HUTCHINSIA PETRiEA. ROCK HUTCHINSIA,
H U T CH IN S IA petrcea; foliis pinnatis integerrimis, petalis calyce vix longioribus, siliculis utrinque
obtusis, stigmate aessili- B r .
H U T CH IN S IA petraea. Brown in Hort. Kew. ed. 2. vol. 4. p. 82.
L E P ID IUM petrasum. Linn. Sp. PI. p. 899. FI. Suec. p. 535. Jacq. Find. p. 115. Jacq. Austr
t . i 3i. Huds. FI. Angl. p. 280. With. Bot. A r r . ed. 4. vol. 3. p. 555. smith
FI. B r it.p . 681. Engl. Bot. t. 111. Decand. FI. Fr. ed. 3. ml. 4. V. 706. De-
cand. FI. Gall. Syn. p. '380. Poiret in Encycl. Bot. ml. 5. p. 48. Deslongch. FI.
Gall. p. 393. Pers. Syn. PI. vol. 2. p. 187.
L E P ID IUM Linnffii. Crantz Austr. fasc . 1 .7 . t . 2 . / . 4. 5.
NASTURT IUM pumilum vernum. Bauh. Pin. p. 105.
N ASTURTIOLUM montanum annuum tenuissime divisum. Rail Syn. p. 304.
Class a n d Order. T E TRADYNAMIA SILICULOS/E.
[N atural Order. CRUCIFER.®, Juss. Decandolle. (D iv . I I. Siliculosee.) S IL IQ U O S® , Linn.]
Gen . Char. Silicula elliptica integra; valvis navicularibus, apteris; loculis dispermis. Filamentaeden-
tula. B r . in Hort. Kew.
Radix annua, parva, fibrosa, ramosa, pallide fusca.
CAULES ex eadein radice solitarii vel bini, bi- ad qua-
dri-unciales, teretes, flexuosi, altematim ramosi,
ramis divaricatis.
Folia ; radicalia uncialia, stellatim disposita, numero-
sa, horizontaliter patentia, impari-pinnata, pin-
nulis undecim ad quindecim, oppositis, ovatis,
subcarnosis, integerrimis: caulina his simillima
sed minora, pinnulis, basi seepe attenuatis, an-
gustioribus, inferioribusque hie illic iterumque
pinnatis.
Flores minuti, corymbosi, demum racemosi.
Pedunculi erecti, demum reflexi, teretes, scabri,^. 7.
Calyx patens; foliola concava, ovata, obtusa, viridia,
marginibus pallidioribus.
PjGTALA alba, basi flavescentia, fig. 4. patentia, caly-
cis segmentis paululum longiora, ligulato-ovata,
apice obtusa, emarginata.
Stamina sex, quorum duo opposita breviora: Fila-
menta alba, incurva; Antheroe flavae, subrotun-
datas, bilobas, biloculares. Pollen ovatum.
Ovarium conico-ovatum, hinc planum. Stylus nullus.
Stigma expansa, plana.
Pericarpium : Silicula elliptico-ovata, obtusa, infra
convexa, supra compressa, glabra, fusca, bivalvis,
bilocularis; valvee subnaviculares, immarginate,
dissepimentum valvis contrarium, membrana-
ceum, fig . 8, 9-
Receptaculum marginale, filiforme, podospermia duo
longitudine intequalia prope apicem silicula; emit-
tens, fig . 8.
Semina loculo singulo gemina, fulva, subrotundo-com-
pressa, superne, pro podospermi receptione, de-
pressa, fig . 10.
Integumentum simplex, coriaceo-membranaceum, ex-
terius, humido, mucilagine pellucido tectum,
fig . 11.
Embryo conduplicatus, olivaceus. Cotyledones ovate,
plano-convexae. Radicula sursum flexa, longitudine
cotyledonum et eorum rimae accumbens.
Root annual, small, fibrous, branched, pale brown.
Stems single, or two from the same root, two to four
inches long, round, flexuose, alternately branched,
with the branches divaricating.
Leaves ; the radical ones an inch long, disposed in a
stellated manner, numerous, horizontally patent,
unequally pinnate, with the pinnules eleven to
fifteen in number, opposite, ovate, somewhat
•fleshy, entire: the cauline ones resembling these,
but smaller, at the base having the pinnules frequently
attenuated and narrower, with the lower
Ones here.and there again pinnate.
Flowers minute, corymbose, at length racemose.
Peduncles erect, afterwards reflexed, round, rough,
Calyx patent; the folioles concave, ovate, obtuse,
green, paler at the margins.
Petals white, yellowish at the base, fig . 4. patent, a
little longer than the segments of the calyx, between
ligulate and ovate, at the apex obtuse and
emarginate. .
Stamens six, of which two opposite ones are shorter
than the re s t; Filaments white, incurved; Anthers
yellow, somewhat round, two-lobed, and
two-celled. Pollen ovate.
Ovary conical-ovate, plane on one side.' Style none.
Stigma expanded, flat.
Pericarp : a Silicle of an elliptical-ovate figure, convex
beneath, compressed above, smooth, brown,
two-valved, two-celled; the valves boat-shaped,
without a margin; the dissepiment contrary to
the direction of the valves, membranaceous,
fig . 8, 9.
Receptacle marginal, filiform, producing near the
apex of the silicle two seed-stalks of unequal
lengths, fig . 8.
Seeds two in each cell, yellow, nearly round, compressed,
above depressed for the reception of the
seed-stalk, 10.
Integument simple, coriaceo-membranaceous, exte-'
riorly, when moist, covered with a pellucid mu-
cillage, fig . 11.
E mbryo conduplicate, olive-coloured. The Cotyledons 1 ovate, plano-convex. The Radicle bent upwards,
the length of the cotyledons and ap-
• pressed to their division.
Fig. 1. Hutchimia petraa. F ig 2. Racemes of seed-vessels of the same natural size. E g . 3. .Flower fully
exoanded Fig. 4. Petal. Fig. 5. Stamen. Fig. 6. Pollen. Fig. 7. Seed-vessel. Fig. 8. The same with
the valves removed. F ig 9. The valves. Fig. 10. The seed with its pellucid mucilaginous covering
Fig. 11. Embryo, with its cotyledons closed. Fig. 12. Embryo with its cotyledons a little opened. All
from Fig. 3. more or less magnified.
The specimens from which the annexed figures were taken were kindly communicated by Mr Bicheno from
St Vincent’s Rocks, near Bristol, the station mentioned by the accurate Ray: since whose time it has been round
in other places in that vicinity, and a t Uphill in the same county, according to Hudson and Dr. John Ford,
growing on walls as well as rocks. In Wales the Rev. H. Davies finds it on walls at Gloddeath, Caernarvon-
fhire and Mr. Dillwyn on the walls of Pennard Castle, Glamorganshire. In Pembrokeshire Mr. Milne has described
it as a weed on the walks at Stackpole ; it likewise grows on a limestone wall about two miles from Pembroke
and at Tenby. The late Mr. Brunton met with it on rocks near the waterfall at Burton in Bishopsdale,
Wenslydale, Yorkshire; and I have myself gathered it on rocks in Malharn Cove, m the same county, m com-
nanv with my valued friend the Rev. James Dalton. . . . . . .
Still the Hutchinsia petrcea is justly esteemed among our planter ranores, although its diminutive size may be a
cause of its being overlooked in places where it exists. We have seen lew individuals larger than those here ex-
*Xt is weii known that the Genera belonging to those orders which, even to a casual observer, are the most natural,
are, of all, the most difficult to distinguish by well-marked characters. Such is particularly the case with
the Composite and the Crucifera of Jussieu. The species, now before us, belonging to the last-mentioned family, -
Sir James Smith considers as possessing the true pouch of a Lepidium, although he defines the pouch of that Genus
as “ emarginate and many-seeded,^ whilst the Hutchinsia has a truly entire apex to the pouch, and each
valve containing two seeds: circumstances which Mr. Brown has considered of sufficient consequence to form a
new genus; and I most cheerfully adopt the name he has given after a Lady, now, a la s! no more; whose labours
in the cause of botany I have in another publication so frequently had occasion to notice.
In the genus Lepidium as characterized by Mr. Brown, and- which is merely distinguished from Hutchinsia by
the cells of the silicle being one-seeded, there now remain to the British list L . latifolium and ruderale.
Very near to our H . petrcea comes the I I . alpimm, common on the Swiss alps, especially m the shape of the
leaves | but that species has the petals very much larger and more than twice the length of its calyx, and the
stigma, not sessile, b ut lengthened out upon a short style.
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