OF ORNAMENTAL EXOTIC PLANTS. 
83 
OTHER GENERA BELONGING TO THE ORDER RUTACE^. 
AITONIA CAPENSIS Un. 
A little Cape shrub of very slow growth, with piuk flowers and ornamental seed-vessels, which are dry and 
angular, and when ripe of a fine deep pink. This plant was introduced in the year 1774, but it is now very 
seldom to be met with, as it does not readily strike from cuttings, and very seldom ripens seeds in this country. 
It was named in honour of W. Aiton, Esq., the author of the “ Hortus Kewensis.” 
ZIERIA Smith. 
This genus was named by Sir J. E. Smith in honom’ of a Polish botanist, named Zier. It contains several 
pretty little shrubs, natives of Australia, one of which {Z. Icevigata) is decidedly ornamental. All the species have 
white flowers, but none of them, excepting the one mentioned, can be considered worthy of cultivation at the 
present day, when so many much more ornamental flowers are common in our greenhouses. 
CHAPTER XXIV. 
LEGUMINOS^ Juss. 
Essential Character. — Calyx constantly of five sepals, wliich are 
more or less connected at the base, forming a five-cleft or five-toothed 
calyx, never five-sepalled in the strict sense of the word ; it is, how- 
ever, sometimes composed of one or two sepals, fi'om coalition or 
abortion ; the segments or teeth of the calyx usually unequal, sometimes 
connected into two lips ; the upper lip bidentate, the lower one trifid. 
Petals usually five, generally unequal, inserted in the bottom of the 
calyx, rarely in the torus, usually variously imbricated in sestivation, 
rarely valvate, generally free, rarely joined into a gamopetalous corolla 
(sometimes, however, the petals are wanting, and sometimes the corolla 
is formed of one, two, three, or four petals only). Stamens inserted 
with the petals, usually double the number of the petals, rarely triple 
or quadruple that number or fewer, sometimes all free, sometimes 
variously connected or monadelphous, with the staminiferous tube 
entire, or cleft in front, or diadelphous, usually with nine joined and 
one free, rarely joined in two equal bundles, containing five stamens 
each, and more rarely connected into three bodies. Anthers two- 
celled, sometimes some of them are changed into abortive threads. 
Ovary oblong or ovate, sessile or stipitate, usually free, rarely with the 
stipe adnate to the calyx. Style filiform, rising from the top of the 
upper suture of the ovary, crowned by a terminal or lateral stigma. 
Legume usually two-valved, membranous, coriaceous, rarely fleshy 
or drupaceous, dehiscent or indehiscent, one-celled, sometimes longitu- 
dinally two-celled, from the upper suture being bent in so much, or 
often transversely many-celled, in consequence of the seeds being sepa- 
rated by a spongy or membranous substance, often separating into one- 
celled joints. Seeds usually numerous, rarely solitary or twin from 
abortion, fixed to the upper suture of the legume, alternately inserted 
in both valves, usually oval or kidney-shaped, hanging by various- 
shaped funicles, rarely expanded into an aril. Testa or spermaderm 
smooth, usually very smooth and hard. Endopleura usually tumid, 
appearing like albumen. Embryo sometimes straight, sometimes with 
the radicle curved hack upon the edge of the cotyledons, and lying in 
the commissure formed by them ; but in either case the radicle is 
directed towards the hilum. Cotyledons leafy, changing through ger- 
mination ; or fleshy (the flesh farinaceous or oily) ; in a few they are 
exserted from the spermaderm, others are inclosed in it, as the common 
Pea, never changing through germination. ((?. Don.) 
Description, &c. — Almost all the Leguminosse have veiy ornamental flowers, and generally compound leaves. 
The characteristic of the order is, that the seed-vessel is a pod. The flowers are of three kinds, the most numerous 
of which are what are called papilionaceous, or hutterfly-shaped, the flowers resemhling those of the Pea. Another 
} division has the flowers with nearly equal petals ; and the third has the flowers in halls or tufts, like the Mimosa 
or true Acacia. These divisions or sub-orders are so distinct, that it will be necessary to describe them separately. 
SUB-ORDER I.— PAPILIONACE^. 
The type of the flowers of this tribe may be considered the flowers of the Sweet Pea, which consist of a small 
