204 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



obovate or cuneate ; inflexed at point ; the interior smaller sometimes 

 entire; the exterior spuriously 2-lobed. Stamens 5, inserted with 

 perianth. G-ermen (in sterile flowers minute or 0) adnate to recep- 

 tacle, inferior, 2-cellea ; one cell sometimes aborted ; style 2-fid or 

 2-partite, at apex stigmatose within ; stylopods conical entire. Fruit 

 finally dry, oval, conical or subpyramidal, transversely subterete ; one 

 mericarp oftener aborted ; carpophore or scarcely visible ; vittse in 

 furrows solitary or obscure, often 0. Face of seed deeply hollowed ; 

 margins more or less involute. — Perennial herbs, often rigid, rushUke 

 or spinescent, glabrous or pubescent ; leaves pinnately dissected or 

 decompound ; segments slender or filiform ; sometimes incised or 

 spinescent ; flowers in compound umbels (?) ; the central one in each 

 umbellule fertile sessile ; the others male pedicellate ; pedicels after 

 flowering hardened with receptacle, accrescent in a short cupule 

 {Pycnocyda), or higher and variously in a sac (Euechinophora) adnate 

 with central frait ; calyces of sterile flowers often persistent at top of 

 pedicel and spinulescent. (South. Europe, north. Africa, central and 

 west. Asia.) — See p. 93. 



III. PEUCEDANE^. 



11. Peucedanmn T. — Flowers hermaphrodite or more rarely 

 polygamous ; receptacle sachke, dorsally compressed. Sepals 5, 

 small or 0. Petals more or less unequal, entire or from more or less 

 impressed rib obtuse or spuriously 2-lobed. Stamens 5. Stylopods 

 depressed conical or subplane, entire or undulate at dilated margin. 

 Fruit oval, elliptical or rarely suborbicular, much compressed parallel 

 to septum, flat or slightly convex ; margin thick or rather so, some- 

 times pointed and narrowly or rather broadly alate, entire before 

 dehiscence, separating late. Primary and intermediate ridges filiform, 

 scarcely prominent. Vittse in furrows solitary or 2-3, more rarely 

 00 , sometimes very thin or 0. Carpophore 2-partite. Face of seed 

 flat or slightly concave ; embryo minute or sometimes in albumen 2- 

 lamellate rather large. — ^Perennial herbs, rarely annual or frutescent 

 or arborescent ; leaves pinnately or ternately decompound, rarely 

 simply pinnate ; umbels compound, sometimes cymiform at base, or 

 sometimes in racemes; umbellules more rarely racemose. (Warm 

 and temp, regions of both worlds.) — See p. 95. 



