CRUCIFEROUS PLANTS. 
and the cold of the arctic zone; anda very large 
proportion, particularly of the most useful gen- 
era, are natives of the several countries of Hu- 
rope. About eight times as many exist in the 
northern hemisphere as in the southern; and 
about ten times as many in the old world, inclu- 
sive of Polynesia, as in the new. A few ascend 
near the limits of perpetual snow; a considera- 
ble number love only waste and open grounds 
unvisited by man; and many range far and wide 
through the domains of agriculture, either as use- 
ful plants or as troublesome weeds. 
The roots of almost all the perennial species 
are thick; and those of almost all the biennial 
and the annual species are slender, straight, and 
unforked. The stems of most are either cylin- 
drical or not very markedly angular, and have a 
ramose conformation, and are woody at the base. 
The leaves of all are simple, and of almost all are 
either radical or alternate. The flowers of all 
are without bracts, and have a calyx of four se- 
pals, and a corolla of four petals and six stamens ; 
and the claws of the petals are long,—the blades 
of the petals are arranged somewhat in the form 
of a Maltese cross, and hence gave to the order 
the designation of Cruciferze or ‘ cross-bearers,’ 
—and four of the stamens are shorter than the 
other two, and hence give to the class the name 
| of Tetradynamia. The fruits are very various in 
form, yet are easily classifiable into siliqua and 
silicula,—the former a linear or long and slender 
pod containing many seeds, and the latter a 
short ‘and roundish pod containing one seed or 
very few seeds; and hence the Linnean class 
Tetradynamia is made to consist of two divi- 
sions, called Siliquose and Siliculosee. The mul- 
titudinousness of the species, and the close re- 
semblances of very many of them to one another, 
long rendered the order intractable to systematic 
arrangement, and perfectly bewildering to stu- 
dents. But De Candolle observed certain con- 
stant differential characters in the mutual rela- 
tions of the cotyledons and the radicles; and 
adopting these as differentia, lucidly broke up 
the whole assemblage into five suborders. Plants 
which have the edge of the cotyledons pressed 
close to the radicle belong to the suborder Pleu- 
rorhizez ; those which have the sides of the co- 
tyledons pressed to the radicle belong to the 
suborder Notorhizesze; those which have the co- 
tyledons incumbent and at the same time condu- 
plicate, or half folded together, belong to the 
suborder Orthoplocese ; those which have the 
cotyledons incumbent and at the same time spi- 
rally twisted belong to the suborder Spirolobee ; 
and those which have the cotyledons incumbent 
and at the same time doubled twice in their 
length belong to the suborder Diplecolobeze. 
The species within Britain are grouped into 88 
genera; and 44 of these genera belong to the 
first suborder, 21 to the second, 18 to the third, 
2 to the fourth, and 3 to the fifth. But 39 of the 
Pleurorhizeze genera form three groups, which 
CRYPTADENIA. 
are represented by respectively the wall-cress, 
the alyssum, and the shepherd’s purse; 17 of the 
Notorhizeze genera form three groups, which are 
represented by respectively rocket, garden-cress, 
and woad; and 17 of the Orthoploceze genera 
form four groups, which are represented by re- 
spectively cabbage, cress-rocket, radish, and zilla. 
A pungent, volatile, oily principle, whose che- 
mical constitution and characters are imperfectly 
known, more or less pervades the sap of all the 
cruciferse ; and when in excess, renders them 
acrid to the animal palate, and violent in action 
upon the animal,—but, when in moderate de- 
gree, either from the constitutional peculiarity 
of the plants, or from the effects of cultivation, 
renders them piquant and grateful to the taste, 
and eminently antiscorbutic in medicinal effect. 
The existence of this principle, in a very hot yet 
palatable condition, is familiarly known in the 
seeds of the mustard-plant and in the roots of 
horse-radish; the action of it, in an agreeably | 
piquant manner, gives their peculiar relish to | 
the foliage of the cresses; and the moderate dif- 
fusion and mild power of it occasion much of the | 
eratefulness of the cruciferous esculents, and ac- | 
count for the efficiency of scurvy-grass, radishes, | 
turnips, and the whole of the cabbage tribe in 
curing or preventing scurvy. All cruciferous 
plants which have a succulent and sappy charac- 
ter, such as turnips, radishes, and cabbages, are 
edible; and some which are disagreeably or too 
violently pungent, are capable of being made 
milder by ordinary cultivation or by blanching. 
A fixed oil occurs in the seeds of all, and abounds 
in the seeds of many; and this, as in the.case of 
the rape, the colza, and various others, can be 
profitably expressed in large quantity, and ap- 
plied to the economical purposes of life. Some 
cruciferze, such as the wall-flowers, the candy- 
tufts, the rockets, and the stocks, are among the 
most prominent, beautiful, and odoriferous of 
the hardy plants of the flower-garden ; many 
more, such as those of the genera arabis, alys- 
sum, aubrietia, barbarea, lunaria, and schizopet- 
alon, are subordinate yet important beauties ; 
and some, such as the drabas, the cardamines, 
and the hutchinsias, are among the most fasci- 
nating specimens of alpine plants. 
CRUPPER. An appendage to a saddle, con- 
sisting of a roll of leather placed beneath the 
horse’s tail, and a strap of leather attaching this 
to a buckle on the hinder part of the saddle. 
CRUSHER. See Bruisiyea. 
CRYPSIS. A genus of grasses, of the phala- 
ris or phleum tribe. Three hardy annual species 
have been introduced to Britain from continen- 
tal Europe; but they attain a height of only 6 
or 8 inches, and possess very little interest. Five 
other species have been scientifically described. 
The name Crypsis signifies ‘hidden,’ and alludes 
to the concealment of the flowers among the 
leaves. 
CRYPTADENTA. A small genus of curious, 
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