470 MANUAL OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



lent, opening at the point ; seeds exalbumin- 

 ous ; embryo taper. Inhabit Europe and 

 Western Asia, also Southern Africa and Cali- 

 fornia. (Resedaeece, De Cand.) 



3. Family. — Cruciferous - plants (Brassicacese). 



Herbs, rarely under -shrubs ; leaves alter- 

 nate ; flowers generally racemose, usually 

 yellow or white ) sepals four, deciduous, val- 

 vate or imbricate ; petals four, cruciate, alter- 

 nate ; stamens six, tetradynamous ; torus 

 glandular ; ovary 1 -celled ; placentae parietal ; 

 stigmas two ; fruit a silique or a silicule, 1- 

 celled, usually dehiscing by two valves ; al- 

 bumen none. Chiefly European, but found 

 also more sparingly in most temperate and 

 sub-tropical countries. Most are anti-scor- 

 butic; comprise many well-known plants, as 

 the Cabbage, Cauliflower, Turnip, Eadish, 

 Cress, Horse-radish, Mustard, Scurvy-grass, 

 Woad, &c. (Oruciferce, Juss.) 



4. Family. — Rock - Roses (Cistacese). Shrubs or 



herbs ; leaves opposite or alternate, stipulate 

 or exstipulate ; flowers racemose, white, yel- 

 low, or red, very fugacious ; sepals 3-5, per- 

 sistent, unequal ; petals five, rarely three, 

 caducous, twisted in an opposite way to that 

 of the sepals ; stamens usually indefinite, dis- 

 tinct ; ovary syncarpous, 1- or many-celled ; 

 ovules orthotropal; style single; stigma sim- 

 ple ; fruit capsular, 3-5-10-valved ; embryo 

 inverted, spiral or curved ; albumen horny. 



