310 MANUAL OF BOTANY 



hypogynous, very irregular Sepals 3—5, very irregular, decidu- 

 ous, with an imbricate aestivation, the odd one spurred. Petals 

 5, or more usually 4, 1 being abortive : distinct or irregularly 

 united, deciduous, alternate with the sepals ; cestivation con- 

 volute. Stamens 5, alternate with the petals, and somewhat 

 imited. Disc none. Ovary composed of 5 carpels, united so 

 as to form a 5-celled compound body ; style simple ; stigma 

 more or less divided into 5 lobes. Fruit usually capsular, 5- 

 celled, and dehiscing in a septifragal manner by 5 elastic valves, 

 which become coUed up ; sometimes succulent and indehiscent ; 

 placentas axile. Seeds solitary or numerous, suspended, ex- 

 albuminous ; embryo straight. 



Diagnosis. — Succulent herbaceous plants, with simple ex- 

 stipulate leaves. Stems continuous and not 

 Fig. 1080. separable at the nodes. Flowers hypogynous, 



very irregular. Sepals 3 — 5 ; petals usually 4 ; 

 both irregular and deciduous; aestivation of 

 sepals inabricate, that of the petals convolute. 

 Stamens 5. Ovary 5-celled ; style simple. 

 Fruit 5-celled, usually bursting with elasticity, 

 without a beak. Seeds suspended, exalbu- 

 minous. This order is included hy Bentham 

 and Hooher in Oeraniacece. 



Distribution and Numbers. — A few are 

 scattered over the globe ; but they are chiefly 



Fig. 1080. Capsule of °**"'^', °^ *^^ ^''^'^^' S^owmg generally in 

 Touoh-me-not dm- damp shady places and where the temperature 

 fjfr7"UTrT.m"^ i^ moderate. Illustrative Genus .--Impati- 

 coiled-np valves. ens, Linn. There are about 110 species. 



Properties and Uses. — They are said by 

 De Candolle to be diuretic, but their properties are generally 

 unimportant. 



Order 91. VmANiACE.s;, the Viviania Order. — Diagnosis. 

 These plants are readily known among the Disciflorae by their 

 exstipulate leaves, regular flowers, valvate 10-ribbed calyx, per- 

 manent withering twisted petals, 10 hypogynous stamens with 

 distinct filaments, 2-celled anthers with longitudmal dehiscence, 

 superior 3-celled ovary, 3-celIed capsule with loculicidal dehis- 

 cence, and albuminous seeds with a curved embryo and radicle 

 next the hilum. This order is included by Bentham and Hooker 

 in Geraniacece. 



Distribution arid Nurnhers.-~T!\iey 'vahahitCh.i[i and South 



