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.