1. Reseda L. (mignonette)
(Abdallah and de Wit, 1978)
Plants annual,
biennial, or perennial herbs, usually with taproots. Stems often angled or
longitudinally ridged, often branched, glabrous. Leaves alternate and basal,
short-petiolate, glabrous. Stipules absent. Leaf blades mostly oblanceolate in
outline, simple, entire or pinnately lobed, the lobes usually above the blade
midpoint. Inflorescences terminal, slender, elongate, sometimes spikelike racemes,
these sometimes branched basally and thus appearing paniculate, the axis and
stalk sometimes roughened with minute, prickly outgrowths, otherwise glabrous.
Flowers perfect. Calyces actinomorphic or nearly so, of 4–7 sepals, these free
or fused at the bases. Corollas of 4–6 free petals, zygomorphic or
asymmetrically irregular, the petals of different sizes and shapes, yellow to
greenish yellow, usually narrowed to stalklike bases, the body of at least the
larger petals irregularly appendaged on the dorsal surface (sometimes more or
less at the tip), the appendage variously lobed or dissected. Stamens and
pistil on a short stalk above the perianth. Stamens 10–25, the filaments
inserted on an asymmetric, fleshy disc around the ovary base, the anthers attached
near their midpoints, yellow. Pistil 1 per flower, superior, of (2)3(4) fused
carpels, the ovary with 1 locule, bluntly angled, usually noticeably open
apically, the angles extending into 3 thickened, triangular teeth, the
stigmatic regions along the irregular terminal portions of the teeth. Ovules
numerous, the placentation parietal. Fruits capsules that shed seeds apically
through the openings. Seeds numerous, broadly ovoid to globose, sometimes
slightly kidney-shaped, with curved embryos, the surface smooth, dark brown to
black, shiny. Fifty-five species, Europe, Asia, Africa, Atlantic islands.
Several species
of Reseda are cultivated as garden ornamentals. In addition to the use
of R. luteola for dyes, the European R. odorata L. (fragrant
mignonette) produces a fragrant volatile oil that is used in some perfumes.