radical tufts, perennial (5--8' high), pubescent; _leaves
laciniate-toothed_, linear-lanceolate, the lower oblanceolate, racemes
corymbosely-branched; _pods hairy_, oval-oblong or lanceolate (2--5''
long), on slender spreading pedicels, tipped with a _long
style_.--Cliffs, Harper's Ferry, Natural Bridge, etc., Va., to Kentucky
River, and southward. April, May.
2. D. incana, L. _Hoary-pubescent_, biennial or somewhat perennial, the
radical tuft seldom branching; leaves oblanceolate or the cauline
lanceolate to ovate, few-toothed or entire; _pods oblong to lanceolate,
usually acute and straight, often pubescent_, on short erect pedicels;
style very short or none.--Dry rocks, Willoughby Mountain, Vt.; also
northward and far westward. (Eu.)
Var. arabisans, Watson. Caudex much branched; pod glabrous, acuminate or
acute, twisted, beaked with a longer distinct style. (D. arabisans,
_Michx._)--N. Vt. to western N. Y. and the shores of the upper lakes.
Sec. 2. DRABELLA. _Winter annuals; leafy stems short; flowers white (yellow
in n. 5); style none. (Leaves oblong or obovate, hairy, sessile.)_
3. D. Caroliniana, Walt. Small (1--5' high); leaves obovate, entire;
peduncles scape-like; petals usually twice the length of the calyx;
_raceme short or corymbose in fruit_ (1/2--1' long); _pods broadly linear,
smooth_, much longer than the ascending pedicels.--Sandy and waste
fields, E. Mass. to Minn., and southward. March--May.--Petals often
wanting in the later racemes, especially in the var. MICRANTHA, Gray,
with minutely rough-hairy pods, which is found with the other, westward.
4. D. cuneifolia, Nutt. Leaves obovate, wedge-shaped, or the lowest
spatulate, toothed; _raceme somewhat elongated in fruit_ (1--3'), at
length equalling the naked peduncle; petals emarginate, much longer than
the calyx; _pods oblong-linear, minutely hairy, longer than the
horizontal pedicels_.--Grassy places, Ill. to E. Kan., and southward.
March, April.
5. D. brachycarpa, Nutt. Low (2--4' high), minutely pubescent; _stems
leafy_ to the base of the dense at length elongated raceme; leaves
narrowly oblong or the lowest ovate (2--4'' long), few toothed or
entire; flowers small; _pods smooth, narrowly oblong, acutish_ (2''
long), _about the length of the ascending or spreading pedicels_.--Dry
hills, Ill., Ky., Va. (_A. H. Curtiss_), and southward. April.--Petals
sometimes minute, sometimes none.
6. D. nemorosa, L. Leaves oblong or somewhat lanceolate, more or less
toothed; _racemes elongated_ (4--8' long in fruit); petals emarginate,
small; _pods elliptical-oblong, half the length of the horizontal or
widely-spreading pedicels_, pubescent or smooth.--Fort Gratiot, Mich.,
N. Minn., and westward. (Eu.)
Sec. 3. EROPHILA. _Petals 2-cleft. (Annual or biennial; flowers white.)_
D. VERNA, L. (WHITLOW-GRASS.) Small (scapes 1--3' high); leaves all
radical, oblong or lanceolate; racemes elongated in fruit; pods varying
from round-oval to oblong-lanceolate, smooth, shorter than the
pedicels.--Sandy waste places and roadsides. April, May. (Nat. from Eu.)
7. ALYSSUM, Tourn.
Pod small, orbicular, with only one or two wingless seeds in a cell;
valves nerveless, somewhat convex, the margin flattened. Flowers yellow
or white. Filaments often toothed. Cotyledons accumbent. (Greek name of
a plant reputed to check the hiccup, as the etymology denotes.)
A. MARITIMUM, L. (SWEET ALYSSUM), with green or slightly hoary linear
leaves, honey-scented small white flowers, and 2-seeded pods, commonly
cult., begins to be spontaneous southward. (Adv. from Eu.)
A. CALYCINUM, L., a dwarf hoary annual, with linear-spatulate leaves,
pale yellow or whitish petals little exceeding the persistent calyx, and
orbicular sharp margined 4-seeded pod, the style minute, occurs
occasionally in grassland. (Adv. from Eu.)
8. LESQUERELLA, Watson.
Pod mostly globular or inflated, with a broad orbicular to ovate hyaline
partition nerved to the middle, the hemispherical or convex thin valves
nerveless. Seeds few or several, in 2 rows, flat. Cotyledons accumbent.
Filaments toothless.--Low herbs, hoary with stellate hairs or lepidote.
Flowers mostly yellow. (Named for _Leo Lesquereux_.)
1. L. globosa, Watson. Minutely hoary all over; stems spreading or
decumbent from an annual or biennial root; leaves oblong or lanceolate
with a tapering base, repand-toothed or nearly entire; raceme at length
elongated, with filiform diverging pedicels; petals light yellow; style
filiform, much longer than the small globose, acutish, about 4-seeded
pod; seeds marginless. (Vesicaria Shortii, _Torr._)--Rocky banks, Ky.
to Tenn. and Mo. May, June.
2. L. gracilis, Watson. Annual, slender; pubescence very fine; leaves
narrowly oblanceolate; pods glabrous, suberect on ascending or curved
pedicels, stipitate; style long. (Vesicaria gracilis, _Hook._)--S. Kan.
to Tex.
3. L. Ludoviciana, Watson. Biennial or perennial; pubescence compact;
leaves linear-oblanceolate, mostly entire; pods pubescent, pendulous on
recurved pedicels; style long. (Vesicaria Ludoviciana, _DC._)--Minn. to
Neb. and southwestward.
9. CAMELINA, Crantz. FALSE FLAX.
Pod obovoid or pear-shaped, pointed, flattish parallel to the broad
partition; valves 1-nerved. Seeds numerous, oblong. Cotyledons
incumbent. Style slender. Flowers small, yellow. (Name from [Greek:
chamai/], _dwarf_, and [Greek: li/non], _flax_.)
C. SATIVA, Crantz. Annual; leaves lanceolate and arrow-shaped; pods
margined, large. A weed in flax-fields, etc. (Adv. from Eu.)
10. SUBULARIA, L. AWLWORT.
Pod ovoid or globular, with a broad partition; the turgid valves
1-nerved. Seeds several. Cotyledons long and narrow, incumbently folded
transversely, i.e., the cleft extending to the radicular side of the
curvature. Style none.--A dwarf stemless perennial, aquatic; the tufted
leaves awl-shaped (whence the name). Scape naked, few-flowered, 1--3'
high. Flowers minute, white.
1. S. aquatica, L. Margin of lakes in Maine; Echo Lake, Franconia,
N. H.; also in alpine regions of the western mountains. June, July.
(Eu.)
11. NASTURTIUM, R. Br. WATER-CRESS.
Pod a short silique or a silicle, varying from oblong-linear to
globular, terete or nearly so; valves strongly convex, nerveless. Seeds
usually numerous, small, turgid, marginless, in 2 irregular rows in each
cell (except in N. sylvestre). Cotyledons accumbent.--Aquatic or marsh
plants, with yellow or white flowers, and commonly pinnate or pinnatifid
leaves, usually glabrous. (Name from _Nasus tortus_, a convulsed nose,
alluding to the effect of its pungent qualities.)
Sec. 1. _Petals white, twice the length of the calyx; pods linear; leaves
pinnate._
N. OFFICINALE, R. Br. (TRUE WATER-CRESS.) Perennial; stems spreading and
rooting; leaflets 3--11, roundish or oblong, nearly entire; pods (6--8''
long) ascending on slender widely spreading pedicels.--Brooks and
ditches; escaped from cultivation. (Nat. from Eu.)
Sec. 2. _Petals yellow or yellowish, seldom much exceeding the calyx; pods
linear, oblong, or even ovoid or globular; leaves mostly pinnatifid._
[*] _Perennial from creeping or subterranean shoots; flowers rather
large, yellow._
N. SYLVESTRE, R. Br. (YELLOW CRESS.) Stems ascending; _leaves pinnately
parted_, the divisions toothed or cut, lanceolate or linear; pods (1/2'
long) on slender pedicels, linear and narrow, bringing the seeds into
one row; _style very short_.--Wet meadows, Mass. to Va.; rare. (Nat.
from Eu.)
1. N. sinuatum, Nutt. Stems low, diffuse; _leaves pinnately cleft_, the
short lobes nearly entire, linear-oblong; pods linear-oblong (4--6''
long), on slender pedicels; _style slender_.--Banks of the Mississippi
and westward. June.
[*][*] _Annual or biennial, rarely perennial (?), with simple fibrous
roots; flowers small or minute, greenish or yellowish; leaves somewhat
lyrate._
2. N. sessiliflorum, Nutt. Stems erect, rather simple; _leaves obtusely
incised_ or toothed, obovate or oblong; _flowers minute, nearly
sessile_; pods elongated-oblong (5--6'' long), thick; style very
short.--W. Ill. to E. Kan., Tenn., and southward. April--June.
3. N. obtusum, Nutt. Stems much branched, diffusely spreading; _leaves
pinnately parted or divided_, the divisions roundish and obtusely
toothed or repand; _flowers minute, short-pedicelled; pods longer than
the pedicels_, varying from linear-oblong to short-oval; style
short.--With n. 1 and 2.
4. N. palustre, DC. (MARSH CRESS.) Stem erect; _leaves pinnately cleft
or parted_, or the upper laciniate; the lobes oblong, cut-toothed;
_pedicels about as long as the small flowers and mostly longer than_ the
oblong, ellipsoid, or ovoid _pods_; style short.--Wet places or in
shallow water; common. June--Sept.--Flowers only 1--11/2'' long. Stems
1--3 deg. high.--The typical form with oblong pods is rare. Short pods and
hirsute stems and leaves are common. Var. HISPIDUM is a form with ovoid
or globular pods. (Eu.)
Sec. 3. _Petals white, much longer than the calyx; pods ovoid or globular;
leaves undivided, or the lower ones pinnatifid; root perennial._
5. N. lacustre, Gray. (LAKE CRESS.) Aquatic; immersed leaves
1--3-pinnately dissected into numerous capillary divisions; emersed
leaves oblong, entire, serrate, or pinnatifid; pedicels widely
spreading; _pods ovoid, 1-celled, a little longer than the
style_.--Lakes and rivers, N. E. New York to N. J., Minn., and
southwestward. July--Aug.--Near N. amphibium.
N. ARMORACIA, Fries. (HORSERADISH.) Root-leaves very large, oblong,
crenate, rarely pinnatifid, those of the stem lanceolate; fruiting
pedicels ascending; _pods globular_ (seldom formed); _style very short_.
(Cochlearia Armoracia, _L._)--Roots large and long; a well-known
condiment. Escaped from cultivation into moist ground. (Adv. from Eu.)
12. BARBAREA, R. Br. WINTER CRESS.
Pod linear, terete or somewhat 4-sided, the valves being keeled by a
mid-nerve. Seeds in a single row in each cell, marginless. Cotyledons
accumbent.--Mostly biennials, resembling Nasturtium; flowers yellow.
(Anciently called the Herb of St. Barbara.)
1. B. vulgaris, R. Br. (COMMON WINTER CRESS. YELLOW ROCKET.) Smooth;
lower leaves lyrate, the terminal division round and usually large, the
lateral 1--4 pairs or rarely wanting; upper leaves obovate, cut-toothed,
or pinnatifid at the base; pods erect or slightly spreading; or in var.
STRICTA, appressed; in var. ARCUATA, ascending on spreading
pedicels.--Low grounds and roadsides; apparently introduced, but
indigenous from L. Superior northward and westward. (Eu.)
B. PRAECOX, R. Br. (EARLY WINTER C.), with 5--8 pairs of lateral lobes to
the leaves, and longer pods on very thick pedicels,--yet probably only a
variety of the other,--somewhat cultivated from N. Y. southward as a
winter salad, under the name of SCURVY-GRASS,--is beginning to run wild.
(Eu.)
13. HESPERIS, Tourn. ROCKET.
Pod linear, nearly cylindrical; stigma lobed, erect. Seeds in 1 row in
each cell, oblong, marginless. Cotyledons incumbent.--Biennial or
perennial, with serrate sessile or petiolate leaves, and large purple
flowers. (Name from [Greek: e(spe/ra], evening, from the evening
fragrance of the flowers.)
H. MATRONALIS, L. (DAME'S VIOLET.) Tall; leaves lanceolate, acuminate,
mostly petiolate; pods 2--4' long, spreading.--Sparingly naturalized.
(Nat. from Eu.)
14. ERYSIMUM, Tourn. TREACLE MUSTARD.
Pod linear, 4-sided, the valves keeled with a strong midrib; stigma
broadly lobed. Seeds in 1 row in each cell, oblong, marginless.
Cotyledons (often obliquely) incumbent.--Chiefly biennials, with yellow
flowers; the leaves not clasping. Pubescence of appressed 2--3-parted
hairs. (Name from [Greek: e)ry/o], _to draw blisters_.)
1. E. asperum, DC. (WESTERN WALL-FLOWER.) Minutely roughish-hoary; stem
simple, leaves lanceolate to linear, entire or somewhat toothed; _pods
nearly erect_ or widely spreading _on short pedicels, elongated_ (3--4'
long), exactly 4-sided; stigma 2-lobed.--Ohio (on limestone cliffs) to
Ill., Ark., Dak., and common westward. June, July.--Plant stout, 1--2 deg.
high; the crowded bright orange-yellow flowers as large as those of the
Wall-flower. Petals orbicular, on very slender claws.
2. E. cheiranthoides, L. (WORM-SEED MUSTARD.) Minutely roughish,
branching, slender; leaves lanceolate, scarcely toothed; flowers small;
_pods small and short_ (7--12'' long), very obtusely angled, ascending
on slender _divergent pedicels_.--Banks of streams, Mass. to Penn.,
Minn., and northward. July. (Eu.)
3. E. parviflorum, Nutt. Stem erect, often simple; leaves
linear-oblanceolate, entire or the lowest coarsely toothed; flowers
small (3'' long); pods narrow, 1--21/2' long, ascending on short
pedicels.--Minn. to Kan. and westward.
15. SISYMBRIUM, Tourn. HEDGE MUSTARD.
Pod terete, flattish or 4--6-sided, the valves 1--3-nerved; stigma
small, entire. Seeds oblong, marginless, in 1 or 2 rows in each cell.
Cotyledons incumbent. Calyx open.--Flowers small, white or yellow.
Pubescence spreading. (An ancient Greek name for some plant of this
family.) Ours are mostly annuals or biennials.
1. S. humile, Meyer. Perennial, branching from the base, sparingly
pubescent, 6' high or less; leaves narrowly oblanceolate, mostly
coarsely and sharply toothed; flowers white or rose-color; pods very
narrow, subterete, 4--9'' long, ascending on short pedicels, beaked with
a short style, seeds 1-ranked. (Arabis petraea, _Man._, not
_Lam._)--Willoughby Mountain, Vt.; Canada and westward. (N. Asia.)
2. S. canescens, Nutt. (TANSY MUSTARD.) _Leaves 2-pinnatifid_, often
hoary or downy, the divisions small and toothed; flowers yellowish, very
small; pods in long racemes, oblong-club-shaped or oblong-linear,
shorter than their mostly horizontal pedicels; _seeds 2-ranked_ in each
cell.--Penn. and N. Y. to Lake Superior, thence southward and westward.
June--Aug.
S. SOPHIA, L. A similar hoary species, with decompound leaves; pods
slender, 6--15'' long, ascending; seeds 1-ranked.--Sparingly naturalized
from Europe.
S. OFFICINALE, Scop. (HEDGE MUSTARD.) _Leaves runcinate_; flowers very
small, pale yellow; _pods awl-shaped, close pressed_ to the stem,
scarcely stalked.--Waste places. May--Sept.--An unsightly branched weed,
2--3 deg. high. (Nat. from Eu.)
S. THALIANA, Gaud. (MOUSE-EAR CRESS.) _Leaves obovate or oblong, entire_
or barely toothed; flowers white; pods linear, somewhat 4-sided, longer
than the slender spreading pedicels.--Old fields and rocks, Mass. to
Kan. April, May.--A span high, slender, branched, hairy at the base.
(Nat. from Eu.)
S. ALLIARIA, Scop. Stout, erect; leaves reniform to ovate-cordate,
coarsely repand-dentate; flowers white; pods tapering, 1--2' long,
ascending on very stout spreading pedicels.--Near Georgetown, D. C.
(Nat. from Eu.)
16. THELYPODIUM, Endl.
Pod terete or teretish; valves 1-nerved; stigma mostly entire. Seeds in
1 row in each cell, oblong, marginless. Cotyledons obliquely
incumbent.--Stout biennials or perennials, with mostly large purplish or
white flowers. Leaves or petioles often auricled at base. (Name from
[Greek: the~lys], _female_, and [Greek: pou/s], _foot_, the ovary in
some species being stipitate.)
1. T. pinnatifidum, Watson. Glabrous (1--3 deg. high), often branched above;
root-leaves round or heart-shaped, on slender petioles; stem-leaves
auricled, ovate-oblong and ovate-lanceolate (2--6' long), sharply and
often doubly toothed, tapering to each end, the lower into a winged
petiole, rarely bearing a pair or two of small lateral lobes; flowers
purplish; pods 1--11/2' long, on short diverging pedicels, pointed by a
short style. (Arabis hesperidoides, _Gray_.) Alluvial river-banks, Ohio
to Minn., Mo., and southwestward. May, June.
17. BRASSICA (Brassica and Sinapis), Tourn.
Pod linear or oblong, nearly terete or 4-sided, with a stout 1-seeded
beak or a rigid style; valves 1--5-nerved. Seeds globose, 1-rowed.
Cotyledons incumbent, folded around the radicle.--Annuals or biennials,
with yellow flowers. Lower leaves mostly lyrate, incised, or pinnatifid.
(The Latin name of the Cabbage. Sinapis is the Greek [Greek: si/napi],
which is said to come from the Celtic _nap_, a turnip.)
B. SINAPISTRUM, Boiss. (or SINAPIS ARVENSIS, L., the English CHARLOCK),
with knotty pods, fully one third occupied by a stout 2-edged beak
(which is either empty or 1-seeded), the upper leaves barely toothed, is
a noxious weed in grain-fields, from N. Eng. to Penn. and N. Y.
westward. (Adv. from Eu.)
B. (or SINAPIS) ALBA. (WHITE MUSTARD.) Pods bristly, ascending on
spreading pedicels, more than half its length occupied by the
sword-shaped 1-seeded beak; leaves all pinnatifid; seeds pale. (Cult.
and adv. from Eu.)
B. (or SINAPIS) NIGRA, Koch. (BLACK MUSTARD.) Pods smooth (1/2' long),
4-cornered (the valves only 1-nerved), erect on appressed pedicels
forming a slender raceme, tipped with a stout persistent style; seeds
dark brown, smaller and more pungent than in the last; lower leaves with
a large terminal lobe and a few small lateral ones.--Fields and waste
places. (Adv. from Eu.)
B. CAMPESTRIS, L., in the form of the RUTABAGA and the TURNIP, sometimes
persists a year or two in neglected grounds.
18. CAPSELLA, Medic. SHEPHERD'S PURSE.
Pod obcordate-triangular, flattened contrary to the narrow partition;
the valves boat-shaped, wingless. Seeds numerous. Cotyledons
incumbent.--Annuals; flowers small, white. (Name a diminutive of
_capsa_, a box.)
C. BURSA-PASTORIS, Moench. Root-leaves clustered, pinnatifid or toothed;
stem-leaves arrow-shaped, sessile.--Waste places; the commonest of
weeds. April--Sept. (Nat. from Eu.)
19. THLASPI, Tourn. PENNYCRESS.
Pod orbicular, obovate, or obcordate, flattened contrary to the narrow
partition, the midrib or keel of the boat-shaped valves extended into a
wing. Seeds 2--8 in each cell. Cotyledons accumbent. Petals equal.--Low
plants, with root-leaves undivided, stem-leaves arrow-shaped and
clasping, and small white or purplish flowers. (Ancient Greek name, from
[Greek: thla/o], _to crush_, from the flattened pod.)
T. ARVENSE, L. (FIELD P. or MITHRIDATE MUSTARD.) A smooth annual, with
broadly winged pod 1/2' in diameter, several seeded, deeply notched at
top; style minute.--Waste places; rarely naturalized. (Nat. from Eu.)
20. LEPIDIUM, Tourn. PEPPERWORT. PEPPERGRASS.
Pod roundish, much flattened contrary to the narrow partition; the
valves boat-shaped and keeled. Seeds solitary in each cell, pendulous.
Cotyledons incumbent, or in n. 1 accumbent! Flowers small, white or
greenish. (Name from [Greek: lepi/dion], _a little scale_, alluding to
the small flat pods.)--Ours are annuals or biennials, except the last.
[*] _Leaves all with a tapering base, the upper linear or lanceolate and
entire, the lower and often the middle ones incised or pinnatifid; pods
orbicular or oval, with a small notch at the top; the style minute or
none; stamens only 2._
1. L. Virginicum, L. (WILD PEPPERGRASS.) _Cotyledons accumbent_ and seed
minutely margined; _pod marginless_ or obscurely margined at the top;
petals present, except in some of the later flowers.--June--Sept.
A common roadside weed, which has immigrated from farther south.
2. L. intermedium, Gray. _Cotyledons incumbent_ as in the following;
_pod minutely wing-margined at the top_; petals usually minute or
wanting; otherwise nearly as in n. 1.--Dry places, from western N. Y.
and N. Ill., north and westward.
L. RUDERALE, L. More diffuse, the smaller and oval _pods and the seeds
marginless; petals always wanting_.--Roadsides, near Boston,
Philadelphia, etc.; not common. (Adv. from Eu.)
[*][*] _Stem-leaves with a sagittate partly clasping base, rather
crowded._
L. CAMPESTRE, Br. Minutely _soft downy_; leaves arrow-shaped, somewhat
toothed; _pods ovate, winged_, rough, the style longer than the narrow
notch.--Old fields, Mass. and N. Y. to Va.; rare. (Nat. from Eu.)
L. DRABA, L. Perennial, _obscurely hoary_; leaves oval or oblong, the
upper with broad clasping auricles; flowers corymbose; _pods
heart-shaped, wingless_, thickish, entire, tipped with a conspicuous
style.--Astoria, near New York, _D. C. Eaton_. (Adv. from Eu.)
21. SENEBIERA, DC. WART-CRESS. SWINE-CRESS.
Pod flattened contrary to the narrow partition; the two cells
indehiscent and falling away at maturity from the partition as closed
nutlets, strongly wrinkled or tuberculate, 1 seeded. Cotyledons narrow
and incumbently folded transversely. Low and diffuse or prostrate
annuals or biennials, with minute whitish flowers. Stamens often only 2.
(Dedicated to _J. Senebier_, a distinguished vegetable physiologist.)
S. DIDYMA, Pers. Leaves 1--2-pinnately parted; _pods notched at the
apex, rough-wrinkled_.--Waste places, at ports, E. Mass. to Va., etc.;
an immigrant from farther south.
S. CORONOPUS, DC. Leaves less divided, with narrower lobes; _pods not
notched at the apex, tubercled_.--At ports, R. I. to Va., etc. (Adv.
from Eu.)
22. CAKILE, Tourn. SEA-ROCKET.
Pod short, 2-jointed across, fleshy, the upper joint separating at
maturity; each indehiscent, 1-celled and 1-seeded, or the lower
sometimes seedless. Seed erect in the upper, suspended in the lower
joint. Cotyledons obliquely accumbent.--Seaside fleshy annuals. Flowers
purplish. (An old Arabic name.)
1. C. Americana, Nutt. (AMERICAN SEA-ROCKET.) Leaves obovate, sinuate
and toothed; lower joint of the fruit obovoid, emarginate; the upper
ovate, flattish at the apex.--Coast of the Northern States and of the
Great Lakes. July--Sept.--Joints nearly even and fleshy when fresh; the
upper one 4-angled and appearing more beaked when dry.
23. RAPHANUS, Tourn. RADISH.
Pods linear or oblong, tapering upward, indehiscent, several-seeded,
continuous and spongy within between the seeds, or necklace-form by
constriction between the seeds, with no proper partition. Style long.
Seeds spherical and cotyledons conduplicate, as in Brassica.--Annuals or
biennials. (The ancient Greek name from [Greek: r(ai], _quickly_, and
[Greek: phai/no], _to appear_, alluding to the rapid germination.)
R. RAPHANISTRUM, L. (WILD RADISH. JOINTED CHARLOCK.) Pods necklace-form,
long-beaked; leaves lyre-shaped, rough; petals yellow, turning whitish
or purplish, veiny.--A troublesome weed in fields, E. New Eng. to Penn.
(Adv. from Eu.)
ORDER 11. CAPPARIDACEAE. (CAPER FAMILY.)
_Herbs_ (when in northern regions), _with cruciform flowers, but 6 or
more not tetradynamous stamens, a 1-celled pod with 2 parietal placentae,
and kidney-shaped seeds._--Pod as in Cruciferae, but with no partition;
seeds similar, but the embryo coiled rather than folded. Leaves
alternate, mostly palmately compound.--Often with the acrid or pungent
qualities of Cruciferae (as in _capers_, the flower-buds of Capparis
spinosa).
1. Polanisia. Stamens 8 or more. Pod many-seeded, not or scarcely
stipitate.
2. Cleome. Stamens 6. Pod linear, many-seeded, long stipitate.
3. Cleomella. Stamens 6. Pod very short, rhomboidal, few-seeded,
long-stipitate.
1. POLANISIA, Raf.
Petals with claws, notched at the apex. Stamens 8--32, unequal.
Receptacle not elongated, bearing a gland behind the base of the ovary.
Pod linear or oblong, veiny, turgid, many-seeded.--Fetid annuals, with
glandular or clammy hairs. Flowers in leafy racemes. (Name from [Greek:
poly/s], _many_, and [Greek: a)/nisos], _unequal_, points in which the
genus differs in its stamens from Cleome.)