, 735, '736 o, 744), and un- 

 distinguishable from it, 1-celled ; ovule solitary, erect (figs. 458, 459, 

 p. 257 ; 736, 744) ; style simple, sometimes with collecting hairs (fig. 

 737) ; stigmas two, distinct (figs. 438, p. 247 ; 637, 643) or united. 

 Fruit, an achsenium (Cypsela, p. 310), crowned with the limb of the 

 calyx (fig. 744). Seed solitary, erect, exalbuminous (fig. 744) ; radicle 

 inferior. — Herbs or shrubs, with alternate or opposite, exstipulate 

 leaves, and capitula of flowers (called florets), which are either herma- 

 phrodite or unisexual, and are surrounded by bracts in the form of an 

 involucre (figs. 263, p. 179 ; 264, p. 180). Bractlets are sometimes 

 interspersed with the flowers on the receptacle, and are then called 

 palese. Some of the flowers belong to the cyanic, others to the xanthic 

 series (p. 393). In the same head the flowers are sometimes homo- 

 chromous (o/ios, similar, and XS'^'f"' colour), belonging to the same 

 series ; at other times they are heterochromous (hipo;, diverse), be- 

 longing to different series, — the ligulate to the cyanic, and the tubular 

 to the xanthic. 



This is one of the largest, and, at the same time, one of the most 

 important natural families in the vegetable kingdom. The plants 

 were all included by Linnseus in the class Syngenesia, and were 

 divided into five orders according to the sexes of the florets and the 

 nature of the involucre. These divisions are given at page 415, 

 under the names Polygamia Mqaalis, Superflua, Frustranea, Neces- 

 saria, and Segregata. The following series of terms have also been 

 employed to express the nature of the capitula, as regards stamens and 

 pistils : — 



