CRUCIFERZ. 375 
bate. When at maturity this ovary presents two cells. It is, 
however, unilocular when young, with two parietal placentz, 
filled with ovules. At a certain period of its development it has 
only one gland starting from one of these two parietal placenta, 
and advancing towards the interior it meets the gland of the oppo- 
site placenta and is joined to it, and this constitutes a dissepiment 
which separates the ovarian cavity into two compartments. When 
arrived at maturity this ovary becomes a siligua, as the long pod 
of the Cruciferse is termed; when these seeds, which are destitute 
of albumen, enclose an embryo with flat cotyledons and lateral 
roots, that is to say folded upon the commissure of the cotyledons, 
or face by which the carpels adhere. 
We have already said that the family of the Cruciferee is con- 
structed upon one great common type. ‘There are nevertheless 
some secondary characters, arising from the regularity or irregu- 
larity of the corolla, the shape of the fruit and of the embryo, 
which serve to distinguish the different genera ; for example, the 
lberis have two petals much larger than the others. Then the 
fruit, which in the Wallflower isa siliqua, is a silicula, or as broad 
- long, in the Thlaspi, when it becomes Lomentaceous ; 7.¢. an 
indehiscent legume in the Raphanus, monospermous and indehis- 
cent in the Jsatis, &c. With regard to the embryo, the radicle 
does not always fold upon the commissure of the two cotyledons 
as it does in the Wallflower; it is sometimes folded upon their 
k, as in the Jsatis, whose cotyledons are not level, but are 
folded longitudinally, and rolled back upon themselves. Among the 
more remarkable plants belonging to this vast vegetable family, we 
will mention the Cochleria officinalis, which is a most powerful 
antiscorbutic ; the Garden Cress (Lepidium sativium) ; the Water- 
cress, (Nasturtium Officinale); the Horse radish (Cochlearia 
amoracia) ; the Radish (Raphanus sativus), of which two varie- 
tes (the turnip and long Radish) appear at our tables; the © 
long Cabbage (the fleshy roots of which are a little acid and 
Sweetish) ; the Colza (Brassica oleifera), the seeds of which 
h an excellent lamp-oil; the Garden Cabbage (Brassica 
oleracea), which furnishes us with the Cabbage, the Cauliflower, 
the Brocoli; the Black Mustard (Sixapis nigra), the seeds of 
which afford a volatile oil, to which they owe their exciting 
