Chapter I (3)

The genus Geranium differs from Erodium principally in having the stamens all perfect; but the alternate ones are longer than the others, and have a gland at the base of each. The seed-pod is said to resemble the head of a crane, and when it bursts, the styles, which are smooth inside, curl up round and round like the coil of a rope. The seeds of many of the kinds are beautifully netted. Many of the species are British weeds, and among the commonest of these may be mentioned Herb Robert (_Geranium Robertianum_), and the Meadow Crane’s-bill (_G. pratense_). Dr. Lindley, in his Ladies’ Botany, mentions a curious and beautiful experiment which may be performed by pressing the petals of a Geranium between two pieces of glass which have been previously wetted. He says, that by pressing the two glasses firmly together, all the air may be squeezed out of the petal, and it will become transparent. “You may then,” he adds, “with a pretty good magnifying power, observe all the air-vessels of the veins distinctly, looking like fine threads of silver-wire twisted up like a spiral spring. It is on account of this appearance that the air-vessels are called, technically, spiral vessels.” The experiment appeared to me so easy, and at the same time so interesting, that I tried it, but unfortunately without success; probably owing to the want of power in my microscope.

ORDER LI.—LIMNANTHEÆ.

This little order contains only one plant, _Limnanthes Douglassi_, a pretty Californian annual, with yellow and white flowers. It resembles Geraniaceæ in its botanical construction, but it does not discharge its seeds with elasticity.

ORDER LI.—TROPÆOLACEÆ.—THE NASTURTIUM TRIBE.

The well-known flowers called Nasturtium, or Indian Cress, give their name to this order; which, in fact, consists only of the genus Tropæolum, and an obscure genus not yet introduced. In the flowers of the Nasturtium, the calyx and corolla are of nearly the same colour, but they may be easily distinguished from each other. The calyx is drawn out into a spur behind, and the petals, which are unguiculate, or claw-shaped, are fringed at the base. The leaves and stem are succulent, and have the taste of cress, and hence the plant has received its popular name,—Nasturtium being the botanic name of the water-cress. The Tropæolum has five petals, eight stamens, and three carpels, which are joined together into a trigonal fruit, each carpel containing one seed, which adheres to it. The embryo is large, and fills the whole seed, which is without albumen. The unripe carpels are sometimes pickled, and used as a substitute for capers. The whole plant has not only the taste, but the properties, of cruciferous plants; and even the caterpillars of the cabbage-butterflies feed upon it.

ORDER LII.—BALSAMINEÆ.—BALSAM TRIBE.

Nearly allied to the Geraniums, and resembling them, in the opening of the seed-pods, are the beautiful plants contained in the order Balsamineæ. The two genera best known in British gardens are Balsamina and Impatiens. The common Balsam (_Balsamina hortensis_), has a small green calyx of two sepals; there are four petals, one of which is drawn out into a short spur at the base. There are five stamens, each bearing a two-celled anther. The ovary is one-celled, but it separates into five valves, when the seeds are ripe, bursting with elasticity, and the valves curling inwardly from the apex to the base. There are five stigmas, quite distinct from each other, and appearing just above the ovary, without any style; and the peduncles are simple and one-flowered.

The genus Impatiens, which contains the common Noli-me-tangere, or Touch-me-Not, and other similar plants, though it agrees with Balsamina in having five anthers, has only three of them with two cells, the others having one cell each. The stigmas also are joined together at the base, and the capsule bursts at the slightest touch, the valves coiling up spirally from the base to the apex, and detaching themselves from the plant at the same time that they expel the seeds. The peduncles grow from the axils of the leaves, and they are branched and many-flowered. A separate order, called Hydrocereæ, has been made of one of the species of Impatiens (_I. natans_). It is an aquatic plant, a native of the East Indies.

ORDER LIII.—OXALIDEÆ.—THE WOOD-SORREL TRIBE.

The flowers of all the species of Oxalis, the Wood-sorrel, are very pretty. The flowers have five regular petals, each furnished with a claw; and the petals are spirally twisted in the bud. There are ten stamens, and five styles. The capsule is five-celled, and five or ten valved, the valves opening lengthways. Most of the species are natives of South America, and greenhouse plants in England.

ORDER LIV.—ZYGOPHYLLEÆ.—THE BEAN-CAPER TRIBE.

The flowers of the Bean-caper are usually yellow; and the five petals are long, narrow, and placed widely apart. The botanic name of Zygophyllum signifies “with the leaves in pairs,” and this is the case to a remarkable degree. _Fagonia cretica_ is a very pretty plant, with purple flowers very much like those of Clarkia; and _Guiacum_, the Lignum Vitæ, is remarkable for the hardness of its wood and the gum it produces. Melianthus belongs to this order.

ORDER LV.—RUTACEÆ.—THE RUE TRIBE.

This order has been divided into four sections; three of which contain well-known plants, and have been divided into three orders by many botanists. The Rue (_Ruta graveolens_) is well known from its strong and disagreeable smell, which is produced by the oil secreted in transparent cells in the leaves, which have the appearance of dots, when the leaves are held up to the light. The leaves are of a bluish green, and the flowers of a greenish yellow; the latter growing in cymes at the end of the branches. There are four sepals, four petals, and eight stamens. There are four carpels, seated on an elevated receptacle, and each containing one cell, which grow into a four-celled fruit. In Fraxinella (_Dictamnus_) the petals are unequal; there are ten stamens, one style, and the carpels are two-seeded. In Diosma there are only five stamens, the style is arched, and the capsule consists of five-horned carpels. In Corræa the leaves are opposite; there are eight stamens, and the four petals grow together into a tube at the base; and in Crowea there are five sepals, five petals, and ten stamens; the leaves are also alternate. The Diosmas have as strong a scent as the Rue, and a perfume is made from them called Bucku at the Cape of Good Hope, of which country they are natives.

The section Zanthoxyleæ contains the Zanthoxylum, also called the Toothache Tree, or Prickly Ash, a native of North America, the bark of which is very fragrant, and is said to be a cure for toothache and rheumatism; Ptelea or Shrubby Trefoil; and _Ailantus glandulosa_. _Zanthoxylum fraxineum_ has very pretty pinnate leaves, and small purple flowers; _Ptelea trifoliata_ has curiously winged fruit, which resemble those of the elm; and the Ailantus has remarkably long compound leaves, one leaf having been known to have fourteen pairs of leaflets, and to be upwards of three feet long. The two following orders are included in Rutaceæ by some botanists.

ORDER LVI.—SIMARUBACEÆ.

_Quassia amara_, the bark of which is sometimes used as a substitute for hops, is perhaps the best known plant belonging to this order. All the species are trees or shrubs, natives of tropical America, with bitter bark, milky juice, and pinnated leaves.

ORDER LVII.—OCHNACEÆ.

Tropical shrubs with yellow flowers and shining leaves; seldom seen in British hothouses.

ORDER LVIII.—CORIAREÆ.

Only one species of this order is common in British gardens, viz. _Coriaria myrtifolia_; the leaves of which are astringent, and used in dyeing black, and the berries are poisonous.

§ II.—Calycifloræ.

The plants comprised in this division have their petals and stamens inserted in the calyx, or in a lining of it formed by the dilated receptacle.

ORDER LIX.—CELASTRINEÆ.

This order is divided into three sections, each containing well-known plants. The first of these takes its name from _Staphylæa pinnata_, the Bladder-nut. In the flowers of this plant the calyx is in five divisions, and white tinged with pink, so as to be scarcely distinguishable from the corolla. There are two or three carpels, which are surrounded by the receptacle, and the styles of which adhere slightly together. The capsule is bladdery, and consists of two or three cells, each containing one smooth, brownish, bony seed, which looks as though one end had been cut off at the hilum. The leaves are compound, each having five leaflets. The second section contains, among other plants, the Spindle-tree (_Euonymus europæus_), Cassine, and the Staff tree (_Celastrus scandens_). The Euonymus has small whitish-green inconspicuous flowers; but it is remarkable for the beauty of its capsules, which are fleshy, and of a bright rose-colour, while the seeds, which are of a bright orange, are enwrapped in a covering called an aril, by which they remain attached to the capsule after the valves have opened. Each capsule has five cells and five seeds, and each seed has a little white stalk attached to its aril, like the funicle of a pea. There are several species. The Celastrus is a climbing shrub, remarkable for its clusters of flowers, but which has nothing else to recommend it. The third section, Aquifoliaceæ, is made a separate order, under the name of Ilicineæ, or Aquifoliaceæ, by many botanists; some of whom place it in the sub-class Corollæfloræ, because the petals are connected at the base. The most common plants that it contains are included in the genera Ilex and Prinos. In _Ilex aquifolium_, the Holly, the corolla (_a_ in _fig._ 135), is in four or five petals connected at the base; there are four stamens, the cells of the anthers of which adhere to the sides of the filament (_b_). The berry (_c_) is four-celled, each cell containing a one-seeded nut. The leaves (_d_) are simple, and smooth, shining and prickly at the edges, which are curved upwards. Prinos, the Winter-berry, is a little evergreen shrub, with red berries.

ORDER LX.—RHAMNACEÆ.

The most interesting genera in this order are Paliurus, Zizyphus, Rhamnus, and Ceanothus. Christ’s Thorn (_Paliurus aculeatus_) is easily known by its crooked prickly stem, and its singular fruit, which, from its resembling a head with a broad flat hat on, the French call, Porte-chapeau. The flowers are yellow, but they are too small to be ornamental. _Zizyphus Jujuba_ differs from Paliurus chiefly in its fruit, which resembles a small plum, and from the fruit of which the Jujube lozenges are made. There are numerous species of Rhamnus, some of which are trailing-shrubs, and others low trees. Some of the species, such as _R. Alaternus_, are evergreen shrubs, very useful in town-gardens, as they are not injured by smoke; others, such as the Purging Buckthorn (_R. catharticus_), have deciduous, rough, feather-nerved leaves, and the branchlets terminating in a thorn. The berries of the plants in this division are sold for dyeing yellow, under the name of French or Avignon berries. Another division includes the species which are without thorns. All these plants have their male and female flowers distinct. The last division of Rhamnus has perfect flowers, and dark-purple berries, as for example, the Berry-bearing Alder (_R. frangula_). The genus Ceanothus is well known from the beautiful _C. azureus_. The other species have generally the same kind of terminal, upright panicles of feathery flowers, but they are very inferior in beauty. _C. americanus_, which has white flowers, is sometimes called American Red-root, or New Jersey Tea.

ORDER LXI.—BRUNIACEÆ.

Small heath-like shrubs, natives of the Cape of Good Hope.

ORDER LXII.—SAMYDEÆ.

Tropical shrubs or trees with dotted leaves, and inconspicuous flowers.

ORDER LXIII.—HOMALINEÆ.

This order contains the handsome evergreen half-hardy shrub, _Aristotelia Macqui_; the flowers are insignificant, but the berries are black, acid, and eatable, and the leaves are smooth, shining, and so abundant as to render the plant an excellent screen.

ORDER LXIV.—CHAILLETIACEÆ.

African plants, with panicles of small white flowers, and simple leaves.

ORDER LXV.—AQUILARINEÆ.

Trees, natives of Asia, little known in England.

ORDER LXVI.—TEREBINTHACEÆ.—THE TURPENTINE TRIBE.

This order is divided by De Candolle into seven sections; viz., 1. Anacardiaceæ, including the Cashew-nut (_Anacardium_), the Mango (_Mangifera_), and the Turpentine trees (_Pistacia_); 2. Sumachineæ, which contains _Rhus_, _Schinus_, and _Duvaua_: 3, Spondiaceæ, containing the Hog-plum (_Spondias_); 4. Burseraceæ, including the Jamaica Birch (_Bursera_), and the Balm of Gilead tree (_Balsamodendron_); 5. Amyrideæ, the West Indian Balsam tree (_Amyris_); 6. _Spatheliaceæ_, the West Indian Sumach (_Spathelia_); and 7. Connaraceæ, containing Omphalobium, and other exotic genera. Of these modern botanists make five distinct orders, viz., Anacardiaceæ, including the first, second, and fifth sections; Amyrideæ, Spondiaceæ, Burseraceæ, and Connaraceæ. Ptelea, which was originally included in this order, is now generally placed in Xanthoxylaceæ.

The plants contained in this order have in some cases perfect flowers, and in others, the male and female flowers on different plants. They all abound in a resinous gum; that from the Mastic tree (_Pistacia Lentiscum_), and several of the species of Rhus, is used for making varnish; the gum of the Turpentine tree (_P. Terebinthus_) is the Chian or Cyprus turpentine. The flowers are small, and generally produced in panicles, the petals are sometimes wanting. The leaves are alternate, without stipules, and often compound. The flowers have generally five petals, and five or ten stamens; and the fruit is drupaceous, or capsular, varying in the different genera. In Anacardium, the peduncle which supports the Cashew-nut is fleshy and pear-shaped, so as to resemble a fruit more than the nut itself. The Mango has a fleshy drupe, with a woody, fibrous stone or nut. In Pistacia, the fruit is a dry drupe inclosing a nut, which is eatable in _P. vera_. Both the male and female flowers in this genus are handsome, though without petals, from the anthers being yellow, and the stigmas crimson. The different species of Sumach, or Rhus, are all poisonous; and the Venetian Sumach (_Rhus cotinus_) is remarkable from the appearance presented by its flower-stalks in autumn; as all the flower-stalks which do not bear fruit dilate, after the flowers have dropped, and become covered with a great quantity of white cottony hair, which makes each panicle resemble a powdered wig; and hence, the French call the tree _Arbre à perruque_.

ORDER LXVII.—LEGUMINOSÆ.—(SEE CHAP. II. IN P. 35.)

The plants belonging to this order have alternate leaves, which are generally compound, and frequently have the common petiole tumid; they have also two stipules at the base of the petiole, and frequently two others to each leaflet. The pedicels are usually articulated, and the flowers are furnished with small bracts. The flowers have a five-parted calyx, and a corolla, sometimes papilionaceous, and sometimes spreading, which has never more than five petals, though it has frequently less. The fruit is a legume, though sometimes, when there is only one seed, it has the appearance of a drupe. There are eleven sections given in De Candolle’s Prodromus, viz., 1. _Sophoreæ_, the Sophora tribe; 2. _Loteæ_, the Lotus tribe; 3. _Hedysareæ_, the Sainfoin tribe; 4. _Vicieæ_, the Vetch tribe, (including the Pea and Bean); 5. _Phaseoleæ_, the Kidney-bean tribe; 6. _Dalbergia_, the Gum-dragon tribe; 7. _Swartzia_; 8, _Mimoseæ_, the Mimosa tribe; 9. _Geoffrea_, the Earth-nut tribe, (including the Earth-nut _Arachis_, and the Tonquin Bean, _Dipterix_); 10. _Cassieæ_, the Cassia tribe; and 11. _Detarieæ_. Some botanists include Moringa, the Horse-radish tree, in Leguminosæ, but others make it a separate order under the name of Moringeæ.

ORDER LXVIII.—ROSACEÆ.—(SEE CHAP. III. IN P. 50.)

The flowers have five sepals, combined in their lower part into a tube, but divided above into five lobes; and the corolla has generally five petals. There are numerous carpels, which are usually inclosed in the fleshy tube of the calyx. The ovary is one-celled, and there is seldom more than one seed, and scarcely ever more than two. The leaves are alternate, generally compound, and always furnished with stipules. De Candolle divides the order into eight tribes, viz., 1. _Chrysobalaneæ_; 2. _Amygdalineæ_; 3. _Spiraceæ_; 4. _Neuradeæ_; 5. _Dryadæ_, or _Potentilleæ_; 6. _Sanguisorbeæ_; 7. _Roseæ_; and 8. _Pomaceæ_. Of these, the first, second, third, and eight, are made separate orders; the fifth, sixth, and seventh are retained in Rosaceæ. Neuradeæ was first removed to Ficoideaceæ, and afterwards made a separate order; and another order has been made, called Quillageæ, including only the genera Kageneckia and Quillaja.

ORDER LXIX.—CALYCANTHACEÆ.

There are only two genera in this order, both of which are remarkable for the fragrance of their flowers. The American Allspice (_Calycanthus floridus_) is a shrub, with very dark blackish purple flowers, which botanists consider to be all calyx, the plants in this order having no petals. The lobes of the calyx are somewhat leathery in texture, and lanceolate in form; they are very numerous, and they are disposed in several rows, like scales. The stamens are numerous, but only the outer twelve are fertile, and they soon fall off. The peduncle is thickened below the flower; and the receptacle is dilated, and drawn out over the carpels, which are arranged in it like those of the rose, which they closely resemble, but are much larger. The leaves are opposite and feather-nerved. _Chimonanthus fragrans_, so well-known for its beautiful yellowish flowers, which are produced about Christmas, belongs to this order. In this plant the lobes of the calyx are oval, and not nearly so numerous as in Calycanthus; the outer lobes look like bracts. The stamens are less numerous, and not deciduous; and only five are fertile, which are united at the base. This plant was formerly called _Calycanthus præcox_.

ORDER LXX.—GRANATEÆ.

This order has only one genus and two species. The Pomegranate (_Punica Granatum_) has a tubular calyx, with a limb in five or seven divisions, and the same number of petals as there are segments to the calyx. The calyx and corolla are both of the same colour. When the petals fall, the tube of the calyx swells, and becomes a many-celled berry, the limb of the calyx remaining on, and forming a kind of crown to the fruit. The cells are divided into two parts, and they contain a great number of seeds which are plunged in a juicy pulp. The other species, _P. nana_, only differs in being a dwarf plant, and in the leaves being narrower. The Pomegranate was formerly included in Myrtaceæ.

ORDER LXXI.—MEMECYLEÆ.

Tropical trees and shrubs, with white or purplish flowers, and eatable fruit.

ORDER LXXII.-COMBRETACEÆ.

This order is well-known from the two beautiful climbing stove-plants, _Combretum purpureum_, and _Quisqualis indica_. The flowers of the former are disposed in racemes, which have a peculiarly light and graceful appearance, from the great length of their stamens; and as they are of a brilliant scarlet, the name of Purpureum is very ill applied to the species. The flowers of _Quisqualis indica_ have a very long slender tube to the calyx, and five velvet-like petals, which vary in colour from a yellowish white to red, changing in the course of one day.

ORDER LXXIII.—VOCHYSIEÆ.

Brazilian trees and shrubs, with yellow flowers, and stipulate, feather-nerved leaves.

ORDER LXXIV.—RHIZOPHOREÆ.

The Mangroves (_Rhizophora_) are tropical trees, growing in the soft mud of rivers, particularly in that of the Niger, so that, when the rivers are full, they appear to grow out of the water. The seeds have the singular property of germinating in the capsule, and sending down long roots while yet hanging on the tree, the branches of which thus appear, at a little distance, as if covered with long white strings. All the genera belonging to this order require a stove in England.

ORDER LXXV.—LOPHIREÆ.

The only plant contained in this order is a beautiful shrub from Sierra Leone, with terminal corymbs of white flowers, and coriaceous leaves.

ORDER LXXVI.—ONAGRARIÆ.—(SEE CHAP. IV. IN P. 75.)

The tube of the calyx generally adheres to the ovary, and its limb is usually two or four lobed, the lobes frequently adhering together. The petals are either four, or equal in number to the lobes of the calyx; they are inserted in the mouth of the tube, and are twisted in the bud. The fruit is generally a capsule, or a berry, with two or four cells; and there are numerous seeds. The leaves vary considerably, and are sometimes alternate, and sometimes opposite, but never compound. De Candolle divides this order into six sections: viz. 1. _Montinieæ_; 2. _Fuchsieæ_; 3. _Onagreæ_, containing the Evening Primrose (_Œnothera_), and the French Willow Herb (_Epilobium_); 4. _Jussieuæ_; 5. _Circææ_, including the Enchanter’s Nightshade (_Circæa_), and _Lopezia_; and 6. _Hydrocaryes_, containing the Water-caltrops (_Trapa natans_). This last section is sometimes made a separate order.

ORDER LXXVII.—HALORAGEÆ, OR CERCODIANÆ.

Most of the plants in this order are British weeds; as for example, the Water Milfoil (_Myriophyllum_), Water Starwort (_Callitriche_), and Mare’s-tail (_Hippuris_); but some are natives of North America, China, &c., and one genus has lately been discovered in Australia, which Dr. Lindley has named _Loudonia aurea_, and which is a large shrub, with corymbs of golden yellow flowers.

ORDER LXXVIII.—CERATOPHYLLEÆ.

British weeds called Hornwort.

ORDER LXXIX.—LYTHRARIEÆ, OR SALICARIÆ.

The principal plants in this order that are interesting to amateurs, are included in the genera Lythrum, Cuphea, Heimia, Lawsonia, and Lagerstrœmia. The genus Lythrum contains all those showy British plants which are called the Willow Herbs. The flowers are purple, and the petals, which are four or six in number, are crumpled in the bud. The stamens are either the same number as the petals, or twice the number, and the capsule is two-celled. The calyx, as in all the plants included in this order, is tubular, with numerous lobes; and the petals soon fall off. Cuphea is a genus principally of annual plants, with six or seven dark purple petals, unequal in size, and curiously inserted in the calyx. Heimia is a genus of South American shrubs, with yellow flowers. Lawsonia inermis produces the Henna, which the ladies of the East use to dye the palms of their hands pink; and Lagerstrœmia is a beautiful conservatory tree, with handsome flowers. This plant is sometimes called the pride of India.

ORDER LXXX.—TAMARISCINEÆ.—THE TAMARISK TRIBE.

There are very few plants in this order, and the only ones common in British gardens are the French Tamarisk (_Tamarix Gallica_), and the German Tamarisk (_Tamarix_, or _Myriacaria Germanica_); both of which are easily recognized by their light airy branches, (which when young are covered with closely imbricated leaves, though the leaves drop off as the wood ripens,) and their terminal erect spikes of whitish or pink flowers. The seeds are large, and are each furnished with a tuft of hairs at the end of a kind of stalk. These plants are very suitable for planting near the sea, as they are uninjured by the sea-breeze.

ORDER LXXXI.—MELASTOMACEÆ.

This order consists of showy exotic plants, most of which require a stove in Britain, and which are easily known by their leaves being marked with two or more deep lines running parallel to the midrib. They are all free-growing plants, with very handsome flowers, which are generally purple or white.

ORDER LXXXII.—ALANGIEÆ.

There are two genera, Alangium and Marlea, both handsome shrubs, natives of India.

ORDER LXXXIII.—PHILADELPHEÆ.—THE MOCK-ORANGE TRIBE.

There are three genera in this order: viz., Philadelphus, the Mock-Orange or Syringa; Decumaria and Deutzia, all which have white flowers. There are many species of Philadelphus, all of which are easily known by their large white flowers, and large coarse-looking leaves. The flowers of the common species (_P. coronarius_) smell like those of the Orange, and the leaves taste like cucumber. There is only one species of Decumaria (_D. barbara_), which is a native of Virginia and Carolina, and is a climbing shrub, with terminal corymbs of white, sweet-scented flowers. _Deutzia scabra_, though only introduced in 1833, is already common in gardens; and it is a general favourite from the great abundance of its flowers. Though it said to be not a true climber, its stems are too weak to stand without support. It is a native of Japan, and though generally kept in pots, it is supposed to be quite hardy.

ORDER LXXXIV.—MYRTACEÆ.—THE MYRTLE TRIBE.

No plants are more easily recognized than those belonging to this tribe; as they are easily distinguished by their entire leaves, which have no stipules, and which, when held up to the light, appear to be not only full of transparent dots, but to have a transparent line round the margin. The flowers have also abundance of stamens on long slender filaments which look like tufts of silk, and only four or five petals. The whole of the plants are fragrant, and every part of them seems full of an aromatic oil, which is particularly visible in the flower-buds of _Caryophyllus aromaticus_, which when dried form what are commonly called cloves; and in the leaves of some of the kinds of Eucalyptus. The genera may be divided into two sections, viz., those with a dry capsule for the fruit; in which are included _Melaleuca_ and its allied genera, _Eucalyptus, Callistemon, Metrosideros and Leptospermum_; and those with berry-like fruit, the most interesting of which are _Psidium_, the Guava; _Myrtus_, the Myrtle; _Caryophyllus_, the Clove; _Eugenia or Myrtus pimenta_, Jamaica Allspice; and _Jambosa Vulgaris or Eugenia Jambosa_, the Rose Apple. In some of the genera, as for example in Eucalyptus, the sepals of the calyx become detached at the base, and being united above form a sort of cap or calyptra, which is pushed off by the stamens when the flower begins to expand. Besides the plants already enumerated, some botanists add another section to Myrtaceæ, which others consider a separate order; under the name of _Lecythideæ_. This section contains three genera, the most remarkable plants in which are the Cannon Ball-tree (_Lecythis Ollaria_), and the Brazil Nut (_Bertholletia excelsa_). The fruit of this last plant is fleshy, and as large as a child’s head, opening with a lid, and containing sixteen or twenty triangular seeds, laid over each other in a regular manner, which are the Brazil-nuts sold in the shops.

ORDER LXXXV.—CUCURBITACEÆ.—THE GOURD TRIBE.

The plants included in this order have generally the male and female flowers distinct. The calyx is tubular, and generally five-toothed; there are five petals usually connected at the base, and which have strongly marked reticulated veins. There are five stamens, four of which are united so as to form two pairs, with the fifth one free. The anthers are two-celled, and generally very long. There are three or five two-lobed stigmas, which are thick and velvety. The fruit is fleshy, with numerous flat seeds. The leaves are palmate, and very rough; and the plants have succulent stems, and climb by means of their tendrils. The principal genera are, Cucumis, which includes the Melon (_C. melo_), the Cucumber (_C. sativus_), the Mandrake (_C. Dudaim_), the Water Melon (_C. citrullus_), and the Colocynth (_C. colocynthis_); Bryonia, best known by the White Bryony (_B. dioica_); Momordica, including the Balsam Apple (_M. balsamea_), and the Squirting Cucumber (_M. elaterium_); and Cucurbita, including all the kinds of Pumpkin (_C. pepo_), and Vegetable Marrow (_C. ovifera_). To these may be added Lagenaria, the Bottle Gourd; and Trichosanthes, the Snake Gourd, plants far more curious than useful. Some botanists include the Papaw-tree (_Carica Papaya_) in Cucurbitaceæ, but others make it into a separate order under the name of Papayaceæ.

ORDER LXXXVI.—PASSIFLOREÆ.—THE PASSION-FLOWER TRIBE.

The plants belonging to this order may be instantly recognized by the very singular arrangement of the pistil and stamens. The receptacle is raised in the centre of the flower so as to form a long cylindrical stipe, on which is placed the ovary, with its three styles, each ending in a fleshy stigma; a little lower are five stamens, with their filaments growing together round the stipe, and with large anthers which are attached by the back. At the base of the stipe are two or more rows of filaments without anthers, which are called the rays. There are five petals and five sepals; but some botanists consider the whole to be sepals, and that the petals are wanting. The fruit of some of the species is eatable. It is about the size of a large egg, and contains numerous seeds, which are enveloped in a kind of pulp.

ORDER LXXXVI.*—MALESHERBIACEÆ.

This order consists entirely of the plants belonging to the genus Malesherbia; which are mostly annuals, or biennials, with very showy blue or white flowers, introduced from Chili in 1832. The genus was formerly included in Passifloraceæ.

ORDER LXXXVII.—LOASEÆ.

All the species contained in this genus are natives of North America, and most of them are annuals, with very showy flowers. The genera _Loasa_ and _Caiophora_ are covered with glandular hairs or bristles, which sting much worse than those of the nettle. _Bartonia aurea_ is one of the most splendid annuals in cultivation, from its golden yellow flowers; _Blumenbachia_ has the fruit roundish and spirally twisted, and _Caiophora_ has the fruit horn-shaped, and twisted in a similar manner. This curious construction of the fruit may be seen in _C. punicea_, the well known showy climber, generally called _Loasa aurantiaca_, or _lateritia_. The fruit of the true kinds of Loasa is plain and not twisted, as may be seen in _L. nitida_, _L. Placei_, and in short in all the other species of the genus. The flowers of most of the plants in this order are very curiously constructed, there being two sets of petals quite distinct in form and colour, and two sets of stamens. The five outer petals are large and hooded, and in each is cradled a bundle of four or more stamens. These petals and stamens are turned back; but there is a second set of five petals which are generally blotched with red, which stand erect, and enclose a second set of stamens also erect, which surround the style.

ORDER LXXXVIII.—TURNERIACEÆ.

The only genus in British gardens is Turnera, and the species are hothouse and greenhouse herbaceous plants, with flowers very like those of the Bladder Ketmia. On examination, however, it will be immediately seen that they do not belong to the Mallow tribe, as their stamens are distinct, whereas those of all the Malvaceæ are united into a central column.

ORDER LXXXIX.—PORTULACEÆ.—THE PURSLANE TRIBE.

The ornamental plants belonging to this order, are all included in the genera Calandrinia, Portulaca, Talinum, and Claytonia; and those belonging to the first two of these genera have very showy flowers. In all the species the flowers have a distinct calyx, generally of only two sepals, which remains on till the seeds are ripe; and a corolla of five regular petals, which close in the absence of the sun. Each flower has numerous stamens, and a single style with a broad-lobed stigma which, is succeeded by a dry, one-celled capsule, with a central placenta, to which are attached numerous seeds. The capsule opens naturally when ripe by splitting into three or four valves. But the most distinctive mark by which plants belonging to this order can be distinguished from others with similarly shaped flowers, is their remarkably thick fleshy leaves, an example of which may be seen in the leaves of _Calandrinia discolor_; and these succulent leaves render all the ornamental plants belonging to the order peculiarly liable to be destroyed by frost or damp. Some botanists make a second order out of the plants usually included in Portulaceæ, to which they give the name of Fouquieraceæ.

ORDER XC.—PARONYCHIEÆ.

Weedy plants, containing among other genera, Knot-grass (_Illecebrum_), and Strapwort (_Corrigiola_). The new order Scleranthaceæ has been separated from this; and it takes its name from the British weed, Knawel (_Scleranthus_).

ORDER XCI.—CRASSULACEÆ.—THE HOUSELEEK TRIBE.

The common House-leek (_Sempervivum tectorum_) grows, as is well known, on the tiles of houses, or on walls, where there does not appear a single particle of earth to nourish its roots. The leaves are, however, so contrived as to form a cluster of flat scaly circles, and thus to shade and keep moist the roots beneath them. The flowers, which are produced on a tall flower-stem rising from the leaves, are pink, and usually consist of a green calyx, cut into twelve segments, and a corolla of twelve petals, with twelve stamens and twelve carpels, which spread out like a star in the middle of the flower. The number of petals, &c., is by no means constant, as it varies from six to twenty; but the other parts of the flower vary in the same manner, and always agree with each other, except as regards the stamens, which are sometimes twice the number of the petals, and arranged in two series, those in one series being abortive. At the base of each carpel is a kind of scale or gland, and this is the case with most of the genera included in the order. There are several species of Sempervivum, natives of the Canary Isles, which are very ornamental, and which have yellow flowers; but this genus, and that of Sedum, the Stone-crop, have been lately remodelled by Mr. Philip Barker Webb, and some new genera formed out of them. The principal other genera in the order are Crassula and Kalosanthes; the latter having been formed out of the former, and including those species of Crassula which have a tube-shaped corolla, with a spreading limb, divided into five segments, while the flowers of those species which have been left in Crassula have five distinct petals. All the plants belonging to the order have succulent leaves; and in all of them the number of the petals, sepals, and carpels, is the same, and of stamens either the same, or twice as many. In the common Houseleek, the anthers sometimes produce seeds instead of pollen.

ORDER XCII.—FICOIDEÆ.—THE FIG-MARIGOLD TRIBE.

The principal genus in this order is that of Mesembryanthemum, the Fig-marigold. In the species of this genus, the leaves are always thick and fleshy, and sometimes in very singular shapes; and sometimes they are covered with a sort of blistery skin, which makes them look as though covered with ice, as in the Ice-plant (_M. crystallinum_). The leaves, when this is the case, are said to be papulose. Some of the species are annuals, others shrubby, and others perennials; and they are all natives of the Cape of Good Hope. The flowers, which are generally showy, have a green, fleshy, tubular calyx, with a four or five cleft limb, the tubular part of which encloses the ovary; and a corolla of numerous very narrow petals, which are arranged in two or more series. The stamens are very numerous; and the capsule has four or more cells, each of which contains numerous seeds. The valves of the capsule open when the seeds are ripe, if the weather should be dry; but remain firmly closed, so long as the weather continues wet.

The genera Reaumuria and Nitraria, which were formerly included in this order, have been removed from it, and made into separate orders, the latter of which is introduced here; and the genus Grielum, which was formerly included in Rosaceæ was first removed to Ficoideæ, and afterwards made into a separate order, under the name of Neuradiaceæ, which precedes Nitrariaceæ.

ORDER XCIII.—CACTACEÆ.—THE CACTUS TRIBE.

There is perhaps no order in the vegetable kingdom which embraces plants so singular in their forms as those comprehended in this tribe. All the genera, with the exception of Pereskia, are destitute of leaves, but they have all succulent stems which answer the purposes of leaves. The flowers of all the genera are extremely showy; the calyx and corolla are coloured alike, and confounded together; the stamens are numerous, with versatile anthers and very long filaments; the style is generally long and slender, and the stigmas are numerous, and either spreading or collected into a head. The ovary is in the tube of the calyx, and it becomes an eatable fruit, very similar to that of the gooseberry. The genera are all natives of tropical America. The principal kinds are the following: viz. Mammillaria, the stems of which are subcylindrical, and covered with tubercles, which are disposed in a spiral manner; and each of which is crowned with a little tuft of radiating spines mixed with down. The flowers are without stalks, and they are disposed in a kind of zone round the plant. The Melon Thistle or Turk’s-cap (_Melocactus communis_) has a globose stem with deep furrows, the projecting ribs having tubercles bearing tufts of spines. The stem is crowned with a woolly head, from which the flowers are protruded, the flowers themselves resembling those of Mammillaria, but being larger. The Hedgehog Thistles (_Echinocactus_) have stems resembling those of the different species of Melocactus, but they have not the woolly head; and the flowers rise from the fascicles or tufts of spines on the projecting ribs. The Torch-Thistle (_Cereus_) has generally an angular stem with a woody axis, and it has tufts of spines on the projecting angles. It has not a woolly head, and the flowers, which are very large and showy, either arise from the tufts of spines, or from indentations in the angles. The limits of this genus are very uncertain; and several plants which are included in it by some botanists, are placed in other genera by others. The Old-man Cactus was once called _Cereus senilis_, but it is found to have a woolly head of great size, which has very much the appearance of a sable muff, and as, consequently, it cannot belong to that genus, it has been called Pilocereus. This plant is covered with long white hairs, and, when of small size, it looks very much like an old man’s head. In its native country, however, it grows to a great height, and specimens have been imported fifteen feet long, and not more than a foot in circumference. The Peruvian Torch-Thistles (_C. hexagonus_ and _peruvianus_), in their native country, are upwards of forty feet high, though not thicker than a man’s arm. They grow close together without a single branch, and form a singular sort of prickly crest on the summit of some of the mountains in South America. The creeping Cereus (_C. flagelliformis_) has slender cylindrical trailing stems, which hang down on every side when the plant is grown in a pot. The flowers, which are very numerous, are pink. The night-flowering Cereus (_C. grandiflorus_) only opens during the night, and fades before morning; the rays of the calyx are of a bright yellow when open, and the petals are snow-white. The stem is angular, branched, and climbing, throwing out roots at every joint. The common Torch-thistle (_C. speciosissimus_) is an erect plant, with a three or four angled stem, and very large bright crimson flowers, which are purplish inside; and _C. speciosa_, sometimes called _Epiphyllum phylanthoides_, has thin leaf-like stems with beautiful pale rose-coloured flowers. _C. Jenkinsonii_ is a hybrid between the last two species. _C. truncatus_ is another well-known species. Opuntia has stems consisting of round, flat, leaf-like bodies, united together by joints, and generally covered with tufts of spines. The most remarkable species are _O. communis_, the Prickly Pear, grown to a great extent in the South of Europe, and also in Brazil, as hedges, the fruit of which is very good to eat; _O. Tuna_, the Indian Fig, common in South America, and much cultivated there, both as a hedge plant and for its fruit; and _O. cochinillifera_, the Nopal-tree, very much cultivated in Mexico and South America, for the cochineal insect, which feeds upon it. Rhipsalis has slender cylindrical jointed stems, which look like samphire. All these genera have only leaves when quite young, and as soon as the plants begin to grow, the leaves fall off. Pereskia, however, is a genus belonging to this order which has leaves like ordinary plants, which it retains during the whole period of its existence. The principal species are _P. aculeata_, the Barbadoes Gooseberry, and _P. Bleo_, which has beautiful rose-coloured flowers.

ORDER XCIV.—GROSSULARIEÆ.—THE GOOSEBERRY TRIBE.

This order consists of only one genus (_Ribes_), which includes all the Gooseberries and Currants; the two kinds forming two distinct sections. The first section, which embraces all the Gooseberries, has prickly stems, and the flowers are produced singly, or in clusters of not more than two or three together. The flower of the common Gooseberry (_Ribes Grossularia_) consists principally of the calyx (_a_ in _fig._ 136), the five segments of the limb of which are turned back, and coloured of a reddish-brown. The petals (_b_) are white and erect, and bearded at the throat; but they are so small and inconspicuous, that few people would notice them if they were not pointed out. The stamens (_c_) are five in number, and erect, and the anthers burst lengthways on the inside. The ovary (_d_) is below the cup of the calyx, and the style, which is cloven to the base (_e_), is always covered with hairs in the common Gooseberry (_R. Grossularia_), and is more or less hairy in the other species. There are two little bracteoles (_f_) on the pedicel; and a large bract, deeply cut, at the point from which the pedicel springs (_g_). The leaves, which are omitted in the engraving, also grow from the same bud, and are three or five lobed, and hairy; and there are three spines just below them. The fruit is a many-seeded berry, with the seeds immersed in pulp; and on cutting open an unripe fruit, it will be found that the seeds are each inclosed in an aril, with a separate footstalk, by which they are attached to a membrane lining the sides of the berry, and which is called a parietal placenta. The segments of the calyx remain on the ripe fruit. Several of the ornamental species of Ribes belong to this division, as, for example, _R. triflorum_, which has white flowers; and _R. speciosum_, which has crimson flowers, with the segments of the calyx not reflexed, and long projecting stamens like those of the Fuchsia. The fruit and the whole of the stems and branches of this species are covered with spines, and thus the plant is easily distinguished from the common gooseberry, the stem of which has no spines, except three just below each bud.

The Currants are distinguished by the stems being entirely without spines, and the flowers being produced in racemes. The leaves are cordate, and bluntly three or five lobed, a little downy beneath, but smooth above. The flowers of the Red Currant (_Ribes rubrum_) are numerous, and they are produced in drooping racemes, with a little bracteole at the base of each footstalk (see _a_ in _fig._ 137). The calyx is flattish, with the segments (_b_), which are of a pale greenish colour, spreading widely, and not recurved. The anthers (_c_) are loosely attached to the filaments, and they burst sideways and across. The style (_d_) is short, and divided into two spreading stigmas at the apex. The fruit is smooth and transparent, with many seeds, and it retains the remains of the calyx (_e_) when ripe. The white, and the striped or flesh-coloured Currants, are varieties of _R. rubrum_. The Black Currant (_R. nigrum_) has a more compact, and campanulate flower (see _a_ in _fig._ 138), with the segments of the calyx reflexed; the anthers (_b_) are more firmly attached to the filament; the style (_c_) is not cleft, and the stigma is two-lobed and capitate. The fruit (_d_) has a thick opaque skin, and the eye of the calyx is larger; the leaves are also covered on the under surface with glands or cells, filled with a fragrant oil formed by the limb, as shown at (_e_), which represents the appearance of the leaf when held up to the light. There is often a solitary flower on a separate pedicel, at the foot of the raceme; and there are frequently ten stamens instead of five, and no petals, the petals having been changed into stamens—a metamorphose the reverse of that which generally takes place.

The most ornamental kinds of Currant are _R. multiflorum_, with very long drooping racemes of greenish flowers; _R. sanguineum_, the flowers of which are crimson, and somewhat tubular; _R. aureum_, which has the flowers of a golden yellow, and quite tubular; and _R. cereum_, which has roundish leaves covered with white waxy dots on their upper surface, and racemes with few flowers, which are rather large, and of a pure white. A few species, such as _R. saxatile_ and _R. Diacantha_, appear to be intermediate between the Currant and the Gooseberry, as they have the racemes of fruit common to the one, with the spines and habit of growth of the other. There is said to be another species nearly allied to _R. sanguineum_, with dark-purple flowers, which has not yet been introduced.

ORDER XCV.—ESCALLONIACEÆ.

Of the genera included in this order (which were formerly included in Saxifragaceæ), Escallonia is the most important, as it contains several species of ornamental South American shrubs. The flowers of the different species vary considerably: in _E. rubra_, they are produced singly, and the corolla, which is pink, is tubular, with a short, five-cleft limb; but in _E. montevidensis_ the flowers, which are white, are produced in panicles, and have spread petals. The flowers of both species have five stamens, and two carpels, the styles of which are combined. The leaves are simple, alternate, and without stipules. Of the other plants contained in the order, I may mention that _Itea virginica_ is a North American shrub, with white flowers; and _Anopteris glandulosa_, which is also a shrub with white flowers, is a native of Van Diemen’s Land.

ORDER XCVI.—SAXIFRAGACEÆ.

The genus Saxifraga of Linnæus has been divided so as to form several genera; but they do not appear to be generally adopted. The flowers of all the species are rather small, and they are generally racemose, or panicled; and the corolla consists of five spreading petals with short claws, and there are twice that number of stamens. Among the most common species may be mentioned London Pride (_Saxifraga_ or _Robertsonia umbrosa_), and the Meadow Saxifrage (_Saxifraga_ or _Leiogyne granulata_), the flowers of the latter being large, and produced singly. In the genus Hydrangea the flowers are disposed in corymbs, and they have five petals, ten stamens, and from two to five styles; but in the outer flowers of the corymb the stamens and pistil are often wanting.

The genera Galax and Francoa, which were first included in Crassulaceæ, and afterwards in Saxifragaceæ, are now made into a new order called Galacineæ, or Francoaceæ, which is introduced here.

ORDER XCVII.—CUNONIACEÆ.

This order, which was separated from Saxifragaceæ by Dr. Brown, contains principally hothouse plants with erect spicate racemes or panicles of small flowers. Weinmannia, Bauera, and Cunonia are the principal genera.

ORDER XCVIII.—UMBELLIFERÆ—UMBELLIFEROUS PLANTS OR THE PARSLEY TRIBE.

This is a very large order, but it is so natural that no person who has seen Parsley in flower can ever be in any doubt as to an umbelliferous plant. Most of the species are either culinary plants, such as the Parsnep and Carrot, Celery, Parsley, Fennel, &c., or poisonous weeds, such as Hemlock, and the Water Parsnep; and there are very few ornamental plants included in the order: among these few may, however, be mentioned _Didiscus_ or _Trachymena cærulea_, _Eryngium_, and _Bupleurum_ or _Tenoria fruticosum_, _Angelica_, and _Heracleum_. Some of the species of the latter, particularly the Gigantic Siberian Cow Parsnep (_H. asperum_), are perfectly magnificent objects. Notwithstanding the ease with which these plants may generally be recognised, as in some of the allied orders the flowers grow in umbels or cymes, it may be necessary to remark that Dr. Lindley defines umbelliferous plants to consist of those which have their “flowers growing in umbels, with inferior fruit, which, when ripe, separates, or may be separated, into two grains.” Thus the common Dogwood is not an umbelliferous plant, though its flowers grow in umbels, because its fruit is a berry.

ORDER XCIX.—ARALIACEÆ.

The most interesting plant in this order is _Hedera Helix_, the common Ivy; a well-known climbing evergreen shrub, which throws out roots from its branches at intervals, which it strikes into any substance to which it can adhere. The flowers have all their parts in five or ten divisions; even the lower leaves, which are smooth and leathery, are five-lobed. The leaves on the flowering branches, which are always in the upper part of the plant, are entire. The flowers are produced in umbels, and they are succeeded by berries, which, in correspondence with the parts of the flowers, are five or ten celled. The large-leaved variety, called the Irish Ivy, is a native of the Canary Isles; and the gold and silver leaved, and golden berried, are all varieties of the common kind. There are, however, many exotic species, most of which have not yet been introduced. The genus Aralia, known by its two garden species, _A. spinosa_ and _A. japonica_, belongs to this order. The first of these is called the Angelica Tree, and is an old inhabitant of our gardens; but _A. japonica_ is of quite recent introduction.

ORDER XCIX.*—HAMAMELIDEÆ.

The most interesting plants in this order are the Witch Hazel (_Hamamelis virginica_), and _Fothergilla alnifolia_. In the first of these plants, there are four long narrow petals, and the calyx is four-lobed; and there are eight stamens, of which four are fertile, and four barren. There are two styles, and the capsules are leathery and two-celled, and two-valved, with one seed inclosed in an aril in each cell. The Witch Hazel has the peculiarity of coming into flower when it drops its leaves in autumn, remaining in flower all winter, and forming its fruit in spring, just as it is opening its new leaves. The flowers are yellow, and very pretty from their great abundance, and the light feathery effect produced by the great length and narrowness of the petals. The leaves are rough and feather-nerved, like those of the Hazel. Fothergilla is a pretty little shrub with terminal spikes of white flowers with yellow anthers, which are sweet-scented and appear before the leaves.

ORDER C.—CAPRIFOLIACEÆ, OR THE HONEYSUCKLE TRIBE.

This order, as originally constituted, may be divided into three tribes, viz., _Corneæ_, containing _Cornus_, _Benthamia_, and, according to some, _Aucuba_; _Sambuceæ_, containing _Sambucus_ and _Viburnum_; and _Lonicereæ_, containing _Symphoria_, _Caprifolium_, _Lonicera_, _Leycesteria_, _Linnæa_, &c. Cornus, Benthamia, and some other genera, among which Dr. Lindley places Aucuba, are now formed into a separate order, under the name of _Cornaceæ_. The different species of Dogwood (_Cornus_) are known by the smooth bark of their stems and branches, which is frequently red, or reddish brown; by their white flowers, which are produced either in heads, or umbels, or in corymbose panicles; by their red or blackish berries; and by their coarse feather-nerved leaves. The principal species of Cornus are the wild or female Cornel (_C. sanguinea_); the common Dogwood (_C. alba_); the male Cornel, or Cornelian Cherry (_C. mas_); and American Dogwood (_C. florida_). All these plants have a very small four-toothed calyx, and a corolla of four petals. There are four stamens and one style. The fruit is a berry-like drupe. Some of the species, as for example _C. florida_, have a large involucre of four leaves, having the appearance of petals. _Benthamia fragifera_, called by Dr. Wallich _C. capitata_, has an involucre of four leaves of yellow, tinged with red, surrounding a head of small greenish inconspicuous flowers. The fruit consists of a number of drupes, grown together like a Mulberry, with six, eight, or more seeds, surrounded with a viscid pulp. The leaves are long and tapering, of a fine texture, and of a light green above, and silvery white below.

The genus _Sambucus_, the Elder, is characterised by its pinnate leaves and terminal cymes of flowers, which have a small five-lobed calyx, a rotate corolla also five-lobed, five stamens about the length of the corolla, no style, and three obtuse stigmas. The berries are globular, pulpy, and one-celled; each containing three or five seeds, which are convex on the outside, and angular within. The berries differ in colour in the different species, those of the common kind being a deep purplish black, and those of _S. racemosa_ being red. The stems and branches are of a soft wood, having a white spongy pith. The white-berried Elder is a variety of the common kind.

The genus _Viburnum_ contains several well-known plants, among which may be mentioned the Laurestinus (_V. Tinus_), the Guelder Rose (_V. Opulus_), and the Wayfaring Tree (_V. Lantana_). This genus is very nearly allied to Sambucus in the flowers, but it is easily distinguished, on examination, by its leaves, which are not pinnate, and by its wood, which is hard and not spongy. The berries have also only one seed, and they are not eatable,—those of the Laurestinus are, indeed, injurious. The Laurestinus and some other species are evergreen; but by far the greater number of species are deciduous.