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.
[Illustration: FIG. 136.—THE GOOSEBERRY. (_Ribes Grossularia_).]
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.
[Illustration: FIG. 137.—THE RED CURRANT.]
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.
[Illustration: FIG. 138.—THE BLACK CURRANT.]
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.
The genus _Lonicera_ formerly included all the kinds of Honeysuckle;
but now only the upright species, or what are called the Fly
Honeysuckles, are comprised in it, and the climbing kinds are called
Caprifolium. One of the upright kinds, most common in gardens, is the
Tartarian Honeysuckle (_L. tartarica_), the flowers of which are in
twins. The corolla is tubular and funnel-shaped, with a five-cleft
limb. There are five stamens, a filiform style, and a capitate stigma.
The berries are distinct when young, but they afterwards grow together
at the base. The leaves are always distinct. The genus _Caprifolium_
embraces all the climbing species, the flowers of which are disposed
in whorls, and the upper leaves are connate, that is, growing together
at the base, so that two appear only one leaf, with the stem passing
through it. A single leaf of this kind is called perfoliate. The
flowers spring from the axils of the leaves, and are what are called
ringent, that is, they are composed of five petals, four of which
grow together, almost to the tip, while the fifth is only attached
to the others about half its length, and has the loose part hanging
down. Flowers of this kind, with their lower part forming a tube, and
their upper part widely open, are said to be gaping. In the Trumpet
Honeysuckle (_C. sempervirens_) the tube of the corolla is very long,
and the lobes of the limb nearly equal; and the flowers, instead of
springing from the axils of the leaves, form terminal spikes, each
consisting of three or more whorls of flowers.
The Snowberry (_Symphoria racemosa_) bears considerable resemblance to
the upright Honeysuckles. The flowers are funnel-shaped, and four or
five lobed. The berry has four cells, but two of the cells are empty,
and the others have only one seed in each. The leaves are oval, quite
entire, and not connate.
_Leycesteria_ is a very handsome shrub, with white flowers, and very
large and showy purple and reddish bracts. The berries are of a very
dark purple, and they are nearly as large as a gooseberry. _L. formosa_
is a native of Nepaul, but it appears tolerably hardy in British
gardens, and it stands the sea-breeze without injury.
_Linnæa borealis_ is a little for insignificant trailing plant, which
is included in this order, and which is only worth mentioning on
account of its being named in honour of Linnæus. It is a half-shrubby
evergreen, with small bell-shaped flesh-coloured flowers, which are
said to be fragrant at night.
ORDER CI.—LORANTHEÆ.
Four genera are included in this order, all remarkable in different
ways. The first of these is the common Mistletoe (_Viscum album_), a
most remarkable parasite, a native of Britain, and generally found
on old apple-trees; and the second is _Loranthus europæus_, a native
of Germany, closely resembling the Mistletoe, but found generally on
the oak, where the true Mistletoe rarely grows. This plant is said
to have been introduced in 1824, but it is not now in the country.
There are other species of the genera, one a native of New Holland.
_Nuytsia floribunda_, also a native of New Holland, a very curious
plant, is also included in this order. It is a shrub about three feet
high, so covered with orange-coloured blossoms that the colonists call
it the Fire-tree. When the seed of this plant germinates, it is said
to have three cotyledons. The last plant generally included in this
order is _Aucuba japonica_, though it is probable this plant belongs
to Cornaceæ. Of this species we have probably only a variety, from the
variegation of the leaves; and it has never produced seeds, as only the
female plant has been introduced.
ORDER CII.—CHLORANTHEÆ.
Inconspicuous plants with greenish flowers, which require a hothouse in
Britain.
ORDER CIII.—RUBIACEÆ. (SEE CHAP. V. P. 85.)
This order is divided into thirteen sections, most of which have been
already described. In all the species the tube of the calyx adheres to
the ovary, which is crowned with a fleshy cup, from which arises the
single style; and the petals are united at the base, and attached to
the upper part of the tube of the calyx.
ORDER CIV.—OPERCULARIEÆ.
Exotic weeds, formerly included in Rubiaceæ.
ORDER CV.—VALERIANEÆ.—THE VALERIAN TRIBE.
No person can ever have been in the neighbourhood of Greenhithe, in
Kent, without having observed the red Valerian, which grows in such
abundance on the steep banks of the chalk-pits in that neighbourhood;
and probably still more of my readers will be familiar with the
common wild Valerian, or All-heal, which is found in moist places,
generally among sedges, in every part of England. Another species of
the same genus is common in Scotland, so that the name of Valerian is
familiar to all persons who know anything of British plants. Common
as these plants are, however, probably most of my readers are unaware
of the very curious construction of their flowers; or of the very
great variety exhibited by the different species. The genus Valeriana
is, indeed, one which presents a remarkable instance of variety of
construction, united with a similarity of form which makes all the
species recognisable at a single glance. In all the species, the
corolla is funnel-shaped, with a long tube, and a five-lobed limb.
In the red Valerian (_V. rubra_), the lower part of the tube is drawn
out into a spur; and on this account the plant is sometimes called the
spurred Valerian, and it has been placed by De Candolle in a new genus,
which he called Centranthus. The other species of Valerian have the
tube of the flower gibbous, that is, much larger on one side than on
the other. In all the calyx is tubular, with the limb curiously rolled,
so as to form a rim or crown to the fruit, like that on the heads of
basket-women. When the flowers drop, the fruit, which is one-celled and
one-seeded, and which adheres closely to the tube of the calyx, begins
to swell, and as it does so the limb of the calyx gradually unrolls,
till at last, when the fruit is ripe, it forms a sort of feathery tuft
to waft it away. The leaves of plants of this genus vary exceedingly,
even on the same plant; but generally those of the red Valerian are
lanceolate; those of _V. dioica_ are pinnatifid; those of the wild
Valerian (_V. officinalis_), pinnate; and those of the garden Valerian,
the kind found in Scotland, (_V. pyrenaica_,) are cordate. The flowers
of _V. dioica_ are male and female, and are found on different plants.
The principal other genera in this order are Valerianella, the Corn
Salad or Lamb’s Lettuce; and Fedia, the Horn of Plenty.
ORDER CVI.—DIPSACEÆ.—THE TEASEL TRIBE.
The principal genera belonging to this order are Dipsacus, the
Teasel, and Scabiosa, the Scabious; to which may be added a pretty
little annual called Knautia. The plants belonging to this order bear
considerable resemblance to those included in Compositæ, as they
consist of a head of florets seated on a common receptacle, which is
chaffy, and surrounded by an involucre. The florets are also furnished
with what may be called a double calyx, the limb of the inner part
being cut into long teeth, and resembling the pappus of the Compositæ.
In the genus Dipsacus, the most important plant is the Fuller’s Teasel
(_Dipsacus fullonum_), in which the receptacle is raised in the form
of a cone, and the chaffy scales are hooked, and so strong, that the
flower-heads when dry are used for preparing broad-cloth. The leaves
of this plant are opposite, and united at the base. The florets have
a four-cleft corolla, and four distinct stamens; differing in this
respect decidedly from the Compositæ, which have five stamens, the
anthers of which are always united into a tube. _Dipsacus sylvestris_
might be easily mistaken for a kind of Thistle; but the difference
will be seen at once by examining the anthers of the florets. The
Devil’s-bit Scabious, which is so called from the root looking as
though a part had been bitten off, has the same kind of flower-head
as the Dipsacus, but the receptacle is flat, and the involucre much
smaller. In some of the species of Scabious, the florets of the outer
ring resemble those of the ray in flowers of the Compositæ. The leaves
of the genus Scabious are as variable as those of the genus Valeriana,
scarcely two species being alike.
ORDER CVII.—CALYCEREÆ.
Obscure American plants, nearly allied to Compositæ.
ORDER CVIII.—COMPOSITÆ. (SEE CHAP. VI. P. 98.)
Plants with heads of florets on a common receptacle, surrounded by an
involucre. The florets are of three kinds, viz., ligulate, tubular,
and bilabiate; the heads consisting sometimes entirely of florets of
one kind, and sometimes with ligulate florets forming the outer ring,
called the ray, and tubular flowers forming the centre, called the
disk. The calyx continues on the ripe fruit, and its limb is frequently
cut into a kind of fringe called the pappus. The fruit is of the kind
called an achenium, that is, dry and bony, and continuing enveloped in
the persistent calyx, but without adhering to it.
ORDER CIX.—LOBELIACEÆ.
The genus Lobelia is well known from the pretty little blue-and-white
flowering plants that are so common in pots for windows and balconies,
and that continue flowering so freely all the summer. There are two
or three species which are grown for this purpose, viz. _Lobelia
Erinus_, _L. bicolor_, and _L. gracilis_, all annuals, which require
to be raised on a hotbed by sowing in February, and which will then
flower all the summer, with no other care than regular watering. All
these flowers have the tube of the calyx united to the ovary, with
a five-parted limb. The corolla is irregular and tubular, with the
tube cleft on the upper side, and thickened at the base. The limb of
the corolla is divided into two parts; one of which, called the upper
lip, is cut into two narrow sharp-pointed segments, which stand erect;
while the lower lip, which is much the longer, and hangs down, is cut
into three rounded segments. There are five stamens, the anthers of
which grow together, and at least two of them are bearded. The capsule
is oval, two-celled, two-valved, and many-seeded, opening naturally
at the top when ripe. These general characters will be found in all
the numerous species of Lobelia, as the genus at present stands, as
they all have the two horn-like segments of the upper lip, and the
rounded lobes in the pendulous under lip; and many of the plants
formerly called Lobelia which differ in these particulars have been
placed in other genera. Thus Tupa, which contains several of the large
scarlet-flowered species, has the segments of the limb of the corolla
united at the tip; the filaments of the stamens cohering as well as the
anthers, and the stigma protruding. Siphocampylos has the tube of the
corolla ventricose in the middle, the segments of the upper lip long
and curving over each other, and the lower lip very slightly lobed,
with both the filaments and the anthers combined. In Dortmannia the
filaments are free, and only the anthers combined; in Parastronthus
(_L. unidentata_), there is scarcely any tube to the corolla, and in
Isotoma, the corolla is salver-shaped. The beautiful little _Clintonia
pulchella_ belongs to this order, and it differs from Lobelia in its
corolla having scarcely any tube, and also, but more decidedly, in
the very long tube of its calyx. This is so long and slender as to
look like a part of the flower-stalk; as does the capsule, which,
when ripe, is triangular, and is as long as the silique of a cabbage
or wall-flower, to which it bears considerable resemblance. All the
Lobeliaceæ have an acrid milky juice, which is poisonous.
ORDER CX.—STYLIDEÆ.
This order contains three genera of New Holland plants, only one of
which has been introduced. The flowers are tubular, with a five-cleft
limb, and they are covered with hairs, terminating in capitate glands;
the stamens are united into a column, which is bent towards the fifth
or lower segment of the limb, which is much larger than the others. The
united stamens are so irritable as to start forward when touched with a
pin.
ORDER CXI.—GOODENOVIÆ.
All the plants in this order are natives of New Holland, and they bear
considerable resemblance to those included in Lobeliaceæ, but they have
not a milky juice, and the stigma, which is very small, and without
any style, is surrounded by a curious cup called an indusium, which is
generally found full of pollen. This very remarkable organ is probably
rendered necessary by the very small size of the stigma, which can only
absorb the pollen very slowly. The most interesting genera contained in
this order are Lechenaultia and Euthales.
ORDER CXII.—CAMPANULACEÆ.—THE CAMPANULA TRIBE.
The plants in this order have a bell-shaped regular corolla, consisting
of five petals, usually grown together so as to form a monopetalous
corolla with five lobes, each lobe having a conspicuous central nerve
or vein. There are five or more stamens, which are generally distinct,
and which have broad bearded filaments bending over the ovary. The
style is at first short, but it gradually elongates itself, and both
it and the stigmas are furnished with tufts of stiff hairs, which, as
the style pushes itself through the stamens, brush off the pollen,
and retain it till the stigma is in a proper state to receive it. The
anthers burst as soon as the corolla opens. The capsules have generally
two, three, or five cells, and each cell contains many seeds.
In the genus Campanula, the capsule opens by little valves, which look
as though cut with scissors. The juice of the plants is milky, but not
poisonous. The principal genera are Campanula, Prismatocarpus (Venus’s
Looking-glass), Roellia, Phyteuma (the petals of which are distinct),
Trachelium, Wahlenbergia, and Adenophora. Lobeliaceæ and Goodenoviaceæ
were formerly included in this order.
ORDER CXIII.—GESNERIEÆ.
The corolla is tubular and sub-bilabiate, with a five-cleft limb. There
are four stamens, two longer than the others, with the rudiments of a
fifth. The anthers generally adhere in pairs; the fruit is one-celled
and many-seeded; the leaves are thick and covered with a soft down; and
the roots are frequently tuberous. The qualities are excellent. The
species of the genus Gesneria are usually hothouse plants, with bright
scarlet flowers; and those of Gloxinia have generally purple flowers;
and of Sinningia the flowers are greenish.
ORDER CXIV.—VACCINIEÆ. (SEE CHAP. VII. P. 130.)
This order includes the Whortle-berries, Bilberries, and Cranberries,
and it is very nearly allied to Ericaceæ, from which it is
distinguished by the disk, which lines the calyx, entirely surrounding
the ovary, which is thus placed below the rest of the flower, and is
called inferior. The fruit is a berry.
ORDER CXV.—ERICACEÆ. (SEE CHAP. VII. P. 109.)
All the Heath tribe, including the Arbutus, Rhododendron, Azaleas, &c.,
are distinguished by their anthers, which have a little hole or pore
at the apex of each cell; each cell being also generally furnished with
a kind of spur at its base. The stamens in all these genera grow from
beneath the ovary, and the filaments are thick and fleshy. The fruit is
a dry capsule, or follicle.
ORDER CXVI.—PENEACEÆ.
Beautiful shrubs, natives of the Cape of Good Hope, with the habit of
Pimelea, and corymbs of pale pink flowers. The calyx is in two sepals,
the stigma four lobed, and the fruit four-valved, with two seeds in
each cell.
§ III.—COROLLIFLORÆ.
The plants comprised in this division are called monopetalous, as they
have their petals joined together, so as to form a cup for the stamens
and pistils quite distinct from the calyx; and the stamens are attached
to the corolla.
ORDER CXVII.—EPACRIDEÆ.
This order stands on debateable ground, being by many botanists
included in the last division; but it seems properly placed in this,
as the stamens are attached to the petals, which adhere together; and
if a flower of any species of Epacris be examined, it will be found
that the corolla, with the stamens attached to the lining of the tube,
parts readily from the calyx without losing its natural form. The
flowers are tubular or campanulate, with a five-cleft limb, and will
divide readily into five petals, each of which has the filament of a
stamen attached to it, leaving only the anthers free. The anthers are
one-celled and awnless, and this is the principal distinction between
this order and Ericaceæ. The calyx is five-cleft, coloured like the
corolla; and there are five scale-like bracts below it, which look
like a calyx. The capsule is dry, with the seeds attached to a central
column. The leaves are dry, hard, and prickly. The species are natives
of Australia, where they supply the place which the Heaths hold in
Europe and Africa; no Heath having been yet found in any part of
Australia.
ORDER CXVIII.—SYMPLOCINEÆ.
This order contains one genus, Symplocos, of greenhouse and stove
shrubs, from South America, with small white flowers, and serrated
leaves, which turn yellow in drying.
ORDER CXIX.—STYRACINEÆ.
[Illustration: FIG. 139.—SNOWDROP TREE (_Halesia tetraptera_).]
The plants in this order best known in English gardens are _Styrax
officinale_, the Storax, and _Halesia tetraptera_, the Snowdrop-tree.
The flowers of both are white; those of Storax are funnel-shaped, with
a five-cleft limb; there are ten stamens, growing together at the base,
with short filaments, and very long anthers. The fruit is a drupe which
is nearly dry, containing a one-celled nut, enclosing from one to three
seeds. The seeds have two skins, the inner one like a cobweb, and
the outer one spongy. The bark, when wounded, affords the gum called
storax. Halesia has drooping bell-shaped white flowers, something like
those of the Snowdrop, (see _a_ in _fig._ 139,) with four petals and
twelve or sixteen stamens combined into a tube at the base. The fruit
is a dry, winged drupe, which has four angles in _H. tetraptera_ (_b_),
and two in _H. diptera_; and which contains a stone or putamen (_c_),
which has two or four cells, and as many seeds. Some botanists make
Halesiaceæ a separate order.
ORDER CXX.—MYRSINEÆ.
Showy shrubs, with evergreen leaves, and cymes of white or red flowers,
which require a stove or greenhouse in England. The plants belonging
to this order may be easily known on cutting open their flowers, as
they are the only monopetalous flowers among the stove plants that have
the stamens opposite the lobes of the corolla; the general position
of the stamens being between the lobes. The principal genera in this
order are Myrsine, the species of which are greenhouse shrubs; and
Ardisia, the latter being well-known stove shrubs, with white flowers
and red berries. Theophrasta, Clavija, and Jacquinia, were included in
this order; but they are now formed into a new one, under the name of
Theophrasteæ.
ORDER CXXI.—SAPOTEÆ.
This order is best known by the genera _Argania_, _Sideroxylon_,
_Chrysophyllum_, and _Bumelia_, all of which are stove or greenhouse
plants. The seeds of _Achras Sapota_ contain abundance of oil, which
is so concrete as to have the appearance of butter; and hence the tree
is called the Butter-tree. _Sideroxylon_ has such hard wood as to be
called the Iron-tree. The juice of all these plants is milky, and the
milk is wholesome as food.
ORDER CXXII.—EBENACEÆ.
The principal genus is Diospyros; which contains the Ebony-tree (_D.
Ebenum_), the Date-plum or Lotus-tree (_D. Lotos_), both natives of
the East Indies; and the Persimon (_D. virginiana_), a native of North
America. The species are trees with hard dark wood; that of Ebony is
quite black when old, and remarkably heavy. The flowers are white and
inconspicuous, and the fruit, which is eatable, but insipid, is a
berry, placed in the centre of the calyx, which spreads round it like a
saucer. It is very harsh when first gathered, and must be kept till it
is half decayed, like the Medlar, before it is eaten.
ORDER CXXIII.—BREXIEÆ.
Large stove trees, with axillary branches of white flowers.
ORDER CXXIV.—OLEINÆ.—(SEE CHAP. VIII. P. 136.)
This order comprises the common Ash, the Manna Ash, the Olive, the
Privet, the Fringe-tree, the Phillyrea, and the Lilac. The flowers
of all have only two stamens, and a roundish two-celled ovary,
without any disk. The flowers of the Ash have no corolla, and the
fruit is a samara. In the other genera, the flowers are more or less
funnel-shaped, and the fruit is a capsule. The leaves are generally
pinnate, and always opposite. The seeds have a dense albumen.
ORDER CXXV.—JASMINEÆ.—(SEE CHAP. VIII., P. 134.)
This order has been separated from the last, chiefly on account of the
seeds having no albumen. The principal genus is the Jasmine, which has
a funnel-shaped corolla, and pinnate leaves. Some botanists insert,
between Oleaceæ and Jasmineæ, the new order Columellieæ, which contains
only one plant, _Bolivaria trifida_.
ORDER CXXVI.—STRYCHNEÆ.
Tropical trees. The principal genus _Strychnos_, the fruit of which
is the well-known poisonous nut, _Nux vomica_. The genera Theophrasta
and Fagræa were formerly included in this order; but the first is now
placed in the new order, Theophrasteæ (see p. 399); and the second is
placed in another new order introduced here, and called Potaliaceæ.
ORDER CXXVII.—APOCYNEÆ.
Very showy plants from various parts of the world, some of which
require a stove in Britain, while others are quite hardy. They also
vary in some of them being trees, others erect shrubs or climbers, and
others perennial; but they are all easily recognised by the twisted
direction of the segments of the corolla, which has been compared
to the rays of St. Catharine’s-wheel. The corolla is generally
salver-shaped as in the periwinkle (_Vinca major_), or funnel-shaped,
as in _Taberna montana_, and _Allamanda cathartica_, or divided into
equal segments as in _Nerium Oleander_. The flowers are often bearded
in the throat, and furnished with hypogynous scales; with the stamens
inclosed in the flower, and the anthers lying close together. The
seed is contained in two follicles, which are slender, and have their
seeds disposed in two rows. The species all abound in an injurious
milky juice; and two of the genera, Cerbera and Tanghina, are virulent
poisons.
ORDER CXXVIII.—ASCLEPIADEÆ.
These plants are very nearly allied to the last, and they differ
chiefly in having the segments of their corollas straight, in their
stamens being united into a sort of crown, and in their pollen
being found in masses of a waxy substance. The seeds are also each
furnished with a tuft of fine long silky hair. The principal plants
are _Periploca græca_, a hardy, climbing, shrub, with rich, dark,
velvet-looking flowers, which are said to be poisonous to flies, and
_Hoya carnosa_, a stove or greenhouse climber, with waxen-looking,
clustered, odoriferous flowers, distilling honey; to these may be added
Pergularia, a stove climber, remarkable for its fragrance, Physianthus,
Gonolobus, Ceropegia, and Asclepias, all singular-looking climbing
plants; and besides these, I may mention Stapelia, the species of which
are dwarf plants, with their flowers hanging down below the pots in
which they grow, and the odour of which is so like that of carrion, as
to induce flesh-flies to lay their eggs upon them.
ORDER CXXIX.—GENTIANEÆ.—THE GENTIAN TRIBE.
The best known genera are Gentiana, (the Gentian), Lisianthus, and
Menyanthes (the Buckbean). The flowers have a tubular calyx and
corolla, the latter plaited in the tube, and with an equally-parted
limb, which is generally five cleft; and an equal number of stamens
with broad filaments, and arrow-shaped anthers. The seeds are numerous,
and are usually in two follicles.
The orders Spigeliaceæ, Loganiaceæ, and Menyanthaceæ, have been
separated from Gentianeæ, and are adopted by some botanists.
ORDER CXXX.—BIGNONIACEÆ.
The most interesting genera are—Bignonia; from which Tecoma has been
divided by some botanists, on account of a slight difference in
the seed-pod; Jacaranda, said to produce the rosewood of commerce;
Eccremocarpus, and Catalpa. All the plants included in this order
have winged seeds, and generally very long horn-like seed-pods. The
different species of Bignonia or Tecoma have trumpet-shaped flowers
with a five-toothed calyx, and four stamens of unequal length, with the
rudiments of a fifth. The capsule is very long and narrow, resembling a
silique in shape, but broad on the outside, and the leaves are pinnate.
_Eccremocarpus_, or _Calampelis scabra_, is a well-known climber,
with orange-coloured, bag-like flowers, which are produced in secund
racemes; large, roundish warted fruit, with winged seeds; and pinnate
leaves, with tendrils. In Catalpa the corolla has a very short tube,
and an unequal, five-lobed limb. There are five stamens (only two of
which are fertile); and an exceeding long, cylindrical, silique-shaped
seed-pod, which is sometimes two feet or more in length. The leaves
of the Catalpa are heart-shaped. In Jacaranda, the capsule is above
two feet long, and quite flat. _Crescentia cujète_, the calabash-tree,
belongs to this order.
ORDER CXXXI.—COBÆACEÆ.
This order is restricted to one genus Cobæa, of which one species
(_C. scandens_) is common in British gardens. This plant is an annual
climber, with showy bell-shaped flowers, which are first green, and
afterwards become purple. This plant has remarkably long tendrils,
which twist themselves round any thing that comes in their way.
ORDERS CXXXII. AND CXXXIII.—PEDALINEÆ AND SESAMEÆ.
These orders are now united into one, under the name of Pedalineæ; and
the most interesting genus is Martynia, consisting of half hardy annual
plants with bell-shaped flowers, and very curious seed-pods.
ORDER CXXXIV.—POLEMONIACEÆ.
This is a very interesting order to the lovers of ornamental flowers,
from the beauty of those of some of the genera. The genus Polemonium,
the Greek Valerian, has one species (_P. cœruleum_) which is found wild
in many parts of England, and is known by the names of Charity and
Jacob’s Ladder. The corolla, which is of a deep blue, softening into
white in the centre, is rotate, with the stamens, which are bearded
at the base, inserted in the throat. The capsule is three-celled, and
many-seeded, as is generally the case with plants in this order, and
the leaves are pinnate. The Phloxes are well-known; all the species
are very handsome, but none are more so than the beautiful annual
(_P. Drummondi_). The corolla of these plants is salver-shaped, with
an elongated tube, the limb twisted in the bud, and wedge-shaped
segments. The stamens are inserted above the middle of the tube, and
the cells of the capsule are one-seeded. Leptosiphon has the corolla
funnel-shaped, with a very long slender tube, and a campanulate limb
with oval lobes; the corolla is covered with a great number of fine
glandular hairs, and the limb is twisted in the bud. The stamens, which
have very short filaments, are inserted in the throat of the corolla.
The calyx consists of five sharply-pointed hairy lobes, connected by
a very fine membrane. The flowers are surrounded by a great number of
sharply-pointed bracts. Similar bracts are very conspicuous in the
genus Collomia. Gilia and Ipomopsis, so well known for their splendid
flowers, also belong to this order.
ORDER CXXXV.—HYDROLEACEÆ.
Elegant little plants, distinguished from the preceding order by
the flowers having two styles, and a two-valved capsule. Retziaceæ,
an order containing only one Cape plant, is inserted here by some
botanists, who have separated it from Convolvulaceæ.
ORDER CXXXVI.—CONVOLVULACEÆ.
The principal genera are Convolvulus, Ipomœa and their allies. The
genus Convolvulus formerly included all the beautiful monopetalous
flowers with a folded limb, which are so common in gardens, but it is
now restricted to those which have a two-celled capsule, with the cells
two-seeded; the stamens are inclosed in the corolla, and the stigma
is divided into two narrow thread-like lobes. Ipomœa only differs in
having the lobes of the stigma capitate. In Quamoclit, the little
scarlet Ipomœa, the capsule is four-celled, and the cells one-seeded;
the corolla is tubular, and the stamens project beyond the throat.
Batatas, the Sweet-potato, resembles Quamoclit, but the corolla is
campanulate, and the stamens are inclosed. In Pharbitis (in which
genus the common Convolvulus major, and the beautiful Ipomœa Learii,
are both now included), the capsule is three-celled, and the cells are
three-seeded; and in Calystigia, in which is now placed the common
bindweed of the hedges, the capsule is one-celled and four-seeded;
and the flower, which in other respects agrees with that of the genus
Convolvulus, has two bracts which serve as a sort of involucre. All
these flowers have the lobes of the corolla marked with a decided fold
or plait, and they are climbing plants, generally annuals. Cuscuta is a
parasite belonging to Convolvulaceæ, which though it springs from the
ground, withers just above the root as soon as it has twined itself
round any plant within its reach; drawing its entire nourishment from
the unfortunate plant it has attacked, and which it soon kills. The
plants in this order produce an acrid milk; and the roots of a kind of
Convolvulus yield the drug called Jalap, which takes that name from the
Mexican city Xalapa, near which it is grown.
ORDER CXXXVII.—BORAGINEÆ.
The fruit of the plants included in this order consists of four
distinct carpels, each containing a bony nut. These nuts frequently
appear as though a hole had been bored in them at the base, and they
are frequently striped or twisted. The flowers are generally secund, or
rather they are produced in spikes which appear to have flowers only on
one side, from the spikes being curiously rolled up before the flowers
expand, and uncoiling gradually as they open. The corolla is generally
salver or funnel shaped, with a five-lobed limb, and five little scales
just within the throat, which appear to be placed there to close up the
orifice. There are five anthers, which seem attached to the corolla,
without any stamens, and a slender style terminating in a two-lobed
stigma. The calyx is tubular, and remains on the fruit till ripe; the
teeth of the calyx contracting at the point, so as to cover the ripe
carpels. The principal genera are Pulmonaria (Lungwort), Symphytum
(Comfrey), Cerinthe (Honeywort), Lithospermum (Gromwell), Echium
(Viper’s Bugloss), Anchusa (Bugloss); Myosotis (Scorpion-grass or
Mouse-ear), one species of which, _M. palustris_, is the Forget-me-not;
Omphalodes (Venus’ Navelwort), Cynoglossum (Hound’s-tongue), and
Heliotropium (the Heliotrope).
ORDER CXXXVIII.—CORDIACEÆ.
East India trees and shrubs of which Ehretia is, perhaps, the best
known. Nearly allied to Boragineæ.
ORDER CXXXIX.—HYDROPHYLLEÆ.
This order is interesting from its containing Phacelia, Eutoca, and
Nemophila, all well known Californian annuals.
ORDER CXL.—SOLANACEÆ (SEE CHAP. IX. P. 141).
The genera Verbascum and Celsia have been removed from this order, and
formed by some botanists into another called Verbascinæ, though by Dr.
Lindley they are included in Scrophularinæ. The plants left in the
order Solanaceæ have all a tubular calyx, which remains on the fruit
till it is ripe; and the fruit itself is generally round and fleshy,
with two or four cells and numerous seeds. In some of the genera, the
permanent calyx looks like a capsule, but on opening it, the little
berry-like fruit will be found inside. There are five stamens, the
anthers of which are two-celled like those of most other plants, and
the filaments are inserted in the corolla, which is generally partly
tubular with a spreading limb, the segments of which are plaited, that
is, each bears the crease of a fold in the middle, as may be seen in
the Petunia. In the order Verbascinæ, the corolla is rotate, and the
segments are not plaited; the anthers also are only one-celled. Most
of the plants belonging to Solanaceæ are poisonous in a raw state; but
they lose their deleterious qualities when cooked.
ORDER CXLI.—SCROPHULARINÆ.
[Illustration: FIG. 140.—FOXGLOVE (_Digitalis_).]
The Foxglove is generally taken as the type of this order, and it has
a tubular corolla (see _a_ in fig. 140) with a short limb (_b_), and
a spreading calyx (_c_). There are four stamens of unequal length
inserted on the base of the corolla and hidden in its tube; and an
oblong ovary (_d_), with a long style, and a two-lobed stigma (_e_).
The fruit is a dry capsule with two cells, and numerous seeds. The
flowers of the other genera are very irregular. In the Snapdragon,
the corolla is what is called personate; and in the Calceolaria the
lower lip is curiously inflated. The stamens also differ. In most of
the genera there are four, but in Pentstemon there is a fifth, long
and slender, and hairy at the point, but without any anther; and in
Calceolaria and Veronica there are only two. Among the genera included
in this order may be mentioned Buddlea, the flowers of which grow in
ball-like heads; Paulownia, Maurandya, Mimulus, Alonsoa, and Collinsia.
The Toadflax (_Linaria_), and several other British plants belong
to it; but the Yellow Rattle (_Rhinanthus_), and some other allied
plants, have been formed into a new order called Rhinanthaceæ; Chelone
and Pentstemon have been formed into an order called Chelonaceæ; and
Sibthorpia, Disandra, &c., into one called Sibthorpiaceæ. Trevirana or
Achimenes, and Columnea, are removed to Gesneriaceæ.
The new order Cyrtandraceæ, including Æschynanthus, Streptocarpus or
Didymocarpus, Fieldia, and Amphicoma, is introduced here: the first and
last of these genera are new, and the others were formerly included in
Bignoniaceæ.
ORDER CXLII.—LABIATÆ.
[Illustration: FIG. 141.—A LABIATE FLOWER.]
[Illustration: FIG. 142.—BLACK HOREHOUND (_Ballota nigra_).]
The plants belonging to this order include Mint, Sage, Thyme, and other
kitchen aromatic plants, and several well-known British weeds. They
are all distinguished by a tubular, bilabiate corolla with a projecting
under lip (see _a_ in fig. 141). In some plants the corolla is ringent,
as shown in fig. 142, taken from Dr. Lindley’s _Ladies’ Botany_, in
which _a_ is the galea or helmet, and _b_ the lower lip, which is
three-lobed. There are four stamens, two of which are longer than the
others, and the cells of the anthers differ from those of most other
plants in spreading widely apart from each other, each being joined
to the filament only at the tip. The pistil consists of four distinct
carpels (_c_), a very long style lobed at the tip, and furnished with
a very small stigma at the tip of each lobe (_d_). The flowers of some
of the plants belonging to this order are disposed in a whorl round
the stem; as, for example, those of the Dead Nettle (_Lamium_). Among
the other plants belonging to the order may be mentioned the Bugle
(_Ajuga_), and the Ground Ivy (_Glechoma_), both common but very pretty
British weeds.
ORDER CXLIII.—VERBENACEÆ.—THE VERVAIN TRIBE.
The genus Verbena is well known, from the many beautiful species now
common in every greenhouse. The fruit is two or four celled, and
a drupe or a berry, and the calyx of the flowers is tubular, and
persistent round it; but the corolla is deciduous, and falls off long
before the fruit is ripe. In the genus Verbena the calyx is tubular,
with five distinct angles, ending in five teeth. The corolla has a
cylindrical tube nearly double the length of the calyx, and a flat limb
divided into five unequal segments, which are wedge-shaped and notched,
the central one of the lower three appearing to have been slightly
pinched; the throat of the corolla is hairy. There are four stamens,
two longer than the others, the anthers having two widely-spreading
lobes, as in the Labiatæ. The style is slender below, and thickest in
the upper part; and the stigma is two-lobed. The leaves are opposite,
and furnished with stipules The flowers form a corymb in the Scarlet
Verbena, and a spike in some of the other kinds, which elongates
gradually as the flowers expand. The principal other genera are
Clerodendron, or Volkameria, Vitex (the Chaste-tree), Lantana, Aloysia
(the Lemon-scented Verbena), and Tectona (the Teak) which is so much
used in the East Indies for ship-building.
ORDER CXLIV.—MYOPORINÆ.
Australian and Polynesian plants, nearly allied to Verbenaceæ. The
principal genera are Myoporum and Avicennia, the White Mangrove of
Brazil.
ORDER CXLV.—ACANTHACEÆ.
These plants are known by the elastic opening of the capsules, which
are two-celled, and the hooked points of the seeds by which they are
attached to the placenta. The calyx remains on the ripe fruit, but in
most of the plants it is so extremely small as to be inconspicuous, and
its place is supplied by three large leafy bracts. The corolla varies
considerably, being sometimes two-lipped as in Justicia, sometimes
funnel-shaped as in Ruellia, and sometimes campanulate, with a
spreading five-cleft limb, as in Thunbergia. There are only two stamens
in Justicia and some of the other genera, but in Thunbergia, Acanthus,
and Ruellia, there are four of unequal length, inclosed within the
throat of the corolla. The ovary is imbedded in the disk, and it is two
or many seeded; the style is simple, and the stigma one or two lobed.
ORDER CXLVI.—OROBANCHEÆ.
Leafless parasites, with brown or colourless scaly stems and flowers.
The genera are Lathræa and Orobanche.
ORDER CXLVII.—LENTIBULARIÆ.
Pretty little marsh plants, natives of Europe and North America.
Pinguicula has very much the appearance of a violet, and the
Utricularias are floating plants.
ORDER CXLVIII.—PRIMULACEÆ, THE PRIMROSE TRIBE.
The plants belonging to this order are easily known by the stamens, or
rather anthers, for they have scarcely any filaments, being affixed
to the corolla in the centre of the lobes, instead of being alternate
to them, and by the capsule, though five or ten ribbed, being only
one-celled, with a central placenta, to which the seeds are attached.
The calyx remains on the ripe fruit. In the genus Primula (the
Primrose), the calyx is tubular, and strongly marked with five distinct
angles, which end in as many teeth; and the corolla is salver-shaped,
with a contraction in the tube, at the insertion of the stamens, the
five segments of the limb being wedge-shaped and notched. The style is
slender, and the stigma capitate. The capsule opens naturally by ten
teeth, which curl back. The Cyclamen, or Sow-bread, one of the genera
belonging to this order, has the lobes of the corolla bent back; and
when the flower falls, the peduncle coils up in a most curious manner,
so as to bury the seed-vessel in the earth. These plants have tuberous
roots, which are so acrid as only to be eaten by the wild-boars. The
seed-vessel of the Pimpernel (_Anagallis_) resembles a round case
with a lid, which may be taken off, when it displays a great number
of seeds, so closely packed, that no room is lost. The principal
other genera are the American Cowslip (_Dodecatheon_), Bear’s-ear
Sanicle (_Cortusa_), _Soldanella_, the Water Violet (_Hootonia_), and
Loosestrife (_Lysimachia_).
ORDER CXLIX.—GLOBULARIÆ.
Pretty alpine plants, with blue flowers.
ORDER CL.—PLUMBAGINEÆ.
This order probably belongs to Monochlamydeæ. The principal genera are
Sea Lavender (_Statice_), remarkable for the coloured footstalks of the
flowers; Thrift (_Armeria_); and Leadwort (_Plumbago_). The corolla in
these plants is either monopetalous, with the stamens free from the
corolla and growing from beneath the pistil, or with five petals, to
which the stamens are attached. There are five styles and five stigmas,
but only a one-celled and one-seeded ovary. The fruit is thin and dry.
The pedicels of all the species of the Sea Lavender, particularly of
_Statice arborea_, are often mistaken for the flowers.
CHAPTER II.
PHANEROGAMOUS PLANTS—DICOTYLEDONEÆ.—II. MONACHLAMYDEÆ.
In all the plants contained in this division, the stamens and pistils
have either no floral covering, or only one; and as, when this is the
case, the covering is called the calyx, the plants in this division
are said to have no corolla. Some botanists think that the calyx and
corolla have become intermixed, so as to form only one covering,
which they call the perianth; a word applied to the calyx and corolla
together.
ORDER CLI.—PLANTAGINEÆ.
The weed called Plantain, or Rib-grass, is well known to all persons
who keep birds, as it is a food that cage-birds are very fond of. It is
conspicuous by its strongly-ribbed leaves, which form a flat tuft on
the ground, and by the large arrow-shaped anthers of its four stamens,
which hang on very slender filaments. The flowers are arranged in dense
spikes, and are green and inconspicuous.
ORDER CLII.—NYCTAGINEÆ.
The Marvel of Peru (_Mirabilis Jalapa_), and the other species of
that genus, are the only ornamental plants belonging to this order.
The flowers consist of a coloured calyx, surrounded by a five-toothed
involucre, which greatly resembles a calyx. The true calyx is
funnel-shaped, with a spreading limb, the lobes of which are plaited,
and notched at the margin; and which, with the tubular part, form at
the base a globular swelling, which incloses the ovary. The stamens
grow from beneath the pistil, adhering together at the base, so as to
form a kind of cup. The ovary contains only one seed; and the style
is long and slender, terminating in a capitate stigma, divided into a
number of tubercles or warts. The lower part of the calyx remains on
the ripe fruit, hardening into a kind of shell.
ORDER CLIII.—AMARANTHACEÆ.
The flowers of the plants belonging to this order are either in spikes,
like Love-lies-bleeding (_Amarantus caudatus_), in heads like the Globe
Amaranth (_Gomphrena globosa_), or in a singular crest-like shape,
like the Cock’s-comb (_Celosia cristata_). In all, the flowers have
no corolla, and only a very thin and dry calyx, which is surrounded
by hard, thin, dry bracts, of the same colour, each ending in a long
point. There are generally five anthers, and two or three styles, with
pointed stigmas; but the capsule contains only one cell and one seed;
and when ripe, it divides horizontally in the middle, like the capsule
of the Pimpernel.
ORDER CLIV.—PHYTOLACEÆ.
Herbaceous plants and shrubs, with racemes of red, white, or greenish
flowers. Phytolacca is the principal genus; and one species, the
Virginian Poke (_Phytolacca decandra_) is remarkable for being found
wild in climates so different as Spain and Portugal, the north of
Africa, Jamaica, and North America. The flowers are greenish, tinged
with red, and they are followed by very dark purple berries, which are
said to have been formerly used for colouring port wine, but the juice
having medicinal qualities, their use in Portugal is now prohibited.
Rivina belongs to this order.
ORDER CLV.—CHENOPODEÆ.
The plants belonging to this order bear considerable resemblance to
those included in the order Amaranthaceæ, but their flowers are
disposed in loose clusters without bracts, and all their parts are
fleshy; while the flowers of the Amaranthaceæ are disposed in dense
spikes with bracts, which, as well as the divisions of the flowers, are
quite hard and dry. The stamens are five in number, and they are spread
out like those of the Nettle tribe; there are two styles with hairy
stigmas, and the capsule resembles the Echinus, or Sea Urchin. The
principal genera in this order are,—Spinach (_Spinacea_), Red and White
Beet (_Beta vulgaris_), Mangold Wurtzel (_B. altissima_), Chard Beet
(_B. cicla_), the Strawberry Blite (_Blitum_), Fat-hen or Goosefoot
(_Chenopodium_); Glasswort, the ashes of which are used in making glass
(_Salicornia_), Saltwort (_Salsola Kali_, or _Soda_), from the ashes of
which soda is prepared; and the Garden Orache (_Atriplex hortensis_).
The leaves of all the species are somewhat succulent and pulpy, and
they are frequently stained with brilliant colours.
ORDER CLVI.—BEGONIACEÆ.
The only genus in this tribe is Begonia, the plants belonging to which
have pretty flowers, and strongly-veined leaves, which are crimson
on the lower side, with one half smaller than the other, and each
furnished with a pair of large stipules. The flowers are male and
female; the first consist of four sepals, two of which are much longer
than the others, and a beard of anthers, with the filaments united into
one common stalk, and each anther containing two cells for pollen. The
female flowers have five sepals; the lower part is thick and fleshy,
having three unequal wings. This part becomes the capsule, and it is
furnished with three stigmas, each of which has two curiously-twisted
lobes. The capsule when ripe has three wings, one much longer than the
others; and it is in three cells, each containing a central placenta
with a double row of seeds, which are covered with a beautifully
reticulated skin.
ORDER CLVII.—POLYGONEÆ.—THE BUCKWHEAT.
This order comprehends the Rhubarb (_Rheum_), the Dock (_Rumex
obtusifolius_), Sorrel (_R. acetosa_), the Buckwheat (_Polygonum
Fagopyrum_), Persicaria (_P. orientale_), Water-pepper (_P.
hydropiper_), and Knot-grass (_P. aviculare_). The leaves of these
plants either sheath the stem with the base of their petioles, or are
furnished with ochreæ, that is, with stipules which are joined together
so as to form a kind of purse or boot. The flowers are inconspicuous,
and the fruit is a triangular nut, retaining the calyx till it is ripe.
The genera Eriogonum, Calligonum, and Kœnigia, formerly included in
this order, are now formed into another, called Eriogoneæ.
ORDER CLVIII.—LAURINEÆ.—THE SWEET-BAY TRIBE.
These plants are known by their anthers, which are two or four celled,
with the valves curling upwards when ripe, like those of the Berberry,
and the filaments are furnished near the base with two kidney-shaped
glands. The male and female flowers are distinct; the former have six,
eight, or twelve stamens, and a calyx of four or six divisions united
at the base. The female flowers have a one-celled and one-seeded ovary,
with a simple style, and an obtuse-crested stigma; and four or more
abortive stamens, furnished with glands, but without anthers. The
most interesting plants contained in this order are,—the Sweet Bay
(_Laurus nobilis_), the Sassafras-tree (_L. Sassafras_, or _Sassafras
officinale_), the Cinnamon-tree (_L. Cinnamomum_, or _Cinnamomum
verum_, or _zeylanicum_); the Camphor-tree (_L. camphora_, or _Camphora
officinarum_); and the Alligator Pear (_L. Persea_, or _Persea
gratissima_). All the plants belonging to this order are aromatic,
either in the leaves, bark, or fruit.
Two small orders, Illigereæ and Hemandiaceæ, containing Indian plants
rarely met with in England, are introduced here by some botanists.
ORDER CLIX.—MYRISTICEÆ.
The only interesting plant in this order is the Nutmeg (_M.
officinale_, or _moschata_). In this plant, the fruit is pear-shaped,
and it consists of a half-fleshy pericardium enclosing a jet-black
stone, encircled by a fleshy orange-red arillus, which is the mace. The
nutmeg is the kernel of the stone, and it is not taken out for sale
till it is sufficiently ripe to rattle when shaken. The leaves are of
a dark green above, and glaucous beneath; and the flowers are white,
with the red pistil conspicuous in the centre. The tree is a native of
Ceylon and the East Indian Islands, and it requires a stove in England.
ORDER CLX.—PROTEACEÆ.
The principal genera are Protea, Banksia, Dryandra, and Grevillea, all
very singular plants, the species of which, when one of each genus has
been seen, are easily recognised. They are all natives of the Cape of
Good Hope and New Holland.
ORDER CLXI.—THYMELÆÆ.
[Illustration: FIG. 143.—A FLOWER OF MEZEREON.]
This order is well known from the Mezereon and the Spurge Laurel, both
common garden shrubs belonging to the genus Daphne. The berries of both
are poisonous, and the bark acrid. The flowers of the Mezereon (_D.
Mezereum_) have a coloured calyx, which is tubular, with a four-cleft
limb (see _fig._ 143), which is slightly hairy on the outer surface,
and pitted on the inner one. It is said that this calyx will separate
readily into two, the inner part peeling off like a lining: but I have
never been able to effect this without tearing the outer covering.
There are eight anthers, with scarcely any filaments, affixed in two
rows to the throat of the corolla; and an egg-shaped ovary, with a
tufted stigma without any style. The fruit is a drupe, that is, formed
like a plum, with a fleshy pericardium, enclosing a stone or nut,
the kernel of which is the seed, and which sometimes appears to be
partially enveloped in a sort of hairy bag, which is the lining of
the ovary become loose. The flowers of the Mezereon grow round the
stem, with a tuft of leaves at the top; but those of the Spurge Laurel
(_D. Laureola_) are in a cluster of short drooping racemes. The most
remarkable species of the genus is, however, the Lace Bark-tree of
Jamaica (_D. Lagetto_, or _Lagetta lintearia_), the liber or inner bark
of which has such tough fibres as to bear stretching out considerably
without breaking; and in this state it resembles lace so much, that
a collar and ruffles were made of it and sent to Charles II. Gnidia,
a greenhouse plant, has little scales in the mouth of the calyx;
and Pimelea has the flowers in heads, surrounded by a four-leaved
involucre. The principal other genera are Lachnæa, a little Australian
plant with woolly flowers, Passerina or Sparrow-wort, and Struthiola.
The curious little tree called Leatherwood (_Dirca palustris_) also
belongs to this order.
ORDER CLXII.—OSYRIDEÆ.
Exotic trees with white or greenish flowers. The only genera are the
Poet’s Cassia (_Osyris_), and a genus of Australian plants called
Exocarpos.
ORDER CLXIII.—SANTALACEÆ.
The most interesting plant is the Sandal-wood tree (_Santalum album_),
which requires a stove in England; but the North American trees
belonging to the genus Nyssa, including the Tupelotree and the Ogechee
Lime, are quite hardy. The flowers are small and insignificant; and the
fruit is a drupe.
ORDER CLXIV.—ELÆAGNEÆ.
The three genera included in this order are the Sea Buckthorn
(_Hippophae_), the Oleaster (_Elæagnus_), and the Shepherdia; all so
easily recognised by their silvery foliage, as to need no particular
description. The flowers are small and inconspicuous.
ORDER CLXV.—ASARINEÆ, OR ARISTOLOCHIEÆ.
The genus Aristolochia, or Birthwort, is remarkable for the very
singular shape of its flowers, which are as strange, and as much
varied, as it is possible for the wildest imagination to conceive.
The flowers are tubular, with one lip much longer than the other; and
the tube takes an abrupt bend near the middle. Here are six anthers,
fixed very curiously on the outside of a club-shaped column, split into
six lobes at the point. In the centre of this column is a style with
a six-rayed stigma; and the fruit is a large capsule with six cells,
which opens by as many slits, and discharges the numerous thin, flat,
dark brown seeds.
_Asarum canadense_, the Wild Ginger of North America, has
kidney-shaped leaves, and dark purplish brown flowers, on very short
footstalks, which resemble those of the genus Stapelia, both in
appearance and smell.
ORDER CLXVI.—CYTINEÆ.
The most interesting plant in this order is _Nepenthes distillatoria_,
the Chinese Pitcher-plant, the leaves of which have a tendril at the
point curiously dilated at the extremity, so as to form a cup-like
appendage, which is generally full of water. The rim of the pitcher is
beautifully ribbed, and it is furnished with a lid. The male and female
flowers are on different plants, but neither of them possess much
beauty. The remarkable Javanese fungus Rafflesia belongs to this order.
A small order called Cephaloteæ, and containing only the genus
Cephalotis, formerly included in Rosaceæ, is introduced here.
ORDER CLXVII.—EUPHORBIACEÆ.
[Illustration: FIG. 144.—EUPHORBIA.]
[Illustration: FIG. 145.—FRUIT OF EUPHORBIA.]
The genus Euphorbia is well known by the British weed called Caper
Spurge, and the showy stove plants which belong to it. The male and
female flowers are distinct; but both are inclosed in one cup-like
involucre. In _fig._ 144, _a_ is the involucre, _b_ the female flower,
and _c_ the male ones. The fruit (_fig._ 145) consists of three
carpels, each containing a single seed, which divide with elasticity
when the seeds are ripe. All the plants belonging to this order have a
milky, glutinous juice when young, which in some genera becomes solid
when exposed to the air. This is particularly the case with Siphonia
Hevea, a Brazilian tree, the sap of which yields the Indian rubber used
for Macintosh cloaks, &c.; it being more suitable for that purpose
than the caoutchouc yielded by the _Ficus elastica_, which is the true
Indian Rubber. The principal other genera belonging to this order
are the Box (_Buxus_), the tree kind of which yields the wood used
for wood-engraving, and the dwarf variety is employed as edging for
gardens; Croton, an annual species of which (_Croton Tiglium_) yields
the celebrated Croton oil; the Cassava (_Jatropha Manihot_), which
though poisonous in a raw state, becomes the wholesome food called
tapioca, when properly prepared; Palma Christi (_Ricinis communis_),
from the seeds of which castor-oil is made; and the Manchineel tree
(_Hippomane_), which is said to be so poisonous as to occasion the
death of those who sleep beneath its shade.
ORDER CLXVIII.—STACKHOUSEÆ.
Small Australian shrubs with insignificant flowers.
ORDER CLXIX.—ANTIDESMEÆ.
East-Indian trees with inconspicuous flowers.
ORDER CLXX.—URTICEÆ.—(SEE CHAP. X. P. 157.)
The plants belonging to this order are divided into two sections, viz.
those with tough fibres, as the Hemp, the Nettle, &c.; and those with
milky sap, such as the Fig, the Mulberry, the Bread-fruit, &c. All the
genera have the male and female flowers separate. The male flowers
have four stamens which spring back and discharge their pollen with
elasticity, and the female flowers have a one-celled ovary with two
long stigmas.
ORDER CLXXI.—ULMACEÆ.
The principal genera are the Elm (_Ulmus_), the Nettle-tree (_Celtis_),
and the Zelkoua-tree (_Planera_). The flowers, though very small, are
pretty, from their opening in clusters before the leaves; and each has
four stamens, with dark purple anthers, and is furnished with dark
brown bracts. The fruit is a utricle, having a single seed, encircled
by a broad thin transparent membrane. The leaves are rough, and their
sides are unequal at the base. The bark of Elm trees is rough and
deeply furrowed; and the roots spread, instead of penetrating deeply
into the ground like those of the Oak.
ORDER CLXXII.—PIPERACEÆ.
The species are generally climbing plants with perfect flowers, which
are produced in spikes, and are succeeded by one-seeded berries. The
genus Piper contains the common Pepper (_P. nigrum_), the Betel (_P.
Betel_), and several other species.
ORDER CLXXIII.—JUGLANDACEÆ.—(SEE CHAP. XI. P. 176.)
The male and female flowers are distinct, but on the same plant. The
male flowers are produced on long thick anthers, and each consists
of a scale-like calyx enclosing numerous stamens; the female flowers
are two or more together, and each consists of a scale-like calyx,
enclosing a one-celled ovary. The fruit is a drupe, that is, it
consists of a fleshy husk enclosing a nut. The embryo fills the whole
seed; and the cotyledons are fleshy, two-lobed, and wrinkled. There are
only two genera, the Walnut (_Juglans_), the male catkins of which are
produced singly, and the Hickory (_Carya_), the male catkins of which
are in clusters.
ORDER CLXXIV.—AMENTACEÆ.—(SEE CHAP. XI. P. 174).
The male flowers are in catkins, and the fruit of most of the genera
is, when ripe, partially or wholly enclosed in a cup-like involucre,
formed by the adhesion of the numerous bracts.
ORDER CLXXV.—HAMAMELIDEÆ.
This order has been already inserted, p. 380.
ORDER CLXXVI.—EMPETREÆ.
Little heath-like plants, with small flowers and showy berries. The
Crowberry, _Empetrum nigrum_, is very common in Scotland on heaths.
ORDER CLXXVII.—CONIFERÆ. (SEE CHAP. XII. P. 205.)
The male and female flowers are both produced in catkins, and both
consist only of scales. The pollen of the male flowers is very
abundant, and is discharged freely in fine weather. The female flowers
form cones, consisting of numerous scales, at the base of each of which
are two winged seeds. The timber abounds in resin.
ORDER CLXXVIII.-CYCADEÆ. (SEE CHAP. XII. P. 229.)
These singular plants have thick timber-like trunks, yet they can
hardly be called trees, as they increase in height by a single terminal
bud. The leaves are pinnate, and they unroll, when they expand, like
those of the ferns. The male flowers are in cones, and the female ones
either in cones, or produced on the margin of contracted leaves. The
principal genera are Zamia and Cycas, and one species of the latter
yields a kind of sago; the true kind being a product of a species of
Palm.
CHAPTER III.
PHANEROGAMOUS PLANTS.—MONOCOTYLEDONEÆ.
All the trees belonging to this division are natives of tropical
countries; and they, as well as all the herbaceous plants belonging
to it, are distinguished by the veins of their leaves being never
branched, but principally in parallel lines. These plants are
re-divided into those with a perianth, which are called the Petaloideæ,
and in which are included the Orchidaceæ and the bulbous-rooted plants;
and those without a perianth, which are called Glumaceæ, and in which
are included the grasses, and sedges.
§ I.—PETALOIDEÆ.
ORDER CLXXIX.—HYDROCHARIDEÆ.—THE FROG’S BIT TRIBE.
Aquatic plants, two of which are of very curious construction. In
Vallisneria, the male and female flowers are on different plants,
and the buds of the female flowers rise on long spiral stalks, which
gradually uncoil, till the flower appears above the surface of the
water, where it expands. The male flowers are produced on separate
plants at the bottom, but, before they expand, they detach themselves
from the soil, and rise up to the surface, where they float till the
flowers have opened, and the pollen has fallen on the stigmas of the
female flowers, after which the male flowers wither, and the female
ones coil up their stalks again to ripen the seed-vessels at the
bottom. This curious arrangement is necessary, because the pollen
should be dry when it falls on the stigmas; and nearly a similar
arrangement takes place with the Fresh-water Soldier (_Stratiotes_).
The Frog’s Bit (_Hydrocharis morsus ranæ_) is a floating plant,
with pretty white flowers. _Damosonium indicum_ is a very handsome
water-plant, with white flowers and winged stems.
ORDER CLXXX.—ALISMACEÆ.—THE WATER PLANTAIN TRIBE.
The principal genera in this order are Alisma, Sagittaria, and
Actinocarpus, all common British aquatic plants. The Water Plantain
(_Alisma plantago_) has ribbed leaves, and a loose panicle of small
pinkish flowers, which have a permanent calyx of three sepals, a
corolla of three petals, six stamens, and numerous carpels, which grow
close together so as to form a head, as in the Ranunculus tribe. _A.
natans_, which is generally found on lakes in the mountainous districts
of Wales and Cumberland, has rather large white flowers, with a yellow
spot at the base of each petal. The flower-stalks rise high above the
water, and the flowers expand in the months of July and August. The
common Arrowhead (_Sagittaria sagittifolia_) has curiously-shaped
leaves, resembling the head of an arrow. The flowers are white, and
resemble those of _A. natans_; but they have a pink spot at the base,
and there are numerous stamens. The flowers are in whorls, and those
in the upper whorls are generally destitute of carpels. The common
Star-fruit (_Actinocarpus damsonium_) has only six carpels, which are
so arranged as to form a star-like fruit when ripe.
ORDER CLXXXI.—BUTOMEÆ.—THE FLOWERING RUSH TRIBE.
The flowering Rush (_Butomus umbellatus_) is certainly the handsomest
of the British aquatic plants. The flowers are rose-coloured, crimson,
or white; and they are produced in large erect umbels. The calyx and
the corolla are generally of the same colour, and in three divisions
each; there are nine stamens and six capsules, which are many-seeded.
The leaves are triangular or flat. _Limnocharis Plumieri_ is a very
handsome Brazilian aquatic belonging to this order.
ORDER CLXXXII.—JUNCAGINEÆ.—THE ARROWGRASS TRIBE.
Insignificant bog plants, with grassy leaves, and central spikes or
racemes of greenish yellow flowers.
ORDER CLXXXIII.—ORCHIDACEÆ.
[Illustration: FIG. 146.—ORCHIS MORIO.]
[Illustration: FIG. 147.—POLLEN MASSES OF THE ORCHIS.]
The plants belonging to this order may be divided into two kinds, those
that grow in the earth, and those which require to have their roots
suspended in the air; the latter being the beautiful tropical plants
called Orchideous Epiphytes. Most of the terrestrial Orchidaceæ are
British plants belonging to several genera, the most curious of which
are Orchis, Habenaria, Ophrys, Aceras, Nœttia, Epipactis, and Malaxis.
Nearly all the British Orchidaceæ have tuberous roots, which remain
above ground, a new tuber being formed every year. The leaves are
alternate, with an entire margin, without any footstalk, and sheathing
the stem at the base. The flowers are produced in a spike, furnished
with bracts, and though they are very irregular in their forms, there
are certain particulars in which they all agree. Though in reality
sessile, they appear to have each a footstalk, but this footstalk is
only the long twisted ovary (_c_ in _fig._ 146), which is one-celled
and many-seeded, and which serves to support the calyx and corolla
of the flower, which are both above it. The calyx consists of three
sepals, one of which has the appearance of a hood (_a_), and the
others (_b b_) look like wings. The petals are very disproportionate
in their size; two are generally very small, and are only seen peeping
beneath the hood of the calyx; while the third (_d_), which is called
the labellum, or lip, is very large, and hangs down. In the centre
of the flower is a singular mass, called the column, composed of the
stamens and pistil, grown together (see _a_ in _fig._ 147). In this
column there is one perfect anther (_b_), and two imperfect ones (_c
c_). The perfect anther consists of a pouch or bag, which, when opened,
displays two stalked masses of globular pollen, one of which (_d_) is
pulled down to show its appearance, while the other remains in its
case at (_e_). The stigma is a sort of cup half full of a glutinous
fluid, but it appears entirely shut out from the pollen, which is not
only enclosed in its pouch or bag, but is of such a solid waxy nature
as to prevent any possibility of its being carried by wind or insects
to the stigma. Nature, however, has contrived a means of obviating
the difficulty. At the foot of each stalk of the pollen masses, there
is a little protuberance, covering a gland, through which the pollen
descends to the stigma, and thence to the ovary or germen.
The different genera are distinguished, partly by the manner in which
the granules of the pollen adhere together, and partly by the shape
of the flowers; and their different species vary principally in the
form of the labellum. In the genera Orchis and Habenaria, the labellum
is drawn out behind into a kind of spur (see _e_ in _fig._ 146); and
in others it assumes strange shapes, as in the Man Orchis (_Aceras
anthropophora_), where the labellum looks like a little man; and in the
Lizard Orchis (_A._ or _Orchis hircina_) where the labellum is drawn
out into a long tail, which looks like the tail and long body of the
lizard, while the petals, which are long and narrow and bent back,
look like the hind legs. In the genus Ophrys, the labellum also takes
strange shapes, sometimes resembling a bee, at others a fly, and at
others a spider. In the genus Cypripedium, the two side stamens bear
anthers and pollen, and only the central one is imperfect.
In the orchideous epiphytes the same general construction prevails, but
the forms of the flowers are still more varied and fantastic. All of
them have pseudo bulbs above ground, which serve as substitutes for the
tubers of the terrestrial species.
ORDER CLXXXIV.—SCITAMINEÆ.
This order contains several plants, well known for their useful
properties, as for example, the Ginger (_Zingiber officinale_), and
the Turmeric (_Curcuma Zerumbet_). Some of the plants grow tall and
reed-like, as for example in Hedychium. Most of the genera have a
creeping underground stem, called a rhizoma, which is often jointed.
The flowers are produced in spathe like bracts; the calyx is tubular,
and adheres to the ovary; and the corolla, which is also tubular, has
six segments arranged in two rows; the inner row, which is supposed to
consist of the dilated filaments of abortive stamens, has one of the
segments, called the labellum, larger than the rest. There are three
stamens, two of which are abortive, as in the Orchidaceæ; but the
pollen does not cohere in masses, and it is not inclosed in a kind of
pouch or bag. The ovary is three-celled (though the cells are sometimes
imperfect), and many-seeded; the style is filiform, and the stigma is
dilated and hollow. The fruit is generally a capsule; but in some cases
it is a berry.
ORDER CLXXXV.—CANNEÆ.
The most interesting genera are—_Canna_, containing reed-like plants
with brilliant flowers; as, for example, _C. indica_, the Indian Shot;
_Thalia_, a curious aquatic; and _Maranta_, the tubers of which furnish
India Arrowroot. The flowers in their construction greatly resemble
those of the preceding order; but the filaments of the stamens are
petal-like, and it is one of the side stamens that is perfect, the
middle and the other side stamens being always abortive. The fruit is
always capsular.
ORDER CLXXXVI.—MUSACEÆ.
The genus Musa is known by its fruit, which is eaten under the names
of Plantain and Banana. The flowers are produced in spikes, enclosed
in spathe-like bracts, which are often richly coloured; and they are
succeeded by the fruit, which hang down in massive spikes of enormous
weight. The leaves are very large and strong, and Indian muslin is
manufactured from the fibres of one of the species. The principal other
genera, Strelitzia and Heliconia, are both remarkable for the brilliant
colours of their flowers.
ORDER CLXXXVII.—IRIDACEÆ.
The principal genera belonging to this order are—Iris, Moræa, Marica,
Vieusseuxia, Homeria, Sisyrinchium, Patersonia, Witsenia, Ferraria,
Tigridia, Babiana, Watsonia, Gladiolus, Sparaxis, Tritonia, Ixia,
and Crocus; but almost every genus contained in the order has showy
flowers, and is consequently well known in gardens. The leaves are
generally thin, long, and flat, with the edge towards the stem, and the
flowers are produced from spathes; the perianth is also in six segments
coloured alike, the calyx and corolla being in most cases confounded
together. The genus Iris has generally tuberous or solid bulbous
roots, of the kind called corms, and the perianth of the flower is
divided into six segments, three of which are larger than the others;
these three larger segments, which form the calyx, (see _a_ in _fig._
148) are reflexed, and a stamen springs from the base of each, which
reclines upon it, with its anther turned from the rest of the flower,
the segment, in many species, having a kind of crest or beard near the
base, as though it were intended to form a cushion for the stamen to
repose on, while over each stamen is spread, as a kind of coverlid, a
stigma (_b_) which is dilated so as to resemble a petal. The petals
(_c_) often stand erect, and were called by Linnæus the standards. The
seed-vessel, which forms below the flower, is a three-celled capsule,
opening, when ripe, by three valves, and containing numerous seeds.
[Illustration: FIG. 148.—FLOWER OF THE IRIS.]
The other genera differ from the Iris in having the lower part of the
segments of the perianth generally combined into a tube, with the
ovary below, looking like a footstalk; the limb being divided into six
parts, all so much alike, both in form and position, as to render it
difficult to distinguish the calyx from the corolla. There is only
one style, with three stigmas, which are always more or less leafy,
and the anthers (which are never more than three) are always turned
away from the pistil. In Ferraria, the filaments of the stamens grow
together, and form a hollow tube, as in the Passion-flower, surrounding
the style and stigmas; and in the Saffron Crocus (_C. sativa_), the
stigmas (which, when dried, form the saffron) are so heavy, as to hang
out on one side of the perianth from between the segments. Most of the
genera have solid bulbs or corms at the base of their stems; but some,
such as Marica, Sisyrinchium, and Patersonia, have only fibrous roots.
The genera Colchicum and Bulbocodium very much resemble the Crocus in
the appearance of their flowers; but they are distinguished by having
three styles and a superior ovary, and they are included in the order
Melanthaceæ.
ORDER CLXXXVIII.—HÆMODORACEÆ.
The principal genera are Wachendorfia, Hæmadorum, and Anigozanthos,
which differ from the preceding genus principally in having six
stamens, the anthers of which are turned towards the stigma. Most of
the genera have only fibrous roots, but Wachendorfia has a rhizoma,
producing buds in the scales. The plants are natives of the Cape of
Good Hope and New Holland, and the roots of some of the species yield a
brilliant scarlet dye.
ORDER CLXXXIX.—HYPOXIDEÆ.
Bulbous-rooted plants, with long narrow leaves covered with soft downy
hairs, and rather small yellow flowers, which are frequently fragrant.
ORDER CXC.—AMARYLLIDACEÆ.
A large order of genera, all of which have bulbous roots, and most
of them splendid flowers. Some of the most interesting genera
are—Amaryllis, Nerine (the Guernsey Lily), Brunsvigia, Hæmanthus,
Crinum, Pancratium, Narcissus, Galanthus (the Snowdrop), Leucojum,
Alstrœmeria, and Doryanthes. The different kinds of Amaryllis have
large lily-like flowers, divided into six equal segments, which are
joined into a tube below, with six stamens, the anthers of which are
turned towards the pistil, and a long style crowned with a simple
stigma. The ovary is beneath the other parts of the flower, to which
it serves as a receptacle; and in most of the plants it looks like a
small green calyx below the perianth. The leaves are very long, but
they are rather thick and fleshy, and their edge is not turned towards
the stem. In Narcissus, Pancratium, and some other genera, the flowers
have a kind of cup within the perianth, formed of the filaments of
abortive stamens grown together. In Pancratium, the filaments of the
anther-bearing stamens grow into the others, so as to form a part of
the cup, the anthers springing from the margin of it; but in Narcissus,
the fertile stamens are distinct. In Galanthus, and its allied genera,
the anthers open by pores, as in the Ericaceæ, and there is a kind of
receptacle on the germen, in which the petals, and sepals, and the
filaments of the stamens, are inserted.
ORDER CXCI.—HEMEROCALLIDEÆ.
This order, which included the Day Lilies (_Hemerocallis_ and
_Funkia_), the African Lily (_Agapanthus_), the Aloe (_Aloë_), the
Tuberose (_Polianthes_), with several other genera which have their
flowers in upright racemes or umbels, is now generally considered to
form a section of the order Liliaceæ.
ORDER CXCII.—DIOSCOREÆ.
The Yam (_Dioscoreæ_), and the Elephant’s-foot (_Testudinaria_), are
the principal genera in this order; and both have an enormously-large
tuberous root which is eatable, and a very slender climbing stem, with
rather small leaves and inconspicuous flowers. The ovary is below the
flower, and the fruit is capsular.
ORDER CXCIII.—TAMACEÆ.
This order consists only of the genus _Tamus_, the Black Bryony, which
Dr. Lindley includes in Dioscoreæ. It has, however, a berry-like fruit.
ORDER CXCIV.—SMILACEÆ.
This order includes Smilax, the root of a species of which affords the
drug called Sarsaparilla, the Lily of the Valley (_Convallaria_), and
the Alexandrian Laurel, or Butcher’s Broom (_Ruscus_). The male and
female flowers in Smilax are on different plants; and in Ruscus the
flowers spring from the middle of the leaves. The perianth is in six
equal segments, and there are six stamens. The ovary is three-celled,
with the cells one or many seeded, and the fruit is a globose berry.
The seeds, when ripe, have a brown membranous skin. Dr. Lindley
confines this tribe to Smilax, and Ripogonum; and includes the other
genera in Liliaceæ.
ORDER CXCV.—ASPHODELEÆ.
This order includes the Hyacinth (_Hyacinthus_), the squills
(_Scilla_), the onions (_Allium_), the Grape Hyacinth (_Muscari_),
the Star of Bethlehem (_Ornithogalum_), King’s Spear (_Asphodelus_),
_Anthericum_, _Albuca_, _Gagea_, _Thysanotus_, _Asparagus_, the
Dragon-wood (_Dracæna_), and New Zealand flax (_Phormium_). Many of
these plants have tunicated bulbs; that is, bulbs which consist of
several fleshy tunics or coats, which may easily be separated from
each other, as may be seen in the hyacinth and the onion. The leaves
are fleshy, and ligulate or strap-shaped; and the stems are frequently
hollow. The flowers are generally in upright racemes, or umbels; they
are regular, and sometimes bell-shaped; the perianth is divided into
six segments, which are sometimes partly united into a tube, and
recurved at the tip. There are six stamens attached to the perianth,
and the fruit is either a fleshy or dry three-celled capsule, generally
with several seeds, and opening into three valves, when ripe. Dr.
Lindley makes this a separate order in his _Ladies’ Botany_, but he
combines it with Liliaceæ in his _Introduction to the Nat. Syst._, and
Sir W. J. Hooker includes in it Yucca and Aloe, the first of which in
the _Hortus Britannicus_ is included in Tulipaceæ, and the latter in
Hemerocallideæ.
ORDER CXCVI.—TULIPACEÆ.
This order in the _Hortus Britannicus_ comprises the genera Yucca,
Tulipa, Fritillaria, Cyclobothra, Calochortus, Lilium, Gloriosa, and
Erythronium (the Dog Violet); but Sir W. J. Hooker omits Yucca, and
adds Blandfordia, Hemerocallis, and Polianthes; while Dr. Lindley
includes all these plants, together with those comprised in Asphodeleæ,
in the order Liliaceæ. This last appears the most natural arrangement,
as all these plants have a regular perianth of six segments, with six
stamens, and a dry or fleshy capsule of three cells, opening by as
many valves. Some of the genera have more seeds than others, and some
of the seeds have a hard, dry, black skin, while others have the skin
spongy and soft. Some of the genera have the flowers erect and single,
as in the Tulip; in others the flowers are erect, but in umbels, as in
the Orange Lily; and in others they are in racemes and drooping, as in
the Yucca, or single and drooping, as in the Fritillaria, or with the
segments curved back as in the Martagon Lily.
ORDER CXCVII.—MELANTHACEÆ.
The plants belonging to this order have generally inconspicuous
flowers, except Colchicum and Bulbocodium, both of which have flowers
like the Crocus. The bulbs of the Colchicum are used in medicine; but
they and the whole plant abound in an acrid juice, which is poisonous
if taken in too large a dose. The root of Veratrum is also poisonous,
and this plant is believed to be the Hellebore of the ancients. The
Colchicum and the Bulbocodium are distinguished from the Crocus genus,
which they so strongly resemble in the appearance of their flowers, by
the ovary being within the flower instead of below it, as is the case
with all the Amaryllidaceæ, and by their having three distinct styles,
instead of one style and three stigmas. In all other respects they are
the same.
ORDER CXCVIII.—BROMELIACEÆ.
This order includes the Pine Apple (_Bromelia Ananas_), the American
Aloe (_Agave americana_), _Billbergia_, the magnificent plant
_Bonapartea juncea_, now called _Lyttæa geminiflora_, and the curious
epiphyte _Tillandsia_. What we are accustomed to call the fruit of
the Pine Apple is, in fact, a fleshy receptacle, like that of the
Strawberry, covered with scaly bracts, which are the remains of the
fallen flowers. The flowers are blue, and one is produced in each
bract; when they fall, the bracts thicken and grow together, and cover
the ovaries, which sink into the fleshy part of the receptacle.
ORDER CXCIX.—PONTEDERACEÆ.
Elegant aquatic plants, with kidney-shaped leaves, and spikes or
racemes of blue or white flowers. The principal genus is Pontederia.
ORDER CC.—COMMELINEÆ.
This order is principally known in Britain by the Spiderwort
(_Tradescantia_), and the beautiful _Commelina cælestis_. Both plants
have the flowers springing from a tuft of leaves which sheath the stem.
ORDER CCI.—PALMÆ.—THE PALM TRIBE.
This order contains many lofty trees, which are, with one exception,
without branches, and bear a tuft of large leaves, called fronds, at
the summit. The flowers are small, with bracts, and they are enclosed
in a spathe, which bursts on the under side. The mass of flowers is
called a spadix; and it is succeeded by the fruit, which, when ripe,
is either a drupe or a berry. In the Cocoa-nut Palm (_Cocos nucifera_)
the fruit is a drupe; but the pericardium consists of hard, dry,
fibrous matter, which is uneatable, the only part fit for food being
the albumen of the kernel. The Date Palm (_Phœnix dactylifera_), and
the Sago Palm (_Sagus Rumphii_), are two interesting plants, from their
products.
ORDER CCII.—PANDANEÆ.
The most interesting plant in this order is the Screw Pine
(_Pandanus_), which has the habit of the Palms, but the flowers of the
Arum tribe.
ORDER CCIII.—TYPHINEÆ.—THE BULLRUSH TRIBE.
The Bullrushes (_Typha_), also called Cat’s-tail and Reed-mare, are
tall rush-like plants, with a cylindrical mass of dark brown flowers
round the stem, surmounted by a spike of yellow flowers. The lower
dark-brown flowers are female ones, and the yellow ones are the males;
the former consist only of an ovary on a long stalk, and a calyx cut
into fine hairs so as to form a kind of pappus. The male flowers have
a chaff-like calyx, enclosing the stamens, the filaments of which
are united at the base, and the anthers are very long and of a bright
yellow. The seed is a dry capsule, and the plant has a rhizoma or
creeping stem under the water.
ORDER CCIV.—AROIDEÆ.—THE ARUM TRIBE.
These curious plants have their flowers in a spadix, enclosed in a
spathe, the male and female flowers being separate, and the former
above the latter, with some abortive ovaries again above them. The
male flowers have only one stamen in each without any covering; and
the female flowers in like manner consist each of a single ovary, with
a puckered-up hole in the upper part, which serves as the stigma.
The fruit consists of a cluster of red berries, which form round the
spadix. Many of these plants have a very unpleasant smell, and some
of them have a tuberous root, which, when cooked, is eaten, though it
is poisonous when raw. _Arum_ or _Caladium esculentum_ is thus eaten
as a common article of food in the East Indies; but the Dumb Cane
(_A._ or _C. seguinum_) has its English name from its juice being so
poisonous as, if tasted, to cause the lips to swell so as to prevent
the possibility of speaking. The beautiful marsh plant called _Calla_
or _Richardia ethiopica_, or the White Arum, belongs to this order;
as does the fragrant rush, _Acorus Calamus_. The order Typhaceæ is
included by many botanists in Aroideæ; and indeed, the difference
between them consists principally in the Bullrushes having no spathe.
ORDER CCV.—FLUVIALES, OR NAIADES.—THE POND-WEED TRIBE.
Floating plants, of which _Aponogeton distachyon_ is by far the most
beautiful. This plant, which is a native of the Cape of Good Hope, has
oblong, deeply-ribbed leaves on very long footstalks, and the flowers
in two-cleft spikes, with snow-white bracts, which are very ornamental
and very fragrant; each flower consists of from six to twelve stamens,
and from two to five carpels. The root is tuberous, and eatable when
roasted. The Duckweed (_Lemna_), which is sometimes included in this
order, appears to consist entirely of a few leaves floating on the
water, each of which sends down a root; and many people believe that
it never flowers. If, however, it be watched in the months of June
and July, two yellow anthers will be seen peeping out of the side of
each leaf; and if the opening be enlarged, the flower will be found to
consist of a kind of bag, open on one side, and containing two stamens,
with an ovary furnished with a style and simple stigma. The fruit is a
one-celled capsule, containing one or more seeds. Some botanists place
this plant in a separate order, called Pistiaceæ, from another genus
included in it.
ORDER CCVI.—JUNCEÆ.—THE RUSH TRIBE.
The most interesting genus is the Rush (_Juncus_). These plants, low
as they rank in the vegetable world, have a regular perianth of six
divisions with six stamens, and a three-celled capsule which opens by
three valves. The perianth of the flowers is, however, so small as to
be inconspicuous. Most of the species are weeds, which are considered
to indicate cold, wet, and poor ground.
ORDER CCVII.—GILLESIEÆ.
A grass-like plant, a native of Chili, with greenish flowers.
ORDER CCVIII.—RESTIACEÆ.—THE PIPEWORT TRIBE.
Rigid, inelegant, and often leafless, plants, with the habit of rushes,
natives of New Holland and the Cape of Good Hope.
§ II.—GLUMACEÆ.
These plants, instead of having a regular calyx and corolla, have
nothing but green and brown scales, which are called glumes, to cover
the stamens and pistil. There are only two orders belonging to this
division in British fields and gardens.
ORDER CCIX.—CYPERACEÆ.—THE SEDGE TRIBE.
These plants have solid stems, and the leaves not only sheathe the
stem, but grow together round it, so as to form a kind of tube. The
flowers are arranged in heads, some of which contain only male flowers,
each of which consists of a membranous scale and three stamens, and
others contain only female flowers. In the genus Carex, the Sedge,
these flowers are each enclosed in a kind of bottle formed by two
scales growing together, and opening at the top into two parts so as
to show three stigmas, which have only a single style. The fruit is a
dry, hard, triangular capsule with only one seed. The most remarkable
genera are _Papyrus_, the plant anciently used for paper; _Scirpus_,
the Club-rush, used for making the seats of chairs, mats, &c.;
_Eriophorum_, Cotton-grass; and _Cyperus_.
ORDER CCX.—GRAMINEÆ.—THE GRASS TRIBE.
This very important order includes not only the common Grasses, but the
Bread Corns, or Cereal Grasses—Wheat, Oats, Barley, Rye, and Maize;
and the Sugar-cane and Rice. All these plants are botanically allied
to the Sedges, but their stems are hollow, except at the joints, where
they become solid; and their leaves, though sheathing the stem, do not
unite round it. The flowers are produced in spikes, which are what are
called spikelets. The glume, or calyx as it was called by Linnæus, is
generally two-valved; and within it are two thinner smaller scales, or
paleæ, which were called the corolla by Linnæus. Besides these, there
are frequently two still smaller scales within the paleæ. There are
generally three or six stamens, the anthers of which are two-celled,
and forked at the extremity. There are two styles, either quite
distinct, or combined at the base, and the stigmas are feathery. The
pericarp is membranaceous, and adheres to the seed, forming a kind of
caryopsides. The seeds contain a great deal of albumen, which, when
ground into flour, becomes nourishing food. The stems, or culms, are
hollow and articulated; the leaves, which are alternate, springing
from each joint. The most important genera are Wheat (_Triticum_),
Barley (_Hordeum_), Rye (_Secale_), Oats (_Avena_), Maize (_Zea_), the
Sugar-cane (_Saccharum_), Rice (_Oryza_), and the Bamboo (_Bambusa_).
Oats are not produced in spikes, but in loose panicles; and the male
and female flowers of the Maize or Indian Corn are on different plants.
CHAPTER IV.
CRYPTOGAMOUS PLANTS.
These plants are generally described as being without spiral vessels,
and consisting only of cellular tissue; but spiral vessels are known
to exist in the Ferns, and are said to have been found in the Mosses.
Whether this be the case or not, it is evident that the plants included
in this division are very different from all that have preceded them,
and occupy a lower grade in the scale of vegetable creation. They
are divided into two sub-classes: viz. the _Foliaceæ_, or those with
leaves, and the _Aphyllæ_, or those without leaves; both of which are
without visible flowers, though some have what are called anthers,
and the Mosses have something resembling a style and stigma. They may
also be said to have no seeds, for the spores, or sporules as they are
called, are very different from the seeds of vascular plants, and they
have neither cotyledon nor embryo.
SUB-CLASS I. FOLIACEÆ.
ORDER CCXI.—FILICES.—THE FERN TRIBE.
Though some of the Ferns are so common that almost every one must
have seen them, very few persons are aware how very curiously they
are constructed. In the first place, they may be said to have neither
stems nor leaves, and neither flowers nor seeds. The different parts
of the plant spring from a rhizoma, and the leaves, which are called
fronds, have their veins neither branched nor in parallel lines, but
forked. On the back of the leaves are some curious brown spots of
various shapes called sori; and these, which generally form under the
outer skin or cuticle of the leaf, and which always spring from one of
the veins, contain a number of small grains, called the thecæ, which
are in reality cases containing the sporules or seeds. When the sorus
forms under the cuticle of the leaf, the membranous part raised, which
resembles a blister, is called the indusium; but sometimes the sori
are naked, that is, they are formed on the outside of the cuticle; and
sometimes they are found on the margin of the leaf, which folds over
them, and supplies the place of the indusium. The order is generally
divided into two sections, called Polypodiaceæ and Osmundaceæ. The
first contains those plants which unroll their leaves, when they
rise from the stem, and which have their sori either on the back or
on the margin of the frond. The thecæ are on stalks, and they are
furnished with a ribbed, elastic, articulated but incomplete ring,
which seems to serve as a sort of hinge when they burst. This elastic
ring is a continuation of the stalk of the theca, which always bursts
on the opposite side. The following are the principal genera in this
division: Polypody (_Polypodium_), sori without any indusium; Shield
Fern (_Aspidium_), Bladder Fern (_Cistopteris_), and Spleenwort
(_Asplenium_), all of which have their fronds pinnate or pinnatifid;
Maiden Hair (_Adiantum_), Hart’s-tongue (_Scolopendrium_), the frond
of which is simple and shaped like a tongue, and the sori oblong; and
Brake (_Pteris_), the leaves of which are pinnatifid, with the sori
placed round the margin so as to form a continuous line, and the edge
of the leaf turned over them. The rhizoma of the Brake is eaten in many
countries, and the fronds, when burnt, yield alkali, which is used in
making both soap and glass.
The second division Osmundaceæ comprises those Ferns which apparently
have flowers; the flowers, however, being merely sori, with the leaves
on which they grew shrivelled up round them. The most remarkable of
these is the flowering Fern (_Osmunda regalis_); but others are—the
Grape Fern or Moonwort (_Botrychium_), a species of which, a native of
North America, is called there the Rattle-snake Fern; and the Adder’s
Tongue (_Ophiglossum_). The Tree Ferns of New Zealand are magnificent
plants. The trunk or stipe rises to the height of forty or fifty feet
without a branch, and then terminates in a head of noble fronds, which
hang down on every side like a plume of feathers. The wood of these
trees when cut across, instead of being in circles like the wood of
Dicotyledonous trees, or full of pores like that of the Endogens, is
marked with a number of zigzag lines, the traces of the stalks of old
fronds which have grown together and formed the stipe.
ORDER CCXII.—LYCOPODINEÆ.—THE CLUB-MOSS TRIBE.
These plants appear to occupy the intermediate space between the Ferns
and the Mosses. They have creeping stems, and grow two or three feet
high; the erect stems being clothed with imbricated leaves, in the
axils of which these are produced. Some of them open into three or four
valves, and contain sporules; while others are only two-valved, and
contain a kind of powder, which some suppose to be pollen, and others
abortive sporules. In some of the species, the thecæ are produced in
bracteated spikes, which resemble the young strobiles on a Spruce Fir.
The seeds of the common Club-moss (_Lycopodium clavatum_) are used at
the theatres to imitate lightning.
ORDER CCXIII.—MARSILEACEÆ.
These are aquatic herbs, the thecæ or receptacles of which are always
found in the axils of the leaves near the root. In the genus _Isoetes_
(Quillwort) these are of two kinds, like those of the Club-mosses, the
one containing powder, and the other granules; but in Pepper-grass or
Pillwort (_Pillularia_), the receptacles are four-celled, and each cell
contains both powder and granules. _Marsilea_, from which the order
takes its name, is a native of Italy and other parts of the south of
Europe, where it grows in the same manner as Duckweed does with us.
ORDER CCXIV.—EQUISETACEÆ.—THE HORSE-TAIL TRIBE.
The thecæ of these well-known plants are contained in terminal
cone-like spikes or catkins, from four to eight lying in each scale.
The stems are tubular, and articulated with whorls of membranaceous
sheaths, and of slender branches, jointed, and sheathed like the stem
at every joint. All the species of Equisetum abound in silicious
matter, and particularly the Dutch Rush (_E. hyemale_), which is used
for polishing both wood and metal. The handsomest species is _E.
sylvaticum_.
ORDER CCXV.—CHARACEÆ.
Aquatic herbs, contained in the genera Nitella and Chara, always
growing under water, with slender jointed stems, surrounded at the
joints by whorls of tubular leaves or branches, which are either
membranaceous and transparent, as in _Nitella_; or brittle, and more or
less encrusted with carbonate of lime, as in _Chara_, Stonewort. The
organs of reproduction are formed in the axils of the branches, and
consist of transparent globules, and hard, spiral nuculas, which appear
to be formed of twisted leaves, the points of which often form a kind
of crest. Young plants are only produced by the nuculas.
ORDER CCXVI.—MUSCI.—THE MOSS TRIBE.
[Illustration: FIG. 149.—CRYPTOGAMOUS PLANTS.]
The Mosses have fibrous roots, and slender wiry stems, densely covered
with leaves, which are very small, and laid over each other like
scales (see _a_ in _fig._ 149). The theca (_g_) is urn-shaped, and
it is produced singly; in most cases, on a long, slender, wiry stem,
called a seta, which signifies a bristle, but sometimes without any
stalk. It always springs from a tuft of leaves, differing both in size
and shape from ordinary leaves, which form what is sometimes called
the perichætium. Among these may occasionally be seen a few stalks,
resembling the Lichen called Cup-moss, which terminates in a kind of
cup, and thickened at the base. The cups and upper parts soon die away,
and the thicker part left among the leaves swells, and in time rises
on a stalk of its own, carrying away one of the leaves with it on
its head. This is the theca, and the leaf it carried away, and which
resembles an extinguisher, is called the calyptra, and it remains on
till the sporules are nearly ripe. When the calyptra falls, the theca
is found to be covered with a little lid called the operculum; which
also falls off in time, and shows the mouth or stoma of the theca. This
mouth is sometimes naked, and sometimes covered with a kind of film;
but generally it is surrounded by a row of long, slender, hair-like
teeth called the peristome or fringe. When there are two rows of these
hair-like teeth, the inner ones, which are finer than the others, are
called the cilia; and the number of both the cilia and the teeth is
always some number that can be divided by four. In the cavity of the
theca is a central axis called the columella, and around that are found
the sporules, kept together by the lining of the theca, which forms a
kind of open bag. This is the usual construction of all the numerous
genera of mosses; but in some kinds, as for example in the Hair-moss
(_Polytrichium_), in addition to the theca, a number of granules are
found among the leaves, which are said to be capable of producing young
plants.
ORDER CCXVII.—HEPATICÆ.
These plants greatly resemble Mosses in their appearance, but they
differ in their construction. The theca has no lid, but bursts into
valves; and it generally contains not only sporules, but tubes formed
of curiously twisted threads, called elaters. Jungermannia and
Marchantia have a calyptra, which the other genera are without; and in
Jungermannia the theca has a sort of sheath, which is sometimes called
the calyx. There are also stalked granules called anthers, and warts
which form on the leaves, and break up into a kind of sporules.
SUB-CLASS II.—APHYLLEÆ.
ORDER CCXVIII.—LICHENES.
[Illustration: FIG. 150—USNEA FLORIDA. (_Old Trees._)]
[Illustration: FIG. 151.—RAMALINA FASTIGIATA. (_Rocks and Trees._)]
[Illustration: FIG. 152.—CORNICULARIA HETEROMALLA.—(_Old Trees._)]
Though these plants are said to have no leaves, they consist almost
entirely of a kind of leafy stem, called a frond or thallus, the
branches of which are called podetia (see _a_ in _figs._ 150, 151, and
152). The spores or sporules are produced in what are called shields
(_b_ in _figs._ 149, 150, and 151), which are generally embedded in
the thallus, and which, when they are cup-shaped (as in _fig._ 150),
are called scyphæ, and when flat (as in _fig._ 151), apothecia. The
sporules, which are very numerous, are inclosed in receptacles of
various forms, which are embedded in the shields. Some of the commonest
lichens are _Usnea florida_ (_fig._ 150), and _Ramalina fastigiata_
(_fig._ 151), both of which are found on old oaks, and are generally
called grey moss; and _Cornicularia heteromalla_ (_fig._ 152) is
a brown mossy-looking lichen, often found on the bark. Other more
interesting lichens are—the Iceland-moss (_Cetraria islandica_), the
Reindeer-moss (_Cenomyce_, or _Cladonia rangiferina_), the Cup-moss
(_Cenomyce pyxidata_), and the Orchil (_Rocella tinctoria_).
ORDER CCXIX.—FUNGI.
The Fungi are divided into several distinct sections; the most
important of which may be called the Mushroom tribe. The largest genus
in this division is Agaricus, and the plants belonging to it consist
of a stipe, or stalk (_c_ in _fig._ 149), surmounted by the pileus or
cap (_d_). When the mushroom first appears, the stalk is covered by
a thin membrane, called the veil (_e_), which unites the cap to the
lower part; but as the mushroom grows, this veil is rent asunder, and
it either entirely disappears, or only a small part of it remains round
the stalk, which is called the annulus or ring. Under the cap are the
gills or lamellæ, which are of a dark reddish brown; and attached to
these are the thecæ, containing the sporules or seed. In the common
Mushroom (_Agaricus campestre_), and all the eatable kinds, the gills
are pink when the veil breaks, which it does very soon, and they become
afterwards nearly black; but in all the poisonous kinds, the veil is
longer before it breaks, and when it does so, the gills are pale, and
frequently nearly white, without becoming darker; the smell is also
quite different. The Mushroom tribe, which includes all the Fungi
that carry their sporules in the part above the stem, is divided into
two sections, viz., those with caps, like the Mushroom, and those
which are slender and entire, but club-shaped in the upper part, like
_Clavaria helvola_, a fungus often found in meadows, which resembles
the stamen of an orange-lily.
The Morel tribe includes those Fungi which have their sporules in the
stipe, and it is in two divisions; the first of which includes those
which, like the Morel (_Morchella esculenta_), have a pileus, or cap,
like a mitre; and the second, those which have the pileus curving
upwards, like a cup, as in Peziza. A third tribe includes those which,
like Tremella, are of a jelly-like substance; and in a similar manner
all the numerous genera are arranged. Among these the most remarkable
are the Truffle (_Tuber cibarium_), which is found buried in the earth,
and the curious Fungi called Blight and Mildew, which belong to several
different genera, and which appear on the leaves and fruit of other
plants.
ORDER CCXX.—ALGÆ.
The Sea-weeds are placed on the extreme verge of the vegetable kingdom;
and indeed some of them seem almost to partake of the nature of
zoophytes. They can live only where there is abundance of moisture,
and many of them, such as the different kinds of Fucus, inhabit the
sea; by the waves of which they are torn up from their native beds, and
washed on shore by the tides. Others are found in the form of Confervæ,
or green slime, on the surface of stagnant ponds, or on damp stone or
gravel-walks; and others appear to form one of the connecting links
between vegetable and animal life, as the joints in which they are
produced possess the power of separating from each other, and in their
divided state so closely resemble animals, as to puzzle naturalists to
know where to place them. The Algæ are divided by botanists into three
classes; viz., the jointless, the jointed, and the disjointed. The
jointless Algæ are by far the most numerous; and they comprehend all
those broad flat jelly-like substances which are called by the popular
names of tangle and dulse on the coast, and which are frequently
eaten. To this division belong the kinds of sea-weed that are used
for making kelp; those from which iodine is procured; those forming
the celebrated Chinese birds’ nests; those sold in the oil-shops
under the name of laver; and those used by farmers as manure. The
jointed Algæ are very inferior in the scale of creation to the first
division; but the Confervæ (see _f_ in _fig._ 149) are well known, from
the rapidity with which they form a thick green slime, by adhering
together on the surface of ditches and cisterns, and in short, wherever
there is stagnant water exposed to the open air. The disjointed Algæ
are generally found among the Confervæ; but they are so small, and
insignificant in appearance, as, in most cases, entirely to escape
notice.
INDEX.
A.
Abele Tree, 185
Abies, 212
Acacia, 35, 41
Acanthaceæ, 415
Acer, 315
Achenium, 98
Achimenes, 412
Achras Sapota, 399
Acorus Calamus, 455
Acotyledonous Plants, 234, 236, 238
Actinocarpus, 437
Adansonia, 300
Adenophora, 394
Adiantum, 462
Adnate anther (_fig._ 4), 12
Æschynanthus, 412
Æsculus (_figs._ 127-132), 323
African Lily, 447
Agapanthus, ib.
Agaricus, 470
Agave, 451
Agrostemma, 293
Ailantus, 341
Ajuga, 414
Alangium, 357
Alaternus, 345
Albuca, 449
Albumen, 233
Alburnum, 235
Alchemilla, 74
Alder, 189
Alexandrian Laurel, 448
Algæ (Sea-weed), 37, 471
Alisma, 436
Allamanda, 402
Alligator Pear, 424
Allium, 449
Almond, 60
Aloe, 447
Alonsoa, 412
Aloysia, 415
Alstrœmeria, 446
Althæa, 299
Althæa frutex, 296
Amarantus, 420
Amaryllidaceæ, 446
Amaryllis, ib.
Amelanchier, 73
American Allspice, 351
American Cotton Tree, 203
American Cowslip, 417
American Honeysuckle, 127
Ampelopsis, 331
Amphicoma, 412
Anacardium, 348
Anagallis, 417
Anchusa, 409
Andromeda, 115
Androsæmum, 312
Anemone, 19
Anigozanthos, 445
Aniseed Tree, 241
Anona, 245
Anther, 6
Anthocercis, 156
Antiaris (_fig._ 75), 167
Antidesmeæ, 431
Apocyneæ, 402
Aponogeton, 455
Apothecia, 469
Apple (_fig._ 27), 65
Apple Berry of Australia, 287
Apricot, 62
Aquilarinaæ, 347
Aralia, 380
Araucaria, 219
Arbor Vitæ (_fig._ 99), 220
Arbre à perruques, 349
Arbutus (_fig._ 55), 118
Ardisia, 399
Argania, ib.
Argemone, 265
Aristolochia, 428
Aristotelia Macqui, 346
Armeria, 418
Arnotta, 275
Aronia, 68
Arrow-grass, 438
Arrowhead, 437
Artichoke, 103
Articulated, 44, 53
Artocarpus, 163
Arum Tribe, 454
Asarum, 428
Asclepiadeæ, 403
Asclepias, ib.
Ash, 138
Ash-leaved Berberry, 251
Asimina, 246
Asparagus, 449
Aspen, 186
Asphodeleæ, 449
Asphodelus, ib.
Aspidium, 462
Asplenium, ib.
Aster, 107
Astrapæa Wallichii, 301
Atragenè, 24
Atropa Belladonna (_fig._ 69), 146
Aubergine, 143
Aucuba, 381, 386
Aurantiaceæ, 307
Avena, 459
Avicennia, 415
Ayrshire Rose, 52
Azalea, 125
B.
Babiana, 443
Balm of Gilead, 347
Balsam, 338
Balsam Apple, 361
Balsam Poplar, 187
Bamboo, 459
Bambusa, ib.
Banana, 442
Banisteria, 315
Banksia, 425
Banyan Tree, 173
Baobab, 299
Barbadoes Cherry, 314
Barbadoes Flower Fence (_fig._ 18), 35, 45
Barbadoes Gooseberry, 371
Barley, 458
Bartonia, 362
Batatas, 408
Batchelor’s Buttons, 16
Bead Tree, 328
Bean, 39
Bean Caper, 340
Bearberry, 119
Bear’s-ear Sanicle, 418
Bedstraw, 94
Beech (_fig._ 87), 195
Bee Larkspur, 31
Beet, 422
Begonia, ib.
Benthamia, 382
Berberideæ, 247
Berberry (_figs._ 107 and 108), ib.
Berberry-leaved Rose, 53
Berry-bearing Alder, 346
Berry-bearing Campion, 292
Bertholletia (Brazil Nut), 360
Besom Heath (_fig._ 47), 110
Betel, 432
Bignonia, 404
Bilabiate, 413
Bilabiate florets, 99, 390
Billbergia, 451
Bilberry (_fig._ 61), 130
Billardiera, 287
Bi-pinnate leaf (_fig._ 17), 43
Birch-tree (_figs._ 83 and 84), 188
Bird Cherry, 65
Bird’s-nest, 132
Birthwort, 428
Bi-ternate leaf, 32
Bitter-sweet (_fig._ 68), 143
Bixa, 275
Blackberry, 57
Black Bryony, 448
Black Italian Poplar, 186
Black Walnut (_fig._ 78), 178