NATURAL FAMILIES. 
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covering the stamens, and that the lower lip hangs down so that 
you can see the inside of the corolla. If you pull out the corol- 
la you will take the stamens along with it, the filaments being 
attached to it, as they usually are to monopetalous corollas. 
The corolla has a circular opening at the bottom, through which 
the pistil grew from the receptacle. 
You have already been informed that the labiate flowers be- 
long chiefly to the class Didynamia. The ringent division of 
plants belongs to the order Gymnospermia, having four seeds, 
lying naked in the calyx. The personate division belongs to 
the order Angiospermia, having the seeds enclosed in a capsule 
until they are ripe, when the capsule opens spontaneously, and 
disperses them. 
The ringent flowers generally grow in whorls or circles and 
at the upper part of an angular stem, the leaves standing oppo- 
site. These plants are never poisonous. Among them we find 
many aromatic plants, the peppermint, lavender, savory, marjo- 
rum, thyme, &c ; also many herbs which are useful in sickness, 
as pennyroyal, catmint, horehound, &c ; the scullcap (Scutel- 
laria,) which has been said to be a remedy for the hydrophobia, 
the modest ianthus, (blue gentian,) and a little flower of a most 
beautiful blue colour called Trichostema, or blue purls. 
The personate division affords some very splendid flowers, as 
the painted cup, (Bartsia,) the beautiful Gerardia, American fox- 
glove, and the magnificent bignonia, (Trumpet flower.j The 
plants of this family seem to be somewhat allied to those of the 
class Pentandria ; in many of these, as in the snapdragon, (An- 
tirrhinum,) the Penstemon, &c., there exist the rudiments of a 
fifth stamen, in accordance with the five divisions of the calyx 
and corolla. Some plants of this division of the Labiate family 
are poisonous, as the foxglove and snapdragon. 
Class 9. 
Dicotyledons. Corolla monopetalous perigynous (around 
the genera.) The calyx is of one leaf and supports the corolla. 
In this class we treat with the family Companulaceae ; its prin- 
cipal genus is campanula, a term derived from the Latin signify- 
ing a little bell. The bell-form corollas have mostly a calyx 
above the germ ; regular corolla, inserted into the top of the ca- 
lyx ; stamens 5, inserted into the same part under the corolla, al- 
ternating with its divisions; style; capsule usually 3 celled, 
bursting laterally. 
Plants with ringent flowers never poisonous — Those with personate flow- 
ers sometimes poisonous. Class ninth — Corolla monopetalous, perigynous 
— Campanulacese. 
