ROSE TRIBE 



leaflets, with an odd one ; and the flowers which 

 grow in dusters, or rather spikes, are crimson, 

 variegated with pink and white. Chalky and 

 hmestone hills. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 



77 



Natural Order XXIV 



ROSACE^.— The Rose Tribe 



Calyx most frequently 5-lobed, sometimes 4, 8, 

 or lo-lobed ; petals 5, inserted on the caly.\, 

 regular ; stamens indefinite, generally more than 

 12, inserted on the calyx curved inwards liefore 

 the expansion of the petals ; carpels many or 

 solitary, either distinct, or combined with each 

 other and with the calyx ; styles distinct, often 

 lateral ; fruit either a drupe (cherry or plum) — 

 an assemblage of erect capsules opening at one 

 side— a number of nut-hke seeds inserted into a Onobrychts Sativa 

 fleshy receptacle (Strawberry, Blackberry)^— en- (Common Saint-foin) 

 closed in the fleshy tube of the calyx (hip of the 

 Rose) — or a pome (apple). A large and important Order, con- 

 taining about a thousand species, many of which, either in a wild 

 or cultivated state, pi'oduce excellent fruit — Cherries, Plums, 

 Almonds, Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots, Strawberries, Raspberries, 

 Blackberries, Apples, Pears, and Quinces, all belong to this Order. 

 It is to be noted, however, that valuable as these fruits are, the 

 leaves, bark, flowers, and seeds of many abound in a deadly poison, 

 called hydrocyanic or prussic acid. The variety of form displayed 

 by the fruit of the Rose Tribe has afforded a facility for sub- 

 dividing the Order into several Sub-orders, or Groups, the characters 

 of which are subjoined. 



Siih-order I. — Amygdat.e.e. — The Almond Group 



In plants belonging to this division the pistil is solitary, and the 

 fruit when ripe is a drupe, that is, a single seed enclosed in a hard 

 case, which is itself surrounded b}' a fleshy or juicy pulp, with an 

 external rind or cuticle ; the bark often yields gum, and prussic acid 

 is generally abundant in the leaves and seeds. They are shrubs or 

 trees, and inhabit the cold and temperate regions of the northern 

 hemisphere. Examples of the deadly properties residing in these 

 plants are afforded by the leaves of the common Laurel, Prumis 

 Laitro-cernsus, even the vapour of which is destructive to insect life. 

 The oil of Bitter Almonds is extremely poisonous, and many in- 

 stances are recorded of its fatal effects. But notwithstanding the 

 presence of this destructive principle in the leaves and other parts 



