SYNOPSIS OF THE NATURAL ORDERS WHICH CONTAIN OUR PRINCIPAL SEA-SIDE FLOWERING PLANTS

I. MONOCOTYLEDONS

A. GLUMIFERÆ

Flowers without a Perianth, enclosed in Glumes

1. Gramineæ—Grassy plants with hollow stems enclosed in split sheaths. Flowers generally bisexual with (usually) three stamens.

2. Cyperaceæ—Grassy plants with solid stems and entire sheaths. Flowers arranged in spikelets, unisexual or bisexual, with from one to three stamens.

B. PETALOIDÆ

Perianth Petaloid

3. Juncaceæ—Rushes, with narrow leaves and small brown flowers. Perianth 6-partite, with scarious segments. Stamens usually 6; ovary superior; fruit a 3-valved capsule.

4. Naiadaceæ—Aquatic herbs with inconspicuous, unisexual or bisexual flowers. Perianth absent or scale-like. Stamens as many as the segments of the perianth. Fruit of from one to four carpels—superior.

5. Alismaceæ—Aquatic plants with radical net-veined leaves, and (generally) conspicuous, white, bisexual flowers. Perianth 6-partite. Stamens 6. Fruit of many carpels—superior.

6. Liliaceæ—Herbs with narrow leaves and showy, bisexual flowers. Perianth 6-partite. Stamens 6. Ovary superior, 3-celled. Fruit a berry or capsule.

II. DICOTYLEDONS

A. CALYX, OR COROLLA, OR BOTH ABSENT

7. Euphorbiaceæ—Herbs with entire leaves and (generally) a milky juice. Flowers small, unisexual, diœcious (male and female flowers on separate plants), sometimes enclosed in calyx-like bracts. Perianth 3- or 4-partite or absent. Stamens one or more. Ovary inferior. Fruit separating into carpels elastically.

8. Eleagnaceæ—Shrub with silvery scales, alternate, entire leaves, and small, unisexual flowers—the staminate flowers in catkins. Sepals of male flowers 3 or 4. Stamens 4 to 8. Ovary superior. Fruit indehiscent (not splitting).

9. Polygonaceæ—Herbs with sheathing stipules, alternate leaves, and small (generally) bisexual flowers. Stamens 5 to 8. Ovary superior. Fruit indehiscent.

10. Chenopodiaceæ—Herbs with jointed stems and small unisexual or bisexual flowers. Stamens usually 5, sometimes 1 or 2, opposite the sepals. Ovary superior. Fruit indehiscent.

B. PLANTS WITH BOTH CALYX AND COROLLA

a. Corolla Monopetalous

1. Ovary Superior and Stamens generally on the Corolla

11. Plantaginaceæ—Herbs with radical entire leaves, and spikes of small, green flowers. Calyx 4-cleft. Corolla 4-lobed, scarious. Stamens 4. Ovary 2- to 4-celled. Fruit many-seeded.

12. Plumbaginaceæ—Herbs with radical or alternate leaves, and (generally) regular, blue flowers. Calyx tubular, scarious. Corolla of 5 petals, united below. Stamens 5, opposite the petals, attached below the ovary. Ovary 1-celled and 1-seeded.

13. Primulaceæ—Herbs with (generally) radical leaves and conspicuous, regular flowers. Calyx 4- to 7-cleft. Corolla 4- to 7-cleft. Stamens 4 to 7, generally opposite the petals. Ovary 1-celled. Fruit a capsule with many seeds.

14. Solanaceæ—Herbs with alternate leaves and axillary clusters of regular flowers. Calyx 5-cleft. Corolla 5-cleft. Stamens 4 or 5. Ovary 2-celled. Fruit a berry.

15. Convolvulaceæ—Climbing herbs with alternate leaves and showy, regular flowers. Sepals 5. Corolla 4- or 5-lobed. Stamens 4 or 5. Ovary 2- to 4-celled. Fruit a capsule.

16. Gentianaceæ—Herbs with opposite entire leaves and solitary regular flowers. Calyx 4- to 10-lobed. Corolla 4- to 10-lobed. Stamens 4 to 10, alternate with the lobes of the corolla. Ovary 1- or 2-celled. Fruit a capsule.

2. Ovary Inferior and Stamens on the Corolla

17. Compositæ—Herbs with flowers (generally yellow or white) collected into compact heads. Calyx absent or represented by a pappus. Corolla tubular or ligulate. Stamens 4 or 5.

b. Corolla Polypetalous

1. Stamens Perigynous (around the Ovary), or Epigynous (upon the Ovary)

18. Umbelliferæ—Herbs with (generally) compound leaves, and small, white, umbelled flowers. Sepals (if present) 5. Petals 5. Stamens 5. Ovary inferior. Fruit of two adhering carpels.

19. Illecebraceæ—Small herbs with sessile, entire leaves, and small flowers. Sepals 4 or 5. Petals 4 or 5 or absent. Stamens 1 to 5. Ovary superior.

20. Tamariscaceæ—Shrub with small, scale-like leaves, and lateral spikes of small regular flowers. Sepals 4 or 5. Petals 4 or 5. Stamens 4 or more.

21. Leguminosæ—Herbs or shrubs with alternate, stipuled, pinnate or ternate leaves, sometimes tendrilled, and irregular flowers. Sepals 4 or 5. Corolla of 5 petals, papilionaceous (butterfly-like). Stamens usually 10. Ovary superior. Fruit a pod.

2. Stamens Hypogynous (attached below the Ovary)

22. Geraniaceæ—Herbs with stipuled, lobed leaves, and showy regular flowers. Sepals 5. Petals 5. Stamens 5 or 10. Fruit of 5 carpels surrounding a long beak.

23. Malvaceæ—Herbs with alternate, stipuled leaves, and axillary, red, or purple flowers. Sepals 5. Petals 5, twisted in the bud. Stamens numerous, united into a tube. Ovary of many cells.

24. Caryophyllaceæ—Herbs with (generally) jointed stems, opposite leaves, and regular white or red flowers. Sepals 4 or 5. Petals 4 or 5. Stamens 8 or 10. Fruit a 1-celled capsule opening at the top with teeth.

25. Polygalaceæ—Herbs with alternate, simple leaves (without stipules), and irregular flowers. Sepals 5, the inner petal-like. Petals 3 to 5, unequal. Stamens 8, in two clusters. Fruit a 2-celled capsule.

26. Violaceæ—Herbs with alternate, stipuled leaves and irregular flowers. Sepals 5. Petals 5, unequal, the lower one spurred. Stamens 5. Ovary 3-partite, but 1-celled.

27. Resedaceæ—Herbs or shrubs with alternate, exstipulate leaves, and spikes of irregular, green flowers. Sepals 4 or 5. Petals 4 to 7, unequal. Stamens more than 10. Ovary 3-lobed, and 1-celled.

28. Cruciferæ—Herbs with alternate, exstipulate leaves, and regular flowers. Sepals 4. Petals 4, cruciate. Stamens 6—4 longer and 2 shorter. Ovary 1- or 2-celled. Fruit a siliqua or a silicula.

29. Papaveraceæ—Herbs with alternate, exstipulate leaves, a milky juice, and regular, showy flowers. Sepals 2, deciduous. Petals 4. Stamens numerous. Ovary 1-celled with membranous partitions.

30. Ranunculaceæ—Herbs with (generally) alternate leaves and regular flowers. Sepals generally 5, distinct. Petals 5 or more. Stamens numerous. Fruit of many, distinct carpels.

[INDEX]

Printed in England at The Ballantyne Press
Spottiswoode, Ballantyne & Co. Ltd.
Colchester, London & Eton

Transcriber’s Note

Minor inconsistencies in punctuation of tables or captions are silently corrected.

Hyphenation is variable. Those compound words which are hyphenated only on line breaks are rendered using modern usage.

The word ‘movable’ appears only once as ‘moveable’ (165), which is retained.

The index entry for 'Œpophilus' is considered to be an error. All instances of the word appear in the text as 'Æpophilus'. This has been corrected and moved to the appropriate alphabetic position.

The following corrections were made to obvious printer’s errors: devel[e/o]ped (336); co[n/m]posed (364).

The following list contains punctuation corrections made:

p. 65one of them[.]Added.
p. 255[Class] LAMELLIBRANCHIATAAdded to match other entries.
p. 257their tendencies[,/.]Corrected.
p. 292low-water[-]markUnhyphenated elsewhere.
p. 340[(]Cetacea)Added.
p. 390in firm gelatine[,/.]Corrected.
p. 403by its stipuled leaves[.]Added.
p. 434Rhodospermeæ, 350, 355, 38[9]Added.