IFSTKClllKT^ro 
 'AlfREOH/irNfRJ ,. 
 
 NEW VORh i I 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 m 
 
 OF THK 
 
 NATURAL ORDERS OF PLANTS 
 
 GROUPS AND DESCRIPTIONS 
 
 BT 
 
 ELIZABETH TWINING. 
 
 "I 
 
 REDUCED FROM THE ORIGINAL FOLIO EDITION. 
 
 /(fP 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 LONDON: 
 SAMPSON LOW, SON, AND MAKSTON, 
 
 CROWN BUILDINGS, 188 FLEET STREET. 
 1868. 
 
 (The Right uj Ti-vuilatioH u nftrvcd by Ihc .iulUor.) 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2010 with funding from 
 
 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 
 
 LONDON -. 
 
 SrRAKOEWATS ASD WaI-DEN. rWNTERS, 
 
 Castle St. Leicestej Sq. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/illustrationsofn01twin 
 
580 
 
 V, 1 
 
 J INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ^ — * — 
 
 Of all the varied objects of creation there is, probably, no portion that 
 affords so ranch gratification and delight to mankind as plants. Com- 
 bining so many various qualities of utility and beauty, and being as 
 they are so widely spread abroad in the world, — over the plains, the 
 valleys, and the mountains ; in the depths of the earth, and in the 
 waters of the ocean, the lakes, and the rivers, and every pond and pool ; 
 in the hottest regions of the tropics, and extending even to the frozen 
 lands of the Arctic zone, they claim attention everywhere, and in all 
 . times, in a pre-eminent degree. From the earliest years of childhood, 
 when the simple and abundant daisy yields one of the most valued 
 ^ recreations, until the close of life, when flowers are planted on the grave, 
 ^ there is no period when some of the countless variety of plants do not 
 vj minister in some way to our comfort and enjoyment. There is high 
 ^ and ancient authority for the study of plants. We read that he to whom 
 ^ was given " wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness 
 o of heart," whose " wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the 
 ci east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt," — he spake of trees, from 
 <\ " the cedar-tree that is in Lebanon, even unto the hyssop that springetli 
 v^^ut of the wall." It is interesting to think of this branch of knowledge 
 -< as of one which contributed to spread the fame of Solomon " in all 
 nations round about," so that " there came of all people to hear his 
 r^ wisdom." 
 
 There are, indeed, numerous proofs of the value of a knowledge of 
 
 ^ plants in all ages of the world. It is now 250 years since the good 
 
 old Grerard completed his famous " Herbal " in this country, and declared 
 
 ^ he could find no greater delight than to behold the earth apparelled 
 
 with plants, — a delight great to the outer senses, but greater still to 
 
 16652 
 
ii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the mind enriched with the knowledge of these visible things, " setting 
 forth to us the invisible and admirable workmanship of Almighty God." 
 JMany works have already been prepared to aid in imderstanding the 
 nature of plants, — to explain their wonderful arrangement in every part, 
 to mark their manner of growth, to ascertain their various properties, 
 or to recall their beautiful forms when faded and gone during the decay 
 of winter. But it is hoped these illustrations, combined with descriptions, 
 in simple, and as far as possible untechnical language, may add something 
 to the enjoyment to be derived from plants. If they can increase grati- 
 fication to those who possess beautiful gardens, or delight in searching 
 out the native plants of our fields and roads ; or if they should be able to 
 awaken in any miud an interest in the study of the nature and properties 
 of plants, my design will be fulfilled, and a humble, but very earnest 
 desire accomplished. 
 
 The groups are intended to show in one view some of the principal 
 plants composing the respective tribes, arranged as modern science has 
 found to be in accordance with structure and properties. The system 
 of De CandoUe is that followed, with only slight exceptions. In every 
 Order that contains British plants English species are selected as examples, 
 but combined with others from foreign countries. By thus placing our 
 native plants in groups with foreigners, we acquire a more correct idea 
 of the nature of our Flora, and the character it has when compared 
 with that of other countries. Tliis is the first work which has thus done 
 due honour to our British plants by connecting with others, and placing 
 them whenever possible at the head of the Order to be illustrated. The 
 new method of classing plants into Orders, according to the structure 
 of the parts of fructification, is thought to be more difificult to the student 
 than the old system of Linnaeus ; but having groups brought before us, 
 united with descriptions, renders the subject easy and agreeable. One 
 very interesting point is thus gained, — that is, a ready perception of the 
 geographical distribution of any particular tribe. Also, what proportion 
 our British Flora bears, both in quantity and quality, to the whole range 
 of the Natural Orders : how we have some tribes in their full vigour and 
 abundance ; of others, only a few species, scattered, as it were, on the 
 geographical limits of the tribe. Of others, no specimen will be found 
 in our temperate clime ; for some of the groups will be seen to belong 
 exclusively to the tropics, and some to the cooler regions. By thus 
 connecting our own Flora with a general view of the Orders to which 
 the plants we possess belong, a higher interest may be given to the 
 
INTRODUCTION. Ul 
 
 examination of many lowly flowers of our fields. Tlie common buttercup 
 may be considered as a perfect type of tliat numerous tribe " Eanun- 
 culaceoe," named from the genus, and abounding chiefly in the northern 
 countries of Europe. The study of Euphorbiacese, the Spurge tribe, in 
 this country, will show either small herbaceous weeds in gardens, or a 
 few other species, of rather larger size, but not more pleasing aspect, 
 in woods and hedges ; but, on examination, one chief character of the 
 Order will be observed, namely, an abundant milky juice of extreme 
 acridity. The very curious arrangement of the parts of the flower may 
 be perceived, also, as well in these as in the larger species which grow in 
 tropical America, or on the mountains of Northern India, or at the base 
 of the Peak of Teneriffe ; some of which attain a gigantic size, rising 
 in upright, angular columns, or with variously branched stems, beset 
 with strong spines. These have, indeed, a very different aspect from 
 that of our small weeds of this tribe, but the essential characters are the 
 same. Among those tribes of which we have the finest specimens in 
 the British isles may be noticed the oak, elm, ash, and willow-trees : 
 these all attain a vigorous growth in the temperate climate of this 
 country. The oaks of England are not surpassed in any other part 
 of the world. The ash of the Isle of Wight rivals that of North America. 
 Of some tribes we possess only a few species, which are beyond the 
 boundaries of the chief mass of the group, — as in the Mallow tribe, which 
 belongs principally to the tropics, extending a few small species into 
 our temperate region. In other tribes, we have one genus in Britain, 
 a few more in France or Germany, and discover the main centre of the 
 group in some other part of the Continent. This occurs in Cistacese ; 
 Helianthemum is the only British example. Cistus is found in Grermany 
 and Switzerland, and the chief mass of the tribe is in Spain and Portugal. 
 There are many tribes of which we possess only small herbs, but when 
 we follow them out into hotter countries we often perceive shrubs or 
 large trees belonging to the tribe. Perhaps the same genus may be 
 expanded into shrubby species in warmer regions. The English species 
 of flax are all small herbs ; in the East Indies one is an evergreen shrub. 
 Of the Umbelliferous tribe we have numerous herbs only ; Bupleurum 
 tenuissimum the smallest. In the south of France Bupleurum fruticosum 
 is an evergreen shrub, five or six feet high ; Bupleurum canescens on the 
 coast of Barbary is a hoary evergreen of still larger growth. Of the 
 extensive tribe of composite plants forty-five genera are found in Britain, 
 many of them very plentifully, as the Daisy, Tliistle and others ; but all 
 
IV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 herbaceous, and near!}" all of low growth. The great Scotch Thistle, one 
 of the finest of the tribe, is seldom more than five or six feet in height. 
 Some, however, of the British genera may be found existing in other 
 countries, and there developed in very different specific forms, as shrubs 
 or trees. Sonchus, of very tender, succulent nature here, affording food 
 for rabbits, is known in Madeira and the Canaries in the form of ever- 
 green shrubs. Some of the largest trees of St. Helena belong to this 
 composite tribe. Among the various native species we have of the vast 
 Leguminous tribe, onl}' Ulex, the P^urze, and Spartium, the Broom, are of 
 a shrubby nature. Proceeding towards the south of France, we meet with 
 the Laburnum, and other trees of considerable size. Advancing still fur- 
 ther into tropical regions, this important tribe is found in shrubs and lofty 
 trees, of varied utility and beauty. Amherstia nobilis, of the East Indies, 
 is a large tree bearing magnificent drooping branches of scarlet flowers, 
 said to be im surpassed in the vegetable world. The Hymenea of Brazil 
 has been found to measure eighty -five feet around the base of the stem ; it 
 is said to live to 2000 years. Of the grass tribe, we have lowly specimens 
 only : our native species incline more to the northern than the southern 
 types. Poa, our meadow grass, stretches to the icy regions of Spitsbergen 
 and Melville Island. Other of our grasses are found also to the south ; and 
 these frequently in lofty situations, as on the Alps, near the limits of per- 
 petual snow ; on the Andes, and on the Himalayas. Arundo Phragmites, 
 is the common reed, our largest species of this tribe ; in the deep ditches 
 about the mouth of the Thames, it gives an idea of the more gigantic 
 grasses of the South. Arundo Donax, of North Africa, advances into the 
 South of Europe, and gives a clear indication of the more highly developed 
 tropical species. But there is one striking character of this tribe which 
 we perceive as distinctly in this country as anywhere : the peculiar pro- 
 perty of spreading over wide spaces of ground with scarcely any intermixture 
 of other plants, can nowhere be better observed than in our meadows and 
 lawns. In the Tropics, large grasses grow separately, like other plants, 
 are of greater size and height, and in some instances have wider leaves 
 than any of the species belonging to the temperate zone, and assume partly 
 the appearance of trees. 
 
 In examining other tribes, we find the same genera or species widely 
 spread in distant countries, and retaining the same form and appearance, 
 but growing in different situations, where there may be a climate favour- 
 able for their growth. Vaccinium Myrtillus, the Bilberry, is a low 
 shrubby plant, spreading over a wild ground ; it abounds in various jjarts 
 
INTRODUCTION. V 
 
 of Britain, eitlier on heatlis, or on rocks of no great elevation, as those of 
 Tunbridge Wells ; or on a turfy soil in the northern counties of England, 
 and the moors of the Scotch Highlands. In Switzerland it is not confined 
 to low rocks or moors ; it is also to he found on the turfy heights of the 
 Alps ; on the higher part of the Simplon Pass it covers tlie ground on all 
 sides, and in autumn gives a bright colouring to the scene by its red 
 leaves. 
 
 In the Saxifrage tribe, there is very little diversity of form or situation. 
 It is extensively scattered over all Northern countries, merely varied in 
 position according to the climate. For example : Saxifraga oppositifolia, 
 which is abundant on the highest hills of Wales, Yorkshire, or Scotland, 
 is found also in Switzerland, Grermany, and France ; but in those countries, 
 in still loftier localities than those of Britain. It may be seen on the 
 northern slopes of the Pyrenees, on the mountains of Moravia and Bohemia, 
 and on the Grimsel, Ghemmi, Kighi, St. Grothard, and other Alps, at an 
 elevation sometimes approaching the limit of perpetual snow. This little 
 plant is also to be traced as far north as Melville Island, in 75° of N. lat. 
 There it finds a sufficiently cold temperature on the level plain, the dreaiy 
 monotony of which it enlivens with its bright purple flowers, on the 
 earliest arrival of spring. The budding of this small Saxifrage was one of 
 the welcome indications of spring that gladdened the hearts of Captain 
 Parry and his crew, after their ice-bound winter in the Polar regions. 
 
 The Juniper of our northern moors is another plant that is widely dis- 
 persed, and consequently inhabits very dissimilar localities. If we follow 
 it northwards, we shall find its low stunted form on the level plains of 
 Lapland, which are during a great portion of the year covered with snow. 
 If we search for it in hot countries, it will be found only on mountains, as 
 on the western slope of the Himalayas, at 14,500 feet. 
 
 There are, however, a few minute plants among the lower tribes, which 
 are not only entirely of the herbaceous class, but which, in whatever part 
 of the world we discover them, inhabit similar situations, floating always 
 in still waters. Callitriche verna, the Water Star- wort, so plentiful in the 
 ditches and ponds of England, has also been observed in Lord Auckland's 
 Isle, in 65° of S. lat., and in the Azores, in 38° of N. lat. In Iceland, in 
 65° of N. lat., our Callitriche autumnalis covers the ponds and ditches. 
 In these humble plants, we not unfrequently find a greater power of 
 adaptation to various climates and stations, and a more extensive disper- 
 sion over the globe, than in the higher tribes. It is remarkable what 
 varied forms vegetation assumes, and in what strange situations it is found. 
 
vi IM'llODUCTIUN. 
 
 Deep in the coal-mines of Saxony, far from the li<?ht of day, grows the 
 Rhizomorpha subterranea, a small branching plant, on the limits of the 
 Fungus tribe, which possesses phosphorescent properties, and shines in the 
 dark with great brilliancy. Racodium cellare is a very singular substance 
 of the Fungus kind, that occasionally grows in cellars, filling every space 
 with its hanging masses of black fibres. Eocks which appear at a distance 
 to be bare, are often perceived on closer examination to be clothed with a 
 thin covering of flat Lichens, of various kinds, some of which adhere so 
 firmly as to be inseparable from it. Some of the Conferva3 have been 
 found growing in boiling springs in Arabia, at the Cape of Good Hope, 
 and in the Greysers of Iceland. Marchantia and Lycopodium were seen 
 close to hot springs in the Island of Amsterdam, in the Indian Ocean. 
 Several of these lowest tribes of plants are also capable of enduring ex- 
 treme cold. The Reindeer Lichen covers extensive plains in Lapland, 
 where it is buried under thick snows for many months without injury. 
 Protococcus nivalis, a minute plant on the verge of vegetable life, was 
 first noticed by Saussure, on the perpetual snow of the Alps, tinging the 
 surface with a red liue : it consists of simple cells filled with a red fluid, 
 and has obtained the name of Red Snow, from its appearance, which at 
 first caused great perplexity. It excited also much surprise to Captain 
 Ross and his crew during their expedition to the Polar regions, where it 
 was discovered reddening vast plains of snow and ice. 
 
 Various kinds of Algae, or Sea-weeds, pervade both salt and fresh 
 water in every possible situation. Some are so exceedingly minute as to 
 be scarcely perceptible to the naked eye ; others far exceed in length of 
 stem any land plant. Macrocystis pyrifera is a tropical genus, inhabiting 
 the Indian Ocean : the slender stems are said to reach the enormous length 
 of 1500 feet. The Sargassum, or Grulf-weed, which Columbus met with, 
 like a floating meadow on the Atlantic Ocean, is often seen in large masses, 
 extending from 25° to 36° of N. lat. Some species flourish in shallow 
 water, others in deep seas. Fucus vitifolius was brought up from a depth 
 of 190 feet, off the Coast of the Canaries, by Humboldt and Bonpland, and 
 exhibited the peculiar property which sea-weeds possess of acquiring green 
 colour without the aid of light. 
 
 Truly " the earth is full of riches ; so is the great and wide sea also I " 
 Not only does the land bring forth abundantly every green herb and tree 
 after its kind, but the waters are also full of suitable vegetation, affording 
 food and shelter to the " things creeping innumerable " that dwell therein. 
 It is remarkable that among those plants considered useless, are to be 
 
INTRODUCTION. vii 
 
 found the most striking examples of beautiful form, brilliant colour, and 
 fragrant scent, as is particularly the case in the Lily and the Orchis tribes, 
 as if thus to remind us that they also are not to be disregarded ; that they 
 are to be observed for some good and wise purpose ; that we may admire 
 them for their excellent beauty, and examine their wonderful structure, 
 and perceive, thus more clearly, the omnipotence and the mercy of the 
 Creator, who knoweth whereof we are made, who seeth that our patli is 
 beset with many thorns, and that our spirits, as well as our bodies, are 
 liable to weariness, and need refreshment and cheering as we pass on our 
 pilgrimage. Even the so-called useless plants may have their allotted 
 service to man ; and though not offering any material uses, may be made 
 available for other and higher purposes. They can perform a share of the 
 great work of enlightening the mind, and refining the taste, and purifying 
 the heart for true and simple enjoyment. They are no invention of fal- 
 lible man, who, even in liis best plans for gratification or recreation, often 
 fails of the intended end ; they are the gifts of our heavenly Father, acces- 
 sible to all His children. The joyous can go gladly forth on their sunny 
 path in the bright garden ; the weariest and weakest may rest on their 
 way on the green herb and the lowly flowers ; and the busiest even in the 
 crowded city may derive cheering delight from the humble window-garden, 
 and will readily pause on their course to " consider the lilies how they 
 grow." 
 
CONTENTS OF PLATES. 
 
 VOLUME I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 1. RanunculacEj?': ... Ranunculus ac7-is. Anemone coronaria. Anemone Japonica. 
 
 Delphinium cuitum. Helleborus/ceft'rfe^s. Trollius Europceus. Clematis 
 viticena. 
 
 2. DlLLENiACE^E Dillenia scaZ>m?«. Candollea cuneiformifi. Hibbeilia vombiiis. 
 
 Hiljbertia j^cfhincumta. 
 
 3. MagnoliacEjE ... IMagnolia grandijiora. Talauma Candonii. Liriodendron 
 
 tmipiferum. 
 
 4. AnonacEjE Anona squamosa. Guatteria lateriflora. 
 
 5. MENiSPERMACEiE . . Menispemiuiu canadense. Menispermum virginicum. Cocculus 
 
 Pmnlcenetii. Cissampelos Caaj^eba. Cocculus patmatus. Cocculus 
 ■ macrocarpus. Cissampelos Pareira. Cissampelos iropaoiifoiia. 
 
 6. BERBEiUDAGEiE ... Berberis vulgaris. Epimedium aipinum. Diphyllea cymosa. 
 
 7. FuMARlACK^ Fumaria capreoiata. Corydalis mtea. Corydalis tuberosa. 
 
 Didytra formosa. Corydalis Cashmmana. 
 
 8. Xympheace.e Nymph ea a2&a. '^ymphea jiygmea. Nuphar /w^eo. Xelumbiuni 
 
 speciosum. Nymphea coerulea. 
 
 9. pAPAVERACEiE ... Papaver somniferum. Papaver Rhmas. Glaucium mtcuin. 
 
 Meconopsis acmeatum. 
 
 10. Sarraceniace^ ... ^arracen\?i purpurea. Savracenia variolaris. Heliamphora ?!«/««*■. 
 
 11. Cruciace^e Brassica oieracea. Lunaria biennis. Nasturtium officinale. 
 
 Erysimum Petrowshianum. Iberis gibraitarica. Cheiranthus Cheirl. 
 Schizopetalon Wa/iheri. Y &ivoca\\\s pyrenaica. Thlaspi mtifoiium. 
 
 12. Capparidace.e ... Capparis spinosa. Capparis Breynia. Cratoeva fragrans. 
 
 Polanisia chnidonii. Sodada decidua. Capparis ovata. Cratoeva Rox- 
 burghii. Capparis ncjairll. Capparis jEgyptiaca. Physostemon. 
 
 13. BiXACE^E Bixa Ormana. Flacourtia i?amor«teA/. Flacourtia inermis. 
 
 14. PASSiFLORACEiE ... Passiflora edmis. Passiflora racemosa. Passifiora maiiformis. 
 
 Tacsonia moiiissima. Sraeathmannia lavigata. 
 
 15. ViOLACEiE \\o\a tricolor, \io\a odorata. Erpetion ?'en«/b?'ms. Curynostylis 
 
 ITybanthus. Alsodea Physipiliora. lonidium Ttoubou. 
 
 V* 
 
X CONTENTS OF PLATES. 
 
 PAoe 
 
 16. POLYGALACE.E ... Polygala cuii/ari.s. Pdlyiiula cuvdifoUa. Polygala chamcsbuxut. 
 
 Securidaca tomentosa. Mmaltia inirta. ^lundia spinosa. Polygala 
 crotolar hides. Trigonia. 
 
 17. Resf.dace-E Reseda Zu^coZa. Reseda Za/ea. Reseda o^/ora/a. 
 
 18. DaosERACEiE Drosera rotundifolia. Dionea muscipula. Byblis liniflora. 
 
 Aldrovanda vesiculosa. 
 
 19. OXALIDACE.E Oxalis acetosella. Oxalis florihunda. Averrlioa Carambola. 
 
 Oxalis confertissimn. 
 
 20. PiTTOSPORACE.E ... Pittosporutn Tohira. Billardiera linearis. Bursaria spinosa. 
 
 ' Clieiranthera linearis. 
 
 21. LinacEjE Linmn usitatissimum. Linum trigynum. Liniim africanum. 
 
 Radiol a millcgrana. 
 
 22. ClSTACE^ Cistui? cyprius. Helianthemum poUfolium. Helianthemum 
 
 vulgare. Heliantlieinum formosum. Helianthemum rhodanthum. 
 Helianthemum canescens. 
 
 23. Malvace^ Malva moschata. Gossypium herhaceum. Hibiscus syriacus. 
 
 Malope trifida. Hibiscus Mosa-sinensls. Abutilon striatum. 
 
 24. Trop^olacf.e ... Tropfeoliim majus. Tropajolum peregrinum. Tropfeolnm umhel- 
 
 latum. Tropaeohim azureum. Tropteolum edule. Limnanthee Douglassii. 
 
 25. Byttneriace^ ... 'Qy tinena. catalpcefolia. Theobroma Cacao. Lasiopetalum grranJj- 
 
 florum. 
 
 26. BoMB.A.CE^ Bombax heptaphyllum. Bomhax pentandrum. Helicteres ver- 
 
 bascifolia. Helicteres brevispira. 
 
 27. TiLi.\CE.E Tilia Europea. Sparmannia Africana. Grewia accidentalis. 
 
 Elseocarpus cyaneus. 
 
 28. Sapixdace.e Sa])mdus jiiglarulifolius. Melicocca hijuga. Nephelium ZifcAi. 
 
 Cardiospennum anomaluni. Sapindus fru'escens. Urvillea glabra. 
 Ophiocaryon paradoxum. 
 
 29. H1PPOCASTANACE.E . JEaculas Ilippocastanum. Tsiyia rubra. 
 
 30. AcERACE^ Acer campestre. Acer Pseudo-platanus. Acer caudatum. 
 
 31. Malpighiace^ ... jNIalpighia aquifolium. Bannisteria chrysophyllum. Stigma- 
 
 phyllum aristatum. Ryssopteris timorensis. Diplopteris |)ara/»'as. 
 
 32. HiPPOCRATEACE^ . Hippocratea arborea. Tontelea scandens. Hippocratea Amot- 
 
 tiana. Salacia pnnoides. 
 
 33. Hypericace^ Hypericum calycinum. Hypericum pidchrum. Androsjemum 
 
 officinale. Hypericum cegyptiacum. H3'pericum elodes. Parnassia 
 j)alustris. Vismia guianensis. 
 
 34. Clusiace^ Q\\\?,i?iinsignis. Garciniaspecfosa. Mammea ammcana. ClusiaaZ&a. 
 
 35. DlPXEROCARPACE^. Dipterocarpus gracilis. Hopea odorata. Shorea robusta. 
 
 36. MARCGRAViACEiE... Marcgravia MTnJe/fata. '^ or anieajapurensis. Ruyschia coraWma. 
 
 37. V1TACE.E Wi'xs vinif era. Cissus quinqjiefolia. 
 
 38. GERANlACEiE Geranium Robertianum. Geranium pratense. Pelargonium 
 
 pellatum. Pelargonium tricolor. Pelargonium zonale. Erodium cicu- 
 tarium. Erodium incarnatuni. 
 
 39. Cedrelace^ Cedrela Toona. Swietenia J/a7ia^o?i<. 
 
 40. Meliacej^- "SleWa. Azedarach. Qrn&rea tuberculata. Turrpea. glabra. Eke- 
 
 bergia indica. Ekebergia senegalensis. 
 
CONTENTS OF I'LATES. X 
 
 PAGE 
 
 41. AurantiacEaE ... Citrus aurantium. Citrus medlca. Citrus Limonum. (Jookia 
 
 punctata. 
 
 42. CamelliacE/E ... Camellia o/w/era. Ca,me\\ia, japo7dca. Kielrneyera rosea. 
 
 43. Olacace^ Olax strncta. Keistena coccinea. Ximenia, americaiia. Apodytes 
 
 diinidiata. 
 
 44. Rutace^ Rnta graveolens. Adenandra imiflora. Boronia crenulata. 
 
 Dictainnus Fraxinella. Erythrocliiton Braslliensis. 
 
 45. Simarubace^ ^\ma.Y\\ha. officinalis. Samadera 27Z(Z/c«. ^{uxaha guianensis. 
 
 46. Samydacej^ Saniyda rosea. Casearia grandiflora. Pitumba guianensis. 
 
 47. Rhajixace^ Rhamnus Frangida. Zizyphus lotus. Paliurus australis. 
 
 Ceanothus aziirea. Zizyphus Baclei. 
 
 48. Terebinthace.e... ^'isXacia. Terebinthus. knac&v^mm. occidentale. M an gifer a /?2^ica. 
 
 Melanorrhcea usitata. Pistacia atlantica. Pistacia vera. Rhus lasio- 
 carpa. Melanorrhoea glabra. 
 
 49. Leguminose^ ... Vismxi sativum. Trifolium^afe?ise. Spartium sco/jaWwrn. Tetra- 
 
 gonolobus edulis. Robinia Mspida. Alexandra imperatncis. Acacia 
 Sophorce. Cassia australis. Wistaria sinensis. Clitoria Ternatea. 
 Diplerix Tonga. Medicago lupulina. 
 
 50. Juglandace^ ... Juglans rei72rt. Engelhardtia afer?ybZia. 
 
 51. Rosacea Rosa canina. Hosa, jmnicea. Rosa bracteaia. Rosa gallica. 
 
 Spirea fiUpendula. Rubus fruticosus. Sieversia elata. Fragaria 
 vesca. 
 
 52. Pomaces Pyrus Malus. Cratjegus Onjcaniha. Mespilus germanica. 
 
 Cydonia vulgaris. Cydonia Japonica. Eriobotrya Japonica. Cotone- 
 aster microphylla. 
 
 53. Amygdalace,e ... Kmy^^i\ii\\\s communis. Fers'ica vidgaris. Cerasus Laurocerasus. 
 
 Prunus spinosa. Cerasus avium. Prunus domestica. Chrysobalanus 
 Icaco. 
 
 54. Lythrace^ '. Lythrum salicaria. Peplis Portula. Lagerstraemia indica. 
 
 Cuphea tubijiora. 
 
 55. TAMARiCACEiE Tamarix </a///ca. Myricaria g^ermanica. Myricaria 6racteato. 
 
 56. Melastomace^ ... Melastoma malabathrica. Blakea trinervia. Pleroma viminea. 
 
 Sonerila tenera. Osbeckia sinensis. Stenodon tuberosus. Medinilla 
 radicans. 
 
 57. MYRTACEyE Mjrtus communis. Euca]yptus imlverulejita. Eucalyptus macro- 
 
 carpa. Psidium Cattleyanum. Punica granatum. Eugenia Malaccensis. 
 Leptospermum scoparium. 
 
 58. Lecythidace^ ... Lecythis grandiflora. Lecythis Olliaria. Bertholletia excelsa. 
 
 Lecythis ovata. Couratari guianensis. 
 
 59. Combretace^ ... Combretum purpureum. Terminalia australis. Terminalia 
 
 Catappa. Terminalia/a^i/bZia. 
 
 60. LoASACE^ Loasa grandiflora. Bartonia a«rea. Microsperma barfonoides. 
 
 Loasa nitida. 
 
 61. CUCDRBITACE^ ... Gncwrhita LagenaHa. Cucumis saft'm. 'Momoxdxca bcdsamina. 
 
 Momordica Elaterium. Tricosanthes anginna. Bryonia dioica. Cucumis 
 Melo. Coccinia indica. 
 
 62. ONAGRACEiE (EnotheTa biennis. (Enothera macrocarpa. Epilobium an^it*/?- 
 
 folium. Fuchsia coccinea. Circea lutetiana. Lopezia coronata. 
 
Xll CONTKNTS OF PLATES. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 63. Mesembryace.e... ileseinbryantheiaum minulum. Mesenihry anihemura depressum. 
 
 Meseinbryanthcmum micans. Mesembryanthemum spectahhe. Tetra- 
 gonia cxpansa. Lewisia rediviva. 
 
 64. PoRTULACEiE Poit iihvca (rm/t's//. Portulaca hirsutissiina. Claytomaiperfonata. 
 
 Montia /onto/ia. Calanclrinia grandijlora. 
 
 65. C.\CTACE.E Cereus speciosissimus. Echinocactus EyrieslL Opuntia tuna. 
 
 Pi 1 ocereus Sf'n/n's. Qerens flageniformis. Rhipsalispen^w/a. Opuntia 
 Dinenii. 
 
 66. Grossulariace.e. . Ribes GVossufar/a. RxbQS rubrura. B.\hes nigrum. Ribes aurewm. 
 
 Ribes sanguineum. Ribes speciosum. 
 
 67. Crassul.\ce.£ ... Crassula coccinea. Sempervivum tectorum. Sedum acre. 
 
 Bryophyllum calycinum. 
 
 68. SAXIFRAGACE.E ... Saxifraga umbrosa. Saxifraga aizoides. Heucliera cylindrica. 
 
 Tiarella cordifolia. Saxifraga tridactylites. Chrysosplenium. 
 
 69. CAKYOPHYLLACEiE . Dianthus arnima. 'Lychnis diuma. Cerastium aryense. Arenaria 
 
 marina. Dianthus caryophyllus. Lychnis Bungeana. Agrostemma 
 coronaria. Sileue acavlis. Stellaria media. MoUugo glinoides. 
 
 70. Umbellace^ Carum carui. Pastinaca saiiVa. Critlnnum 7««n7/7nMm. Hydro- 
 
 cotyle vulgaiis. Leucolena rotundifolia. Astrantia maxima. Prangos 
 pabularia. Scandix Pecten-Veneris. Daucus Carota. 
 
 71. ARALiACEiE Ar&Wa, liisipida. "Pansix pseudo-ginseng. Hedera, Helix. Adoxa 
 
 moschatellina. 
 
 72. Caprifoliace^ . . . Capri fol i um Pmc/7/me?i«?/?.. Viburnum 0/>2</ms. Linn^a JoreaZis. 
 
 AheWix florihunda. Symphoria racemosa. Weigela rosea. Benthaniia 
 fragifera. Sambiicus nigra. 
 
 73. Loranthace^ ... Loranthus Evenius. Loranthus foi'mosus. Viscura album. 
 
 'Loranthns jientrandus. Loranthus chrysanthus. 
 
 74. RuBiACE.E Rubia ^>e?-e5r?7na. Asperula oc?orato. Qo^ea arabica. Mussoenda 
 
 macrophyUu. Ixora coccinea. Coccocypselum Tontarea. Galium. 
 
 75. VALERL\NACE.aE ... Valeriana c?2oica. Fedia olitoria. Centranthus rw&er. Nardo- 
 
 stachys Jatamansi. 
 
 76. CompositacEjE ... ^QeWis perennis. Agathea celestis. Carthamus tinctorius. Scor- 
 
 zonera hisjMnica. Catananche cerulea. Cosmea bipinnata. Zinnia 
 clegans. Ceutaurea cyanus. Elichrysum spectabile. Calliopsis hicolor. 
 Ecliinops. 
 
 77. Dipsace.e Dipsacus s?//f€s<m. Scabiosa swcma. Isjaaniia arvensis. Scabiosa 
 
 atro-purpurea. Scabiosa ochroleuca. Scabiosa columbaria. 
 
 78. STVLiMAfE^ ^iyVidmm glandulosum. Forstera clavigera. Stylidium larici- 
 
 folium. Stylidium calcaratum. 
 
 79. Goodeniace^ ... Goodenxa grandifloi'a. Scsevola microcarpa. Brunonia australis. 
 
 Lechenaultia/or»josrt. Goodenia ovata. 
 
 80. Campanulace.*: ... Campanula rotundifolia. Campanula garganica. Roella ciliata. 
 
 Micbauxia campanuloides. Canarina campamda. Campanula bononi- 
 ensis. Campanula medium. 
 
LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNiVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 
 
1 'hr- Crow- too tlrih& 
 
 . >'iy&. SL-H'.Lmatol 
 
RANUNCULACE^., 
 
 THE CROWFOOT TRIBE. 
 
 This Order consists of herbs and shrubs, the climbing species of Clematis being 
 almost the only instance of a woody stem. The leaves grow either opposite or 
 alternate on the stem ; they are generally nn;ch divided. The leaf-stalks form a 
 kind of sheath partly enclosing the stem. The flowers vary much in form, but in 
 essential parts a great similarity prevails throughout the Order. The petals 
 usually five, one having sometimes a horned spur or nectary, as in Deljjhinium. 
 The number of the petals varies from 3 to 15. The parts of the calyx also vary, 
 and are sometimes coloured and form the actual flower, as in Hellebore. The 
 stamens are many, placed below the ovary, which is composed of many seed-vessels 
 of one cell each, or combined into one vessel containing many cells. The seed- 
 vessel, when ripe, is either a cluster of several dry cells, as in Ranunculus, or a 
 berry, with one or more seeds, as in Actea ; or a pouch, with one or more valves, 
 as in Larkspur. The seed has sometimes a feathered end, as in Anemone or 
 Clematis. 
 
 Allied in some points with the Magnolia, and the Poppy tribe. 
 
 Acrid and even poisonous properties prevail in these plants. 
 
 Several of the most common and favourite flowers of our fields belong to this 
 tribe. Ranunculus acris (1), the buttercup, has a brilliant golden flower, but the 
 whole plant is acrid. R. Thora, of Germany, is said to have yielded the juice 
 formerly used by hunters to poison their javelins when pursuing wild animals. 
 Ficaria is one of the first plants to appear in spring, adorning a hedge-bank \^^t]l 
 its glossy leaves and bright star-like flowers. R. aquatilis, the white crowfoot, is 
 frequent in ponds or streams ; its leaves roiinded above the water, divided into 
 fine segments below. R. hulhoms, of England, grows also on the Himalayas. 
 R. asiaticus affords the numerous varieties of double flowers cultivated in Holland 
 for our gardens. The black berries of Actea spicata, the baneberry of Yorkshire 
 and Scotland, are poisonous, although the roots are used medicinally. Aconite and 
 other species yield medicine in India, and in North America. Hellebore (2) was 
 known and used in ancient times. Many of our early garden flowers belong to this 
 
 1. Ranunciilus acris. Buttercup. England. 
 
 1a Petal with the nectary. 
 
 2. Helleborus fcetidus, Bearxfoot Ilellehore. 
 
 England. 
 '^. Anemone cnronaria, Poppy anemone. Levant,. 
 4. Anemone j a pan ica. China and Japan. 
 
 5. Delphinium elatutn, Bee Larkspur. Siberia. 
 
 C. Trollius europceus, Glohe flower. England. 
 
 7. Clematis viticella. Virgin's bower. Spain. 
 
 7a Seed of Clematis vilalba, Travellers' 
 ioy. Jledycs, England. 
 
 
 
RANUNCULACE^. 
 
 tribe. The delicate Ilepatica, with its triple leaf. The Christmas Rose, or white 
 Hellebore. The Chinese Peony ; and the Chinese Anemone (4), lately brought from 
 China, where it is planted on graves. Larkspur and Aconite also produce several 
 beautiful varieties, flowering abundantly. The wood Anemone abounds in sheltered 
 copses in spring. Anemone j^ithalina is seen on chalk do\Mis and pastures in many 
 parts of England, bearing soft purple flowers in April and May. Caltha pahistris, 
 Marsh Marigold, is one of the gay yellow flowers used formerly to adorn a may- 
 jwle. 
 
 All this tribe requires a cool climate, and is widely dispersed in all suitable 
 places ; in the tropics on moimtains. The greatest portion of these plants are in 
 Europe. North America has many. R. acris and others grow in Iceland and 
 Lapland ; TroUius europcens in Norway. One species was found in IVIelville 
 Island, 75° N. Lat. About 100 species belong to the Himalayas, U. hullwsus 
 of England amongst them, but more hairy. A beautiful white Clematis climbs 
 over trees in New Zealand. 
 
LIBRARY 
 OF THE 
 -RSITY OF ILLINOIS 
 
. Ike /JiH/'.ni/i Tnhe 
 
 thivH-Sm, hfxit/uii 
 
DILLENIACEJ^. 
 
 THE DILLENIA TRIBE. 
 
 Trees, shrubs, and iinder-shrubs, with a very few hei'baceous plants. The leaves 
 usually grow alternate on the stem, very seldom opposite to each other, almost 
 always without stipules ; of a thick leathery substance, and generally having 
 veins passing straight from the mid -rib to the margin in the manner called 
 feather- veined. The flowers have five petals and five sepals ; the stamens are 
 attached below the ovary ; either distinct, or united in sets. In Dillenia scabrella 
 (1) the stamens of the inner row are longer and bend over those of the outer 
 row ; sometimes they are placed on one side of the pistil instead of around it. 
 The ovaries are terminated by a simple stigma ; the fruit is composed of two 
 or "five carpels, distinct, or cohering together, the seeds are surrounded by a 
 pulpy aril, and are fixed in a double row to the inner edge of the carpel. The 
 sepals remain after the petals fall off, and become a thickened covering to the 
 fruit. 
 
 These plants have much affinity with Magnoliaceae, also with Ranunculaceaj, 
 but differ from both by the want of stipules, the persistent calyx, and the 
 quinary arrangement of the parts of fructification. Their most distinguishing 
 character is the aril round the seeds. 
 
 The chief use of this tribe is derived from the astringent ])roperty. 
 
 Dillenia scabrella (1) is a tree thirty or forty feet high, with numerous 
 branches. The flowers come forth in the beginning of the year before the 
 leaves, and are very fragrant ; the fruit ripens in May. The fleshy ripe calyx 
 is used in Bengal to give a pleasant acid flavour to curries. This and other 
 species of Dillenia yield a valuable, hard, and durable timber. The juice of 
 the fruit of Dillenia speciosa, when mixed with syrup, is considered a remedy 
 for coughs in India. Many of the Indian trees of this tribe are remarkable 
 for the grandeur of their form and the beauty of their flowers. Dillenia, 
 Tetracera, and others, have an exceeding rough surface to their leaves, which 
 makes them useful to the natives for polishing wood and even metal. Hibbertia 
 voluhilis (rj) is a lofty tree in Malabar, the flowers are of a brilliant appear- 
 ance, but have an unpleasant odour. Several species of Tetracera are employed 
 medicinally by the Brazilians. Curatella Sambaiha is ])owerfully astringent, 
 and affords an excellent decoction for healing wounds, and also is much used by 
 tanners in Brazil. 
 
 The larger portion of this tribe is found to inhabit India, Australia, and 
 the equinoctial parts of America. Only a very small number grow in 
 equinoctial Africa. 
 
 1. Dillenia scabrella. 
 
 2. Candollea cunclformis. 
 
 Ben-al. 
 New Holland. 
 
 '■i. Hibbertia voluhilis. Malabar and Java. 
 
 •4, Hibbertia ptdincularia. New South Wales. 
 4a Sved-vessels. 
 
LIBRARY 
 OF THE 
 
 f'WIVERSITY OF ILLINOiS 
 
^^ 3b 
 
 £r<?.v 
 
 Uw Magrw Uo/Tribe- 
 
 Ui^kSiii' 
 
MAGNOLIACE^. 
 
 THE MAGNOLIA TRIBE. 
 
 This Order is composed entirely of trees or shrubs, no herbaceous plants. The 
 leaves are generally of a thick, leathery substance, grow alternately, and are jointed 
 on the stem. The roUed-up stipules, which grow around the base of the leaf-buds, 
 soon fall off, their place being marked by an annular scar on the branch. The 
 calyx has either three or six sepals, which drop off when the flower expands. The 
 petals are three or more, in several rows. Stamens numerous, with long anthers 
 on the filaments, placed below the pistil, which is composed of many short styles 
 and simple stigmas. Fruit either dry or succulent, containing several seed-vessels, 
 which are either entire or gaping, distinct or partially connected, often collected in 
 a long-shaped cone. In a few plants the seed-vessels are circular, in the form of 
 a star, as in Illicium, Tasmannia, and others. 
 
 The general character of these plants is to have fragrant flowers, and bitter 
 aromatic properties ; none can be said to bear eatable fruits, although that ot 
 Illicium anisatnm has a pleasant aromatic flavour : other species yield an useful 
 oil from the fruit. Kalm ascertained the presence of these trees by their odoriferous 
 scent at a distance of three miles, when the wind was favoiirable. Magnolia was 
 so named after Pierre Magnol, a celebrated botanist of Montpelier. Magnolia 
 grandijiora (1) is one of the noblest of evergreen trees, with sjjlendid fohage, and 
 large, highly-odorous flowers. Liriodendrou tidipifera (3) is a lofty tree in the 
 forests of North America, and is now become naturahzed in European gardens, 
 being much esteemed for its singular form of leaf, and elegant tulip-like flowers. 
 In the south of France, and in Italy, it is frequently planted in public walks and 
 avenues ; the wood is used in America for canoes. Talauma (2) is a genus, so 
 called by the natives of South America ; it consists of magnificent trees and shrubs, 
 resembling Magnolias in many respects, and belongs also to Java and the Antilles. 
 'M&gnoYi.a. pumila is well known in our greenhouses for the extreme fragrance of 
 its small, brownish flowers ; Magnolia conspicxia grows in Japan and China, and 
 is admired here for its large white flowers, which appear before the leaves, on the 
 grey branches. Some species of this genus in the United States yield an aromatic 
 infusion from the green cones, which is useful in medicine. Magnolia glauca is 
 the swamp sassafras, or beaver-tree, of North America ; the bark rivals that of 
 
 1. Magnolia grandijiora, Laurel- leaved May- 
 nolia. Cai'olina. 
 
 1 A Stamens. 
 
 i. Talauma Candollii. 
 
 Java. 
 
 3. Liriodendron lulipifera, Tulip-tree, 
 
 North Amerit;a. 
 3a Stamens. 
 3b Pistil. 
 
 4. Illiciuiu auisalum, Star-anise. China. 
 
 i\ Seed-vessel, 
 
MAGNULlACK.i:. 
 
 Cincliona in bitter, aromatic properties. Aroinadenclrou deyans, of Java, bears 
 fruit in a round cone ; it is remarkable for the fragrance of its blossoms and 
 aromatic, bitter bark: its timber is also valuable in that countrj'. JMichelia is 
 known in several species in Java. JMichelia Doltsopa is one of the finest trees in 
 Ne]ial, yielding an excellent, fragrant wood, much used there for building houses. 
 Michelia champara has sweet-scented, orangc-coluured flowers, which the natives 
 of India form into garlands for the head, and employ in their rehgious ceremonies. 
 Drymis Winteri, a native of IMagellan, yields the celebrated Winter's bark, which 
 was found so beneficial a restorative to the crew of Captain \^ inter's ship, who 
 accompanied the circumnavigator Drake ; the aromatic leaves and bark are said 
 to be useful condiments in the cold climate of Magellan Straits. In Brazil the 
 aromatic bark of Drymis granatcnsis is much esteemed as a spice and a tonic, 
 and Drymis axilhirls of New Zealand has equally useful i)roperties. Illicium 
 anisa..mi (4) has the same powerful aromatic quality, and is used by the Chinese 
 as a spice in their food ; the fruit yields an useful oil. Illicium religiosum is con- 
 sidered a sacred plant by the Japanese, who place garlands and branches of it 
 before their idols, and on the graves of their departed friends ; the fragrant seeds 
 are burnt as incense in their temples. Tasmania aromatica yields a fruit that 
 is occasionally used as pepper by the settlers in Tasmania. 
 
 The chief centre of this tribe is doubtless North America, where the \\oods, 
 the swamps, and the sides of the hills abound with various species ; thence they 
 extend to Asia. The seven species of Michelia in Nepal form a link between the 
 floras of North America, China, and Japan. No species have yet been found 
 on the continent of Africa, or in any of the adjoining islands, and none belong 
 to Europe. 
 
UERARY 
 
 or m 
 
 iJj^lVERSITV OF 111 
 
ANONACEtE. 
 
 THE CUSTARD-APPLE TRIBE. 
 
 Trees and shrubs, with simple leaves growing alternate on the stem, without 
 stipnles. The flowers are usually of a pale-green colour, or brown, gro\A-ing from 
 the base of the leaf-stalk, solitary, or two or three together. The calyx is com- 
 posed of three sepals, in most cases partly cohering together. The petals are very 
 rarely wanting. The stamens are of indefinite number, placed closely together, 
 having short angular filaments, and anthers sometimes bearing honey at their 
 angular base. The styles are short, and the stigmas simple. The fruit is com- 
 posed of many carpels, which are either succulent or dry, sessile or stalked, united 
 in fi fleshy mass, as in Anona, or separate, as in Guatteria. 
 
 Bocagea forms a link between this Order and Berberidacefe. 
 
 Powerful aromatic properties prevail throughout these plants. Anona squa- 
 mosa (1) is the common custard -apple of the West Indies ; its agreeable and 
 succulent fruit is the daily food of the natives ; but it is an acquired taste to 
 Europeans to relish their peculiar flavoiir. The leaves have a disagreeable odour, 
 and the seeds contain a highly acrid juice, fatal to insects. Anona cTieriniolia 
 (the famous Cherimoyer of Peru) is said to be one of the most deHcious of fruits. 
 Anona muricafa, the Soursop, is very abundant in Jamaica : the flavour of the 
 fruit resembling that of the European black currant. Several species of Guatteria 
 (2) are common in Java ; the fruit of these, as also of Polyalthia, passes through 
 various changes of colouring during the process of ripening. Polyalthia sub- 
 cordata has white flowers, much like those of the orange in appearance. The 
 bunches of red and purple fruit of the size of currants, and the long leaves of 
 a grey hue on the under-surface, combine to render it a very beautiful tree. 
 Some species of Uvaria have a green hairy fruit ; that of Uvaria fehrifnga 
 affords a medicine in South America ; the bark of Uvaria tripetaloidea yields 
 a fragrant gum. Xylopia aromatica is known by the name of Ethiopian pepper, 
 and is eaten by negroes in Africa. Xylopia glabra is of extreme bitterness in 
 every part of the plant. Xylopia sericea is a large tree in the forest of Eio 
 Janeiro ; it bears an aromatic fruit, used sometimes instead of pepper ; cordage 
 is prepared from the fibrous bark. The flowers of Artabotrys odoratissima are 
 extremely sweet-scented ; the fruit grows in clusters, and is of the size of a 
 
 1. Anona squamosa, Cimlard-apple, or Sweet- 
 sop. South America. 
 
 1a Section of a Seed. 
 2. Guatteria lateriflora. 
 2a Flower, cut open. 
 
 Java. 
 
 Guatteria laterijlora (continued). 
 2b Stamen. 
 2c Pistil, mnrjuijied. 
 2d Seed. 
 2e Fruit, cut open. 
 
anonace.t:. 
 
 walnut ; the leaves are used in medicine. Almost every part of these plants is 
 of ntility to the natives of the countries where they grow, particularly in Brazil. 
 Duqueti'a quifairnsis of Guinea is the lancewood \ised by coachmakers for the 
 shafts of light carriages, for which purpose it is excellent. 
 
 This order is dispersed throughout the tropical region of the world ; a few 
 of the plants extend beyond them ; some have been naturalised in remote stations 
 by cultivation in colonies, especially the Custard-apples and Cherimoyer. Three 
 species of Anona have now become general in India, Guatteria, Uvaria, and 
 Artabotrys, also grow there ; a few species are scattered as far as 45° of North 
 latitude on the hills about iMonghir, on the Ganges, in Hindostan. 
 
LIBRARY 
 OF THE 
 
 UN'-VERSITV Of^ ILUNOIS 
 
la. lb le- lob 
 
 T.iel 
 
 Th& Mooro-Seed' Tribe' 
 
 Doif & Smv.Li/ruted 
 
MENISPERMACEyE : 
 
 THE MOON-SEED TRIBE. 
 
 This Order consists of shrubs and perennial herbs, of a flexible, tough nature, and 
 climbing habit ; the wood is frequently without concentric zones. The leaves are 
 alternate, usually simple and entire, sometimes peltate or buckler-shaped, in some 
 instances compound, destitute of stipules. The flowers are small, usually on slender 
 branchulg stalks, having stamens and pistils on separate plants ; the sepals and 
 petals of the stamen flowers are nearly alike in aj^pearance, placed in rows of three 
 or four, seldom five, falling off soon. The stamens are united in a set, or occasion- 
 ally distinct, sometimes opposite the petals, and eqiial to them in number, some- 
 times three or four times as many ; the anthers are turned outwards, fixed either 
 along the edge of the filament or at its point. The pistil-bearing flower has 
 occasionally only one sepal and one petal on one side of the pistil. The style is 
 simple or trifid. The seed-vessel is usually an oblique or moon-shaped berry, 
 compressed, bearing one seed, usually attaining the same crescent form; -the albu- 
 men, when present, is thin and fleshy, or horny. 
 
 Allied with Kadsura in the Custard-apple tribe ; the yellow wood and bark 
 and the bitter taste connect it with the Berberry. 
 
 Active narcotic and bitter qualities prevail among these plants : the narcotic 
 principle is in some sjiecies so abundant as to render them poisonous ; the bitter 
 properties of Some cause them to be valuable as tonic medicine : a few species are 
 mucilaginous. 
 
 Menispermum, Moon-seed, was named from the Greek, in allusion to the 
 crescent form of the seed-vessel. Menisperraiim canadciise (1) is a climbing plant 
 of graceful growth, but of dull foliage, and having small inconspicuous flowers ; it 
 is hardy in the English climate, and grows readily with support. Cocculus 
 Flukenefii (3) produces berries of strong deleterious properties, which are employed 
 in the East Indies to stupefy fish or birds. C. indicus also affords a deadly drug. 
 
 1. Menispermum caiindcnsc, Canadian Moon- 
 seed. N. America. 
 1a Stamen Jlower, 
 1b Petal. 
 Ic Stamen. 
 Id Fruit. 
 lE Seed. 
 
 'i. Menispermum virjinicum, Tlvf/inian Moon- 
 seed. N. Ajiicrica. 
 
 3. Cocculus I'liikenetii, Officinal Cocciihis. 
 
 East Indies. 
 
 ■4. Cissampelos Caapeha, Brava-root. 
 
 S. America. 
 
 5. Cocculus p«Zmrt<MS, Section of Root. 
 
 6. Cocculus macrocurpus, Fruit. 
 
 7. Cissampelos Pareira. 
 
 7a Pistil Jlower. 
 7b Stamen Jlower. 
 
 8. Cissami)elos tropwojolM. 
 
 8a Section of Fruit, showing Seed. 
 8b Section of Fruit and Seed. 
 D 
 
MENISTKlvMACE^. 
 
 The bruised stems of C. Jihraurea yield a yellow dye, used in the East instead of 
 turmeric. C. jjalmatus (5), of Eastern Africa, affords a valuable medicine of 
 extreme bitterness from the root, laio\\Ti as Colomba root. 0. crispus is a remedy 
 in the intermittent fevers of the East Indies ; C. Jlavesceus in the Moluccas. In 
 Arabia a spirit is distilled from the acrid berries of C. Cehatha. Cissampelos 
 Caapeha (4) has remarkably stront^' veins in the loaves, and .a root containing 
 mucilage. An excessively bitter medicine, esteemed in J>razil, is derived from the root 
 of Cissampelos Fareira ; that of C. ehracteata is considered an antidote to the bite 
 of snakes. A strong spirit is distilled from the root of C. ohtccta, in the mountains 
 of Gurwhal, aa well as from other plants of this tribe. Several species, with large 
 fleshy roots, are extensively dispersed over the hills and plains of India. The silvery 
 round loaves of C. glaberrima resemble those of the Nasturtium or Indian Cress, 
 and have a similar pungent taste. C. mauritlanus is a tonic plant of INIadagascar, 
 Coscinium fenestratum is the " knotted plant " of the Cingalese, who prepare a 
 medicine from slices of the w^ood. The bark of Chondodendron convolvulaceum is 
 used in Peru as a cure for fever ; some species yield also a yellow dye from the 
 bark. From the seeds of several of the plants an oil is expressed. Thus various 
 useful preparations are obtained from this comparatively small tribe, and serve the 
 purposes of the natives of South America and of the East Indies. The peculiar 
 character of the seed becoming curved as it enlarges in growth is seen more or less 
 in all the plants. Some species of Cocculus have a power of throwing out rootlets 
 from a broken branch ; in some cases they have been seen of the length of eight 
 feet, extending from the branch to the ground, not thicker than common pack- 
 thread. Lardizabala is a shrub with compound leaves, varying in some respects 
 from the rest of this tribe, and by some botanists made the type of a separate Order. 
 L. hiternata is rarely seen in English conservatories, but it grows abundantly in 
 South America, and the fruit is sold in the markets of to\Aiis and villages through- 
 out Peru and Chile. HollboUia yields eatable fruit to the natives of Nepal. Staun- 
 tonia is a genus first found in China ; other species have been since discovered on 
 the range of the Himalayas, in shady cool situations, at an elevation of 5000 feet. 
 
 The plants of this Tribe are common in the tropics of America and Asia ; a 
 few inhabit the cooler parts of China and North America : they are very scarce in 
 Africa ; one only is found in Siberia. All the species grow in woods, twining 
 around other plants. Cissampelos abounds most in America, Cocculus in Asia. 
 
OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILL!Nu^ i 
 
E.T del. 
 
 nt'. Berberry Trihe/ 
 
 Day &>S. ^nt. Limxitcb 
 
m 
 
BERBERIDACEyE. 
 
 THE BERBERRY TRIBE. 
 
 Shrubs and herbaceous plants, usually destitute of hairs, hut often spiny. Ths 
 leaves are alternate, compound, generally without stipules ; those of the common 
 Berberry and some other species appear to be simple leaves growing in clusters, 
 but are jointed at the stalk, and are therefore compound leaves reduced to a single 
 leaflet. The flowers are either solitary, branched, or in panicles ; the sepals of the 
 calyx are three, as in Diphylleia, four as in Epimedium, or six as in Berberis, with 
 petal-like scales on the outside. The petals are the same in number as the sepals, 
 or twice as many, having sometimes an appendage at the base in the interior. The 
 stamens are equal in number to the petals, opposite to which they are placed ; the 
 anthers have two cells which open by valves from the lower part upwards, the 
 same as in the Laurel tribe. The style is terminated by a circular stigma ; the 
 fruit is either a berry or a capsule, containing crustaceous or membranous seeds. 
 
 This Order is connected with Fumariaceaj and Vitacese. 
 
 Berberis (1), which gives its name to this tribe, is so called in Arabia ; the 
 fibrous veins of the leaf are very tojigh, that which runs at the margin forms a 
 small spine at the point of each serrature ; at the base of the leaf and flower-stalks 
 is a strong, triple s^^ine, formed of the hardened ribs of imperfect leaves. The 
 flowers have an unpleasant odoiir in spring, but are of elegant appearance, and are 
 much resorted to by bees and other insects. The filaments of the stamens possess 
 considerable irritability ; when slightly touched, they rise from the petals towards 
 the stigma. The berries are so extremely acid, birds \vill seldom eat them, but 
 when preserved with sugar they are made into jelly in some countries, and are 
 likewise put into sugar-plums. At Verdun, and other towns in France, where 
 hon-hons are the chief manufacture, they are much in request. The stem, branches, 
 and roots yield a bright, yellow dye, chiefly used in Poland to dye leather or linen. 
 The Berberry is worthy to be classed among our ornamental shrubs, and is 
 particularly so in autumn, when the drooping clusters of bright red berries remain 
 
 1. Berberis vnlyaris, Common Berberry. 
 
 2. 
 
 Epimedium alpinum {continued). 
 
 England. 
 
 
 2c Stamen. 
 
 1a Flower. 
 
 
 2d Anther, open. 
 
 1b Petal. 
 
 
 2e Pistil. 
 
 Ic Stamen. 
 
 3. 
 
 Diphylleia cymosa, Blueherricd Diphylltiu. 
 
 Id Pistil. 
 
 
 Nortli America. 
 
 2. Epimedium nlpinum, Alpine liarren-icort. 
 
 
 3a Stamen. 
 
 England. 
 
 
 3b Anther, open. 
 
 2a Flower maynified. 
 
 
 3c Anther, valves recurved. 
 
 2 b Calyx. 
 
 
 3d Pistil. 
 
BERBERIDACE^. 
 
 for many weeks on tlie brandies. Where it is seen growing Inxurionsly in favour- 
 able situations, as among the grey rocks that bound the ^'^ alley of Intcrlaken, or in 
 Austria on the shores of the Danube, it cannot fail to attract the admiration of the 
 traveller. B. asiatirus, growing on the Neilgherries, })roduces an excellent yellow 
 dye. The fruit of B. aristata, another Indian species, is dried in the sun, like 
 raisins, and sent downi to the plains. B. ilaifoUa is a beautiful S2)ecies, growing 
 near the Straits of Magellan ; three kinds of Berberis are ainindant on the whole 
 chain of the Andes. Epimedium is said to be so named by Dioscorides ; the four 
 sepals of the calyx soon fall -off, the four petals are spreading and concave, and 
 upon each lies a hollow pouch-like nectary. The leaves of Epimedium alpimim (2) 
 are at first tender and drooping, after the flowers are faded they acquire size and 
 firmness. It is only seldom found in the north of England, and in Scotland, in 
 the shelter of woods in hilly districts. Ejiimedium violaccum grows in Japan. 
 
 Dii)hyneia ci/mosa is an herbaceous plant, having only two leaves, as its name 
 imports ; the berries are blue when rij)e. Nandina is an evergreen shrub in Japan 
 and China, occasionally cultivated in English gardens ; it bears panicles of greenish 
 flowers, and berries about the size of peas. Leontice Leontopetalum is a specimen 
 of the herbaceous class in this Order, with flowers growing singly at the base of 
 the leaf-stalk : the root is said to be used medicinally by the Turks of the Levant, 
 where it grows. Bongardia belongs also to the East, the tubers are sometimes 
 roasted and eaten in Persia. Canlophyllum thalich-oides is a delicate little plant of 
 North America ; its ])rincipal singularity consists in being one of the few instances 
 of a seed destitiite of the usual covering : the roots are said to possess medicinal 
 l)roperties, and the seeds have been employed as a substitute for coffee. 
 
 These plants are disposed, chiefly in mountainous places, over the temperate 
 ])arts of the northern hemisphere ; rather abundantly in the northern provinces 
 of India. In South America they are found as far south as the Straits of Ma- 
 gellan ; none have yet been discovered in Africa, Australia, or the South Sea 
 Islands. 
 
OF 1H£ 
 
Zh 1. 
 
 'ay Jr. Sari'.Lwv.tfd/. 
 
 
FUMARIACEJi:. 
 
 THE FUMITOllY TRIBE. 
 
 All herbaceous plants, either annnal or perennial, with slender fragile stems, con- 
 taining a milky juice. The leaves are usually alternate, much divided in a temate 
 manner : some species have twisted leaf-stalks, like tendrils, by means of which 
 they chmb over other plants. The flowers are very irregular ; the calyx is formed 
 of two small acute membranous sepals placed opposite each other ; the petals are 
 four in number, more or less combined in a tube, one or two of them having a spur 
 or pouch at the base, forming a nectary ; the two side petals are within the others, 
 and are slightly united by their tips. The stamens are either four or six, di\aded 
 into two sets, opposite the outer petals, very seldom all separate ; the anthers are 
 membranous, the outer one of each set is one -celled, the middle one two-celled. 
 The ovary is terminated by a slender style, and a stigma of two compressed lobes, 
 with two or more points. The seed-vessel is either a closed nut containing one or 
 two polished crested seeds, as in Fumaria, or a pod vriih two valves and many 
 seeds, as in Corydahs, or a succulent closed pod vnih two seeds, as in Sarcocapnos : 
 in this Order is seen every gradation from a one-seeded to a many-seeded pod. 
 
 Fumaria resembles in some points Epimedium, thus forming a link with the 
 Berberry tribe. Hypecoum shows an affinity \^'ith the Poppy tribe, but an im- 
 portant difference exists in the juice of Fumitories being watery, that of Poppies 
 milk}'. 
 
 The general character of the Fumitory tribe is to be slightly bitter, scentless, 
 and without any milky juice. 
 
 Fumaria cajireolata (1) grows plentifully in various parts of England, climbing 
 often to the height of three or four feet vdih its twisting leaf-stalks on other plants ; 
 the globose pod contains a single seed. Corydalis is the old Greek name for these 
 plants. Corydalis Intea (2) is fomid among the ruins of Fountain's Abbey, and 
 in a few other localities in Yorkshire, and in Derbyshire ; the stems are extremely 
 brittle, the fibrous roots penetrate easily among the stones of old walls, where it 
 flourishes : this renders it a suitable plant for rock -work in gardens, although it 
 spreads too rapidly, as the seed-vessels ripen and scatter their seeds in great pro- 
 fusion. Corydalis tuberosa (3) is remarkable for its hollow root, which has been 
 
 1. Fumaria capreolata. Ramping Fumitory. 
 
 England. 
 1a Flower partly separated. 
 ]b Seed-vessel, 
 Ic Seed. 
 
 2 Coryda is lutea. Yellow Corydalis. England. 
 
 Corydalis tuberosa, Hollow-rooted Corydalis. 
 
 Europe. 
 3a Stamens. 3c Seed-vessel. 
 
 3b Pistil. 3d Seed-vessel, open. 
 
 'Diclytraformosa, Blush Diclytra. N. America. 
 
 Corydalis Cashmeriana, Cashmere Cory- 
 dalis. Himalayas. 
 
FUMARIACE.^2. 
 
 ascertained to contain a peculiar alkali calleil Coryclalin. Coryilalis solida, occa- 
 sionally found in woods in ^Vestmoreland, and frequently on the Continent, has a 
 fleshy root, which is said to afford food to the poor Kalmucks in their winter 
 scarcity. Corydalis Caslimeriana (5) is one of the fifteen species that have heen 
 discovered on the range of the Himalayas, from Nepal to Cashmere ; it is a small 
 plant, and bears but few flowers on the erect simple stalk, but is of pleasing aspect 
 from the colouring. C. Goviana is very common on the Choor Mountains of 
 the Himalayas, at 80U0 feet elevation ; the Hill people esteem it a valuable 
 charm against the influence of evil spirits. The tuberous root of C. bullosa was 
 formerly used as a medicine, being bitter, astringent, and slightly aromatic. 
 C. nohilis, from Siberia, is a hardy flower in English gardens. A species of 
 Fumaria, nearly resembling F. parvljlora of Europe, is taken in India as a remedy 
 for ague, ^^■hen mixed with black pepper. 
 
 The genus Diclytra was so named from the two spurs or pouches ; the several 
 hardy species of our gardens are from North America. Diclytra spectaillis, lately 
 brought from China by Mr. Fortune, is one of the finest of this tribe, bearing long 
 racemes of elegant pink flowers. 
 
 Sarcocapuos enneaphylla of Spain differs in foliage from the usual form in this 
 tribe, the leaves being of a fleshy substance, and divided simply into three triple 
 divisions. Cysticapnos Africana, of the Cape, has also simple triple leaflets. 
 
 Adlumia is an annual plant from North America, climbing to the height of 
 fifteen feet, with rapid growth. Dactylicapnos is a climbing species belonging to 
 the Himalayas, distinguished by its fleshy oblong berries. Dicentra cucullaria is 
 employed medicinally in North America. 
 
 The plants of this tribe are dispersed chiefly over the temperate and cold 
 regions of the Northern hemisphere, growing in woods and waste places. Like 
 many tribes belonging to temperate climates, it extends in a few scattered species 
 over the middle regions of the Himalayas. One species alone is found on the plains 
 of India, flowering only in the cold season. Two species belong to the Cape of 
 Good Hope. 
 
Lil'^ARY 
 OF THE 
 UNIVERSITY OF i 
 

f' 
 
NYMPHEACEJ^: 
 
 THE WATER-LILY TRIBE. 
 
 All herbaceous plants, growing from a prostrate stem in quiet waters, having 
 leaves of a thick substance, either heart-shaped or of a peltate form, attached to the 
 leaf-stalk by the centre. The young leaves are usually rolled inwards ; when fully 
 gro^^^l they lie perfectly flat on the surface of the water, or else rise up above it. 
 The flowers are composed of four or five sepals, and numerous petals, some of 
 which pass gradually into stamens : both petals and stamens are inserted into the 
 large fleshy disk which surrounds the ovary, except in Nelumbium, where they 
 are placed in several rows at the base of the disk. The filaments of the stamens 
 are of a petal-like form ; the anthers burst inwardly by a double longitudinal 
 cleft. The ovary contains many cells and numerous seeds, surmounted by the 
 radiating stigmas. In Nelumbium the ovary is very large, and rises high in the 
 centre of the flower, having on its summit several short styles and simple stigmas. 
 The nuts, containing one, rarely two seeds each, lie half-buried in the hollow cells 
 xmtil they are ripe, when they become loose, and fall out. The seeds of Nymphea 
 and Euryale are enveloped in an arillus. 
 
 The radiating stigmas on the summit of the enlarged seed-vessel, and a 
 narcotic milky juice, are connecting links with the Poppy tribe ; the dilated disk 
 of some kinds of Peony resembles partly that of Water-lilies, thus forming a link 
 with the Crowfoot tribe. 
 
 N\Tnphea aJha (1) is the most beautiful of British water-plants ; the flower, 
 rising above the water among the flat green leaves, opens in the morning and closes 
 in the afternoon. The roots or creeping stem are used for dyeing grey in Ireland 
 and the Highlands of Scotland ; they are also useful in tanning leather. Nuphar 
 luteum (3) grows in America, as well as in several countries of Europe : in Turkey 
 a cooling beverage is pre])ared from the flowers. The stems contain a great 
 portion of starch, and, if well washed, afford wholesome food. The seeds are 
 also eatable, and are used by the poor peasants of some countries in times of 
 scarceness. Nelumbium specioswni (-i) is the once celebrated Lotus of Egypt, 
 which was considered sacred, and employed as an emblematical ornament in the 
 paintings of their temples. It is also frequently found on the ancient monuments 
 of India, where it abounds in almost every part of the country, covering the waters 
 with its magnificent flowers and large leaves, on which aquatic birds walk. The 
 
 1. Nymphea alba, While Water-lily. England. 
 
 2. ^yTa]}hea py[/niea, Piymi/ Water-lili/. China. 
 
 3. Nuphar luteum, Yellow Water-lily. England. 
 
 ■4. l^ehimhmm speciositm, Sacrcfl Bean. India. 
 
 5. Nymphea ctcrnlca, Blue Water-lily. 
 
 Cape of Good Hope. 
 
NYMPHEACE.i;. 
 
 loug stalks are coukeJ and eaten in Japan ; the roots and seeds are esteemed as 
 food in China, being eaten fresh in summer, and preserved in salt and vinegar for 
 winter use. Nymphea lotus, a pink species about the size of our white Water-lily, 
 still grows abundantly in Lower Egypt. The leaf and flower-stalks of several 
 kinds of Xelumbium and Nymphea contain spiral vessels, out of which the 
 Hindoos make wicks for the sacred lamps in their temples. Euryale ferox grows 
 in China and India, — very plentifully in the lakes of Ghittagong, eastward of 
 Calcutta, where it is called by the natives Makannah ■ it bears flowers a great 
 part of the year, but "they are small, of a pale purple colour, and not nearly so 
 ornamental as those of the tribe usually are. The stalks, calyx, and under-surface 
 of the leaves are beset with strong prickles : the nuts are farinaceous ; after being 
 heated in sand they become light and spongy, and fit for food. The tubers and 
 seeds of several kinds of Nymphea are roasted and eaten by the negroes of Senegal. 
 Victoria regina, the most gigantic and beautiful of water-plants, belongs to the 
 rivers of Guiana, where it was discovered by Robert H. Schomburgk in 1837, in 
 great profusion. The leaf is from five to six feet in diameter, green above and red 
 on the lower surface, having a broad rim around it. The flower measures fifteen 
 inches across, and is composed of numerous petals of a deep rose colour in the 
 centre, gradually becoming a pure white towards the exterior ; the stalks and calyx 
 are, like those of Euryale, covered with strong prickles : the seeds are eaten by the 
 native Indians. 
 
 India is the principal station of this Order, all except Nuphar being found 
 there. Nelumbium is the most abundant genus of the East Indies. Some inhabit 
 the still waters of the temperate and tropical regions of the whole northern 
 hemisphere, both of the Old and the New World ; a few grow in the southern 
 hemisphere, at the Cape of Good Hope and elsewhere. Victoria is the represent- 
 ative of the Order in South America. 
 
OF THE 
 UNtVERSin Of !LL!NO!S 
 
,i/" 
 
 Day &■ Son/XvruteJy 
 
PAPAVERACE^. 
 
 THE POPPY TRIBE. 
 
 Herbaceous plants and shrubs ; leaves alternate on the stem, either simple or 
 divided ; without stipules at the base of the leaf-stalk. The flower-stalks are 
 generally long, bearing flowers singly ; the calyx is composed of only two or three 
 sepals, .which fall off when the flower expands ; the petals are usixally four, 
 sometimes six, — in Bocconia they are wanting. In the bud state the petals are 
 usually crumpled. Stamens numerous, attached to the base of the pistil, the style 
 of which is short ; stigmas, either two or many, forming a rayed star on the top 
 of the ovary. The seed-vessel is either a capsule as in the Poppy, or long and 
 pod-shaped as in Glaucium, the Horn Popj)y, containing numerous seeds of a 
 fleshy, oily nature. A milky juice pervades the plants of this Order, possessing 
 narcotic properties ; it abounds in the full-grown capsules of Papaver somnifemm, 
 the Opium Poppy (1). This plant grows in sandy ground in the fen districts of 
 England, but is much more plentiful in the south of Europe, where it was 
 probably first introduced from the East. In Gennany it is cultivated chiefly 
 for the sake of the seeds, the oil contained in them being used for various purposes ; 
 mixed with olive oil, it is much employed in cookery. The opium Poppy was 
 known and cultivated by the ancients in the time of Dioscorides, and Homer 
 mentions it as being valuable for assuaging the agonies of wounded heroes. In 
 the East it is grown in very large quantities for the opium, which is obtained from 
 incisions made in the half-ripe capsules : when thickened by exposure to the sun, 
 and made into cakes, it is a great article of commerce throughout the East. 
 Glaucium luteum (3) grows on many jjarts of the coast of England, among the 
 loose stones and sandy soil ; the singular pale -green foliage, and the bright yellow 
 flowers, adorning the barren shore. Chelidonium, or Celandine, is common on 
 waysides in many parts of England ; it is said to have been so called after the 
 Greek name of the swallow, as it appears about the time of the arrival of that 
 bird, and withers at its departure in the autumn. The whole plant contains an 
 orange -coloured juice of intensely acrid property, which is used medicinally for the 
 eyes. Argemone Mexicana, a garden-plant in this country, is a common weed in 
 the West Indies, with a prickly fruit aboiit the size of a fig ; this abounds in a 
 thick milky juice, which congeals and becomes yellow in the open air, resembling 
 gamboge. It is considered beneficial in medicine, both in the East and West 
 
 1. Papaver somniferiim, Opium Pappy. 
 
 1a Capsule. 
 
 2. Papaver Rlucas, Common Corn-poppy, 
 
 Corn-fields, England. 
 
 '■). Glaucium luteum, Fellow Horn-poppy, 
 
 Sandy Sea-shores, England. 
 4. Meconopsis aaileala. Himalayas. 
 
 4a SecU-vrssi'l. 
 
 E 
 
PAPAVF.RACE.T). 
 
 Indies ; and the Brazilians eniplny it as a remedy against the Mte of serpents. 
 Sangninaria Cmiadeiisis, which grows in the woods of Canada, has an abnnchant 
 red juice in all its parts, with which the Indians stain themselves ; the root is 
 tuberous and fleshy : from each tuber grows a single leaf, and a stalk bearing 
 one delicate white flower. 
 
 Some ])lauts of this tribe form connecting links with other tribes. The long 
 pods of Glaucium and Eschscholtzin very nearly resemble in appearance those of 
 the cruciferous tribe. Platystemon, a genus found in California and .Siberia, forms 
 a link with the Crowfoot tribe. 
 
 The prevailing colours of the flowers are yellow, red, and white ; none are 
 blue, although Glaucium violaceum is of a purple hue. Papaver affords one of the 
 very few instances of a red flower in England, and it is remarkable that these all 
 occur in exposed sunny places, chiefly in corn-fields, — a fact that coincides with 
 other observations on the necessity of a bright sunlight for the development of a 
 red colour. In preparing carmine, it has been found essential to carry on the 
 process in the full light of the sun. 
 
 The different plants of this Order are dispersed most abundantly in Europe, 
 scattered species being found but rarely in other parts of the world. Two are 
 known to belong to Siberia, three to China and Japan, one to the Cape of Good 
 Hope, one to North America, and six to tropical America. Those which are 
 perennial are chiefly natives of mountainous districts. Papaver rhceas (2) and 
 P. duhium of England are now found in gardens in India, probably introduced 
 from Europe. Papaver glahrum, the only native Indian species, grows in corn- 
 fields on the terraced slopes of the Himalayas, at an elevation of from 5000 
 to 7000 feet. Meconopsis is the most widely-scattered genus of this Order ; 
 M. cambrica belonging to Westmoreland and Wales ; M. aculeata being common 
 on the Himalayas, and another species growing in North America. 
 
OF THE 
 
 !'?^!VFRS!TV Of 111 
 
EJJd 
 
 vavi^ li'n/J.umted 
 
 
10 
 
 SARRACENIACEJ^. 
 
 THE SIDE-SADDLE FLOWER TRIBE. 
 
 A" FEW herbaceous, perennial plants, with fibrous roots, growing in bogs and 
 swamps. The leaves are radical, having an enlarged tubular stalk, at the top of 
 which the true leaf is articulated. The stem bears one or more flowers, usually of 
 an herbaceous hue, seldom of a pure, bright colour, in some species white. The 
 flo\ver is composed of five concave petals, a calj^x of five sepals, and sometimes a 
 three-leaved involucre, as in Sarraceuia (I) ; or it has a calyx of four to six 8ei)a]8, 
 much imbricated, and is destitute of a true corolla, as in Heliamphora (3). The 
 stamens are many, attached to the base of the pistil ; the anthers are oblong, 
 two-celled, bursting internally and longitudinally. The ovary is globular, foniied 
 of five united carpels ; the style is a simple column, expanded at thg summit into a 
 large leafy plate, ha^^ng a stigma at the five angles in Sarracenia; or the ovary is 
 three-celled, ^^•ith a simple style terminating in a truncate point in Heliamphora. 
 The capsule contains numerous small seeds, slightly warted in those of Sarracenia, 
 or ^nnged \\dth a brown membranous expansion in those of Heliamphora : they 
 cover the slender divisions which proceed from the centre into each cell. 
 
 This Order has some affinity with Papaveraceas on account of the dilated, 
 foliaceous stigmas ; the carpels and fruit agi'ee in some respects with those of 
 N}nnpheacea3. 
 
 No iiseful properties have as yet been discovered in these plants. 
 
 The parts of the flower are liable to great variety of condition ; the deviation 
 of Heliamphora from the general type of the Order is analogous to what occurs in 
 the Crowfoot tribe, where Caltha varies in the same manner from the true Ranun- 
 culus type, having a calyx of coloured sepals, but no real corolla. The hollow 
 stalks of the leaves of this tribe are of singular construction, and are lined with 
 hairs of a peculiar nature, the physiological action of which is not yet ascertained. 
 They have been found containing water, which it is supposed may be valuable 
 to small animals and birds during the droughts in North America. Tiiey also 
 entrap insects by means of the hairs. The leaves are said to shut over the hollow 
 stalks like lids in dry weather, and thus prevent the evaporation of the water. 
 
 Sarracenia was so named l;y Tournefort, after Dr. Sarrazin, a French phy- 
 
 1. Sarracenia purpured. 
 
 Purple Side-xnddle 
 
 •"3. Heliamphora niilmis, Noddiii;/ Heliamphora. 
 
 Flower. 
 
 Canada. 
 
 Guiana. 
 
 I A Pistil. 
 
 
 .3a Stamens and Pistil. 
 
 ]b Section of Ovary. 
 
 
 
 Ic Seed mfifjiiified. 
 
 
 •'5b Section of Seed mayiiijied. 
 
 2. San-accnia vnrialaris, 
 
 Hook ■ leaved Side - 
 
 ;Jc Section of Ovary. 
 
 saddle Flower. 
 
 Carolina. 
 
 
SARRACENlACEiE. 
 
 sician residing in Quebec, who discovered this reniarkablo genus in Canada. 
 Several species have since been found in the bogs of Carolina and Virginia. 
 Sarraoonia purpurea (1) was brought to England by Tradescant, in 1(140; this, 
 as well as other species, will flourish under cultivation, by making a kind of 
 artificial bog of.peat and moss, and keeping the plants well supplied with water to 
 their fibrous roots. .Sarracenia variolar is (2) has transparent glands at the back 
 of the up]>cr part of the hollow stalk. 
 
 The leafy stigma was formerly considered an essential character of this tribe, 
 but the discovery of lleliamjihora nutans (3) by Sir Hubert Schomburgk shows 
 that opinion to be unfounded. In this flower the stigma is reduced to a mere 
 termination of the style. The enlarged leaf-stalks of this plant bear an extra- 
 ordinary proportion to the small leaf at the end ; the hairs which densely clothe 
 the mouth of the pitcher are perceived, when magnified, to be thick, conical, ai^ 
 striped ; those which are scattered about the lower portion are smaller, and arise 
 from a tubercle, appearing to be composed of a single cell forming a hollow tube, 
 probably filled with a fluid when in a living state. The middle part is destitute 
 of hairs, but often covered with numerous minute glands. These curious hairs 
 and glands doubtless perform an important function in the economy of the leaf, 
 and thus of the whole plant ; but until observations have been made on li\'ing 
 specimens no accurate knowledge can be obtained on the subject. 
 
 All the plants of this Order are inhabitants of the bogs of North America, 
 with the exception of Heliamphora nutans, growing at an elevation of 6000 feet 
 above the sea, in the marshy savannahs of Mount Roraima, on the borders of 
 British Guiana. 
 
/ 
 
 Or I HE 
 "'"'"'ERSITY Of ILL 
 

 IIML 
 
 The.' Crudfonro Trvbe 
 
 Do.v X: .i/miLmuted/ 
 
u 
 
 CRUCIACE^E. 
 
 THE crucifor:\[ thibe. 
 
 Herbaceous plants, and a few half shrubs. The leaves are alternate. The 
 flowers are chiefly yellow or white, some are pnrple, without bracts, generally 
 on branching stalks. The sepals of the calyx are four, falling off before the 
 capsule is enlarged. The petals are four, cruciform, alternate with the sepals, 
 occasioiially toothed. The stamens are six, the four longest in pairs, the two 
 short ones single and placed between the pairs. On the disk are green honey- 
 glands, between the petals and the stamens and ovary. The ovary is above 
 the calyx and disk, with plates from the edges usually meeting in the centre. 
 The stigmas are two, placed opposite the plate-bearing seeds. The seed-vessel 
 is a siUque, a long pod containing many seeds ; or a silicule, a short pod with 
 few seeds ; opening by two valves separating from the central plate, or remain- 
 ing closed. The seeds are attached by a little cord in a single row to each 
 side of the plate, generally pendulous ; they have no albumen. 
 
 This Order has close afiinity with Capparidacere, and in some points it agrees 
 with Paf)averace92, but the structure of the seed-vessel and seed is peculiar. 
 
 Nitrogen exists in these plants ; some are very acrid, but none poisonous ; 
 many are stimulant and extremely wholesome ; the seeds yield oil. 
 
 This is one of the most clearly defined of the Natural Orders, but is a 
 remarkable instance of the variety developed from one type. Brassica is the 
 principal genus, being the stock from whence are derived the numerous varieties 
 of Cabbage, Turnip, Cauliflower, Rape, and others ; thus affording a large supply 
 of nutritive food, and a considerable quantity of oil. B. oleracea (1) grows 
 abundantly on the chalk cliffs of Dover, but in its natural condition would 
 scarcely be recognised as the parent of the thousand-headed Cabbage, or the 
 Brussels Sprouts. The different kinds all require a temperate as well as moist 
 climate ; Britain and Holland are the countries most favourable to their cultiva- 
 tion ; in Germany also they succeed, and an immense supply of Kolil is con- 
 sumed in the fermented state of Smterkrant. The tree-kail, or cow-cabbage 
 of France, attains the height of IG feet. B. rajya furnishes the various kinds 
 of Turnip, of great importance as food for cattle. B. iiajms is Rape, the 
 
 1. 
 
 Brassica oleracea, Common Cabbage. 
 
 0. 
 
 Petrocallis pyrenaicn. Pyrenees 
 
 
 Chalk Cliffs, England. 
 
 0. 
 
 Iberis gibraltarica, Spanish Candyiii/I. 
 
 
 1a Stamens and pistil. 
 
 
 Gibraltar 
 
 
 1b Pistil. 
 
 7. 
 
 Cheiranthus Cheiri, Wall-Jloicer. England 
 
 2. 
 
 Lunaria biennis, Honesty. England. 
 
 
 7a Siliqiic, opened. 
 
 3. 
 
 Nasturtium fjjieina/e, Water-cress. 
 
 
 7 b Section of Seed. 
 
 
 Streams, England. 
 
 8. 
 
 Schizopetalon Walla-ri. Chile 
 
 i 
 
 Ei-jsimum Pclrotislianum. raU-stinc. 
 
 U. 
 
 Silicule of Thlap^i latijhlinm. 
 
CRUCIACE.E. 
 
 seeds of which contain an excellent oil. B. siiunsis is cultivated on hills and 
 plains in northern China, chiefly for the sake of the oil; of late years it has 
 been introduced into France, and is found to afford valuable food; the golden 
 flowers are highly fragrant, as are several of this tribe. In Kerguelen's Isle a 
 kind of cabbage is acceptable to sailors who land there. Nasturtium officinale 
 (3) contains Iodine ; of our native vegetables it is the cheapest and most whole- 
 some, and is of such ready growth that a never-failing su]>ply is maintained 
 for the poorer classes; so great is the demand for this humble plant in the 
 metropolis, that in some gardens in the vicinity, as at Watford in Hertford- 
 .shire, it is cultivated in small shallow canals in perennial plenty, N, pusillum 
 is used in Brazil as a medicine, Sinapis yields a salad in its first pair of leaves, 
 and mustard from its pungent seeds, Lepidium, the early Salad-cress. Cochleariili^^; 
 the stimulant Horse-radish. Crambe niaritima, transplanted from our south 
 shores into gardens about a century ago, becomes when gro\vn and bleached 
 the delicate Sea-kail. I{a])hanu3 Rapliani^trum is a common English weed; 
 11. sativus, from China, furnishes the eatable liadishes ; 11. caudutus bears a 
 pod longer than the whole plant. Moricandia arvensis of the South of Europe 
 is excessively acrid, yet a favourite food of camels. Farsetia parvijiora is the 
 Arabian Cress of the Desert. Lunaria (2) is so called from its moon-shaped 
 silicules, which are of a silvery whiteness when ripe. Erysimum was a plant 
 kno^A■n to the ancients; E. Fetrowskianum (4) is a late addition to our gardens, 
 Petrocallis is one of the mountain species which adorn the rocks of the Al])s 
 and Pyrenees, The chief favourite of this tribe is the Wall-flower (7) ; when 
 wild, on old walls and ruins, the flowers are pure yellow, but the garden variety 
 is streaked with the richest crimson ; the scent is extremely fragrant, and few 
 spring flowers give so much gratification to all classes. Some species of Cheiran- 
 thus belong to jNIadeira and Teneriffe, Iberis is an exception to the regular 
 coralla, two of the petals being larger than the others, I. amara grows on chalk 
 soil in England ; I. timhellata is the garden Candy-tuft. I, gihraltarica (G) 
 is one of the species inhabiting Spain. One of the prettiest of our spring 
 flowers in meadows and copses is the Cardamine^ra^e« srs, Cuckoo -flow^er, mingling 
 its pale purple blossoms v^dth Cowslips and Wood-anemones. Isatis tinctoria, 
 Woad, contains a blue dye, used by the Britons to colour themselves ; before 
 Indigo was plentiful, it was employed for dyeing cloth, Hesperis tristis is the 
 night-ecented Rocket of Italy, of a dull hue, like the Mathiola tristis, also fragrant 
 by night. The various double Stocks produced from M. incana of our south 
 cliffs are well-known. Anastatica Ilierochuntia, the Rose of Jericho, has given 
 rise to many superstitious tales ; as the plant withers it becomes uprooted, and 
 rolls up into a dry ball ; when moistened it expands to its original shape, the 
 pods open, and the seeds are scattered. Subularia aquatica is a singular example 
 of flowers opening below the surface of water. Schizopetalon (8) differs from 
 the usual type in having deeply notched petals, and four leaves to the seed 
 instead of two. Brachycarpea varians is one of the few shrubby cruciferous 
 plants. The hairs of the leaves or stalks are very interesting objects of examina- 
 tion under the microscope ; those of Brassica oleracea are simple ; of Draba, forked ; 
 of Alyssum, stellate at the summit. 
 
OF THE 
 
Jjl 
 
 'M' -t San Littuit/d, 
 
 
12 
 
 CAPPARIDACE^. 
 
 THE CAPER TEIBE. 
 
 Trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants ; the leaves are alternate, stalked, undivided 
 or palmate, wnthout stipules at the base of the leaf-stalks, but sometimes having 
 spines in their place. The flowers are solitary, or branching, or in a cluster at the 
 ends of the branches ; the calyx has four sepals, either nearly distinct, or cohering 
 in a tube of unequal size and shape ; the petals are four or eight, folded over each 
 other in the bud, occasionally unequal or wanting. The stamens are usually 
 numerous, seldom only six, four of which are larger than the other two ; in 
 Physostemon (10a), two stamens have a singular appendage immediately below the 
 anther. The disk on which the stamens are placed is at the top of the prolonged 
 stalk of the ovary ; it is sometimes developed into a fleshy round or stalk-like 
 body, or into a plate of varioiis form, bearing honey glands, with anthers on one 
 side of it. The ovary is one -celled, v^ath two or more ribs on the edge, to which 
 the ovules are attached. The style is long and slender, or wanting ; the stigma 
 generally round. The fruit is either a pod, gaping when ripe, or a berry with one 
 cell. The seeds are generally many, very rarely only one, kidney-shaped, without 
 albumen. 
 
 These plants have considerable resemblance to the Cruciform tribe, but are 
 distinguished by the usually numerous stamens, and the kidney-shaped seeds. 
 The stalked ovary indicates affinity with Passifloraceaj. 
 
 Stimulant, pungent properties exist in the flowers and fruit. 
 
 The Arabic denomination of the chief plant of this Tribe is Kahar, from which 
 the Greek, Latin, and modem European names have aU been derived. The 
 various species of Capparis are low shrubs, differing in appearance, some bearing 
 delicate flowers, and of considerable beauty ; but the general character is thorny, 
 rough, and wild ; some, which inhabit the deserts, have a remarkably dreary 
 aspect, none more so than Capparis aphylla ; the oblong leaves soon wither and 
 fall off, leaving only the slender stiff branches, with small clusters of flowers and 
 
 1. Capparis s/>(no5«. Common Caper-tree. 
 
 South Europe. 
 1a Flower-hud, opened. 
 
 2. Capparis Brcynia, Oleaster - leaved Caper- 
 
 tree. West Indies. 
 
 3. Crata'va fragi'ans, Sweet-scented Garlic-pear. 
 
 Sierra Leone. 
 
 ■4. Polanisia ctuiidonii, Celandine -flowered 
 
 Polanisia. Ear-;t Indies. 
 
 5. Sodada decidua. Egypt. 
 
 C. Capparis ovata, Fruit. 
 
 1 . CratcEva Roxburghii , Fruit. 
 
 8a Seed-vessel o/ Capparis Sinclairii. 
 8b Cross-section. 
 
 Oa Section of Fruit oJ'G. Mtiypliaca. 
 9b Seed. 
 
 10a Flower «/' Physostemon. 
 10b Sied, mai/ni/ied. 
 
CAPPArjDACE.E. 
 
 strong spines. C. horrida is nearly similar, beset with hooked spines, in pairs, at 
 the base of the flower-stalks. C. spinosa (1) is the most useful species, owing to 
 its agreeably pungent quahties; it is very commonly found growing, after the 
 manner of the Bramble, in rocky, stony places, or amongst ruins, in Southern 
 Europe. It is also cultivated in the South of France, and in Sicily, for the sake of 
 the flower -buds, in which the peculiar pungent properties are already fully 
 developed ; they are gathered whilst young, and preserved as a stimulating 
 condiment to insipid boiled meats. The chief supply comes from Sicily, and the 
 isles and coasts of the Mediterranean ; the imripe fruit has similar properties, and 
 is also prepared as a pickle. Those buds which are suffered to remain on the 
 plant continue to expand singly, in a continued scries, and are beautiful, although 
 very short-lived. C. jEgjptiaca affords a refreshing and wholesome addition to 
 the food of the Egyptians. C. rupestris to the Greeks. C. sepiaria has an umbel 
 of small flowers at the ends of the branches, and a pair of hooked spines at the 
 base of each leaf-stalk. Its nature makes it a good hedge-shrub in India, where 
 it is thus used around Shikarpoor and elsewhere. The pods of C. Brei/nia (2) are 
 twelve inches in length. Cratffiva was named in honour of Cratcevus, a Greek 
 botanist who lived in the time of Hippocrates. G. fragrans (3) was brought from 
 Sierra Leone at the close of the last century, having been discovered there by 
 Afzelius, a professor of botany in the University of Upsal ; he found it spreading 
 over the rocks, near rivers, amongst the mountains, in the same kind of localities 
 as in the island of Bananas, where he had previously seen the plant. The flowers 
 are like others of this tribe, of short duration, but come forth in succession during 
 several weeks, and are highly fragrant. C. gynandra has been called the Garlic 
 Pear; the bark of the root has ])owerful blistering properties. The berries of C. 
 Kurvala are said to be juicy, and of pleasant flavour. C. Tapia, of the East 
 Indies, bears a fruit as large as an orange, filled with a mealy kind of pulp, having 
 the smell of garlic ; the bruised leaves are employed to alleviate inflammation ; the 
 bark is bitter and tonic. The natives of Tahiti consider C. religiosa as peculiarly 
 suited to burial grounds, and plant it on the graves. Polanisia (4) is one of these 
 plants, having a slender seed-vessel, like the Cruciferous tribe in form, although 
 the seeds are attached differently. Cleome shows still more affinity with that tribe, 
 the flowers having six stamens, of which two are shorter. The seed-vessel usually 
 remains upright, near the stem when ripe. C. violacea has a long drooping 
 capsule ; this species is frequent in vineyards in Portugal. Colicodendron is said 
 by ]\Iartius to be injurious to cattle ; and the species of Capparis called Fruta de 
 Burro bears an extremely poisonous fruit. 
 
 This tribe abounds in the Tropics and adjacent countries ; in Africa the species 
 are numerous. Capparis extends to the south of Europe. Cleome is found in 
 Portugal, Polanisia as far north as Canada ; a few species grow in the northern 
 provinces of the United States. 
 
/-Vj^ .t SanJ.vriif"! 
 
 The-Jmotto Inh&. 
 
13 
 
 BIXACEyE. 
 
 THE ARNOTTO TRIBE. 
 
 Small trees and shrubs ; the leaves are alternate, simple, usually smooth at the 
 edges, on short stalks, of a leathery substance, often marked with transparent 
 round dots. The flower-stalks grow from the base of the leaf-stalk, and are either 
 single or many-flowered. The sepals of the calyx are from four to seven, slightly 
 united at the base ; the petals are of the same number, and alternate with them, 
 very rarely absent. The stamens are equal in number to the petals, or twice as 
 many, or some multiple of them ; occasionally some of them are changed into 
 honey-bearing scales ; the anthers are two -celled. The ovary is nearly round, 
 sessile, or shortly stalked, containing one or more cells ; the style is very slender 
 or absent ; the stigmas are of the same number as the valves of the ovary, more or 
 less distinct. The fruit is one-cefled, either a capsule with four or five valves, the 
 centre filled with a soft pulp, as in Bixa, or a fleshy berry, as in Flacourtia. The 
 seeds are generally invested with a thin skin formed by the withered pulp. 
 
 The most useful shrub of this tribe is Bixa orellana, growing to the height ot 
 seven or eight feet. The prickly fruit contains from thirty to forty angular seeds, 
 enveloped in an orange-red pulp, from which the Arnotto dye is prepared ; after 
 boiling, and being separated from the seeds, it is formed into hard lumps, and 
 wrapped in leaves ready for sale. The Spaniards of South America mix it with 
 their chocolate, to heighten the colour and improve the flavour. Both in Holland 
 and England it is used to impart a red hue to cheese ; it formerly served as a dye 
 for an orange-red tint, called " aurora." The American Indians paint themselves 
 with this material ; they also make a kind of broth from the roots, which possess 
 the same qualities as the seeds, though in a less degree. The bark affords fibres 
 for ropes much used in the \^'est Indies ; the wood is well qualified to produce fire 
 by friction, and is often selected for that purpose. The natives of Bengal employ 
 the red pulp of Bixa as a temporary dye in their festival of Krishna ; although not 
 indigenous in India, it is cultivated successfully as far north as Delhi. 
 
 Flacourtia was named after De Flacourt, the commander of a French expe- 
 dition to Madagascar in 1648, w'ho made a careful examination of the botanical 
 productions of the island, and found the species called by the natives Ramontchi (2). 
 The fruit has the appearance of plums, but within are twelve or more small seeds 
 
 1. Bixa Orellana, Hcarl-leavcd Arnotto. 
 
 Wost Indies. 
 1a Pistil and Stamens magnified. 
 
 2. I'Licourlia liamontchi, Madagascar Plum. 
 
 MadfiLMScar. 
 
 'i. Flacourtia inemiis, Thornless Flacourtia. 
 
 East Indies. 
 3a Stamen magnified. 
 3b Flower mag nifud. 
 3c Fruit. 
 
 P 
 
BIXACE.E. 
 
 the size of those of the apple : the natives are very fond of the fruit, but Europeans 
 find the flavour unpleasant, although sweet. A small island near the coast of 
 ]Madagascar is covered with a grove of these trees, and has been named He aux 
 Prunes. The fruit of Flacourtia I'nermis (3) is eaten in the Moluccas ; that of 
 F. sajiida and F. sepiaria has a pleasant acidity : an infusion of the latter is a 
 remedy against the bite of snakes, and the bark is nsed medicinally on the coast of 
 Malabar. The young leaves of F. cataphracta are also considered medicinal in 
 India. 
 
 The berries of Roumea are eaten in Ceylon. The pulpy fruit of Oncoba is 
 sweet, and affords food in Nubia. Lsetia apetala, of tropical America, yields a 
 balsamic resin, becoming white in the open air like that of sandarach. Aphlora 
 tcifoiinis, is a shrub of the Isle of France, where it is valued for the medical 
 properties of the bark. Hydnocarpus venanata is well known in Ceylon for its 
 property of intoxicating fish. 
 
 Flacourtia Ramontchi and F. inermis have both been introduced into Bengal, 
 where they now flourish. Other species are found throughout India on the plains, 
 and along the tract of jungles at the base of the Himalayas. In Nepal they inhabit 
 the low hot valleys, or grow near the rivers. 
 
 Almost all the plants of this Order are natives of the hottest parts of the East 
 and West Indies, Africa, and the adjacent islands. Two or three species belong 
 to the Cape of Good Hope; one or two have been discovered in New Zealand; 
 none belong to Europe. 
 
OF THE 
 -^'Ty Of lu 
 
'nieTasswri-flowerlnti 
 
\ 
 
14 
 
 PASSIFLORACEiE 
 
 THE PASSION-FLOWER TRIBE. 
 
 Herbaceous plants or shrubs, usually of a climbing habit, very seldom erect. 
 The leaves are alternate, ^vath foliaceous stipules, the leaf-stalks usually ha\ang 
 glands. . The floNvers grow either from the base of the leaf-stalk, or at the ends of 
 the branches ; they have often a three-leaved involucre immediately beneath them, 
 which falls off before the flower expands. The calyx has generally five sepals, 
 sometimes of irregular form, the inner surface usually coloured, and forming in ■ 
 appearance a part of the flower itself: the lower part is combined into a tube of 
 variable length, the sides of which are lined by slender filaments. The petals are 
 five, arising from the summit of the tube of the calyx outside the filaments ; they 
 are sometimes irregular, and sometimes wanting ; in the bud state they are folded 
 one over the other. The stamens are five, united in one set, rarely more, surround- 
 ing the stalk of the ovary ; the anthers are linear, turned outwards, and bursting 
 horizontally in two cells. The ovary is at the top of a long stalk, and contains 
 one cell ; thi'ee styles with spreading stigmas arise from the point. The fruit is 
 stalked, oval, containing many seeds attached to the interior by small stalks, and 
 surrounded by a pulpy covering. 
 
 The most singular feature of this remarkable order is the filamentous coronet 
 of rays encircling the orifice of the tubular calyx ; these annular appendages 
 appear to be of an intermediate nature, between petals and stamens. 
 
 Smeathmannia forms a connecting link with Samydacere, and some resem- 
 blances exist -^-ith the gourd, the caper, and the violet tribes. 
 
 Although many of these plants have wholesome fruit, yet some possess rather 
 dangerous qualities. 
 
 Passiflora was so named by its first discoverers in the forests of South America, 
 v/ho, being zealous Catholics, imagined they perceived, in the singular arrangement 
 of the interior of the flower, a resemblance to those emblematical images of the 
 Passion of Christ which they were accustomed to form. Various species abound 
 in the woods of Brazil and other countries of South America, climbing from tree 
 to tree in extreme profusion, adorning them with their beautiful flowers, and yield- 
 ing a refreshing fruit, sometimes of a bright purple colour. Passiflora edulis (1), 
 P. maliformis (3), and several other species, produce fruit in this country, but it 
 
 1. 
 
 2. 
 3. 
 
 Passiflora 
 flower. 
 
 Passiflora 
 flower. 
 
 Passiflora 
 Fruit. 
 
 edulis, Eatable-fruited Passion- 
 
 West Indies. 
 
 racemosa, Racemose Passion- 
 
 Brazil. 
 
 maliformis, Sweet Calabash, 
 
 West Indies. 
 
 ■4. Tacsonia moUissima, Downy Tacsonia. 
 
 Santa Fe de Bogota. 
 
 5. Smeathmannia licviijata, Smooth- leaved 
 Smeathmannia. Sierra Leone. 
 
PASSIFLORACE/E. 
 
 does not fully ripen. P. racemosa (2) is one of those which flower at the ends of 
 the branches, and is of extreme beauty and elegance ; upwards of fifty flowers 
 come forth in succession on one branch : the wide keel of the calyx of this species 
 causes the buds to appear deeply five-winged. P. quadrangularis, the Granadilla, 
 has eatable fruit, but the root is powerfully narcotic, and is cultivated in the French 
 colonies for its medicinal property, called Passijlorinc. P. contrai/crva has also a 
 medicinal root. The flowers of P. rubra, in Jamaica, yield a tincture used as 
 laudanum. The leaves of some sjiecies are employed medicinally by the Brazilians. 
 
 Tacsonia (4) is so called from its Peruvian name, Tacso ; it is one of the most 
 graceful of climbers, gro^^^ng to a vast height with great rai)idity, where light and 
 warmth are favoxirable ; bearing numerous flowers. The fruit of this and other 
 species of Tacsonia are eatable in South America. 
 
 Smeathmannia lavigata (5) is an example of an erect shrub in this Tribe ; it 
 was discovered by a traveller of the name of Smeathmann, in Africa. 
 
 Paropsia cduh's, a Madagascar shrub, yields a wholesome fruit to the natives. 
 
 The chief station of this Tribe is South America, where the woods abound with 
 various species ; many also are found in the West Indies. One or two extend 
 northwards in North America; several grow in Africa, and the neighbouring 
 islands ; a few have been found natives of the East Indies : Passiflora Lechenaidtii 
 on the Xeelgherries, and P. Kejjalensis in Nepal. One species of Passiflora extends 
 to New Zealand. Disemma prevails in New Holland. Tacsonia seems to be 
 confined to South America. Modecca belongs to the East Indies, Java, and the 
 northern coast of New Holland. 
 
OF THE 
 
 >SITV Of 1LU^'0!^ 
 
The, Vwlet' Tr[he 
 
15 
 
 Y I O L A C E ^E. 
 
 THE VIOLET TRIBE. 
 
 Herbaceous plants and shrulis, the leaves of which are simple, usually alternate, 
 sometimes opposite, having stipules at their base. The flowers are of various 
 forms ;"the sepals of the calyx are five, permanent, imbricated in the bud, usually 
 elongated at the base. The petals are five, attached to the base of the pistil, 
 regular or irregular ; one being elongated into a hom, as in Viola odorata ; of 
 unequal size, as in lonidium ; or of equal size, as in Alsodea. The stamens are 
 five, alternate with the petals, or in a few instances opposite to them, inserted on 
 the disk of the base of the pistil, often unequal ; the anthers are two-celled, burst- 
 ing inwardly, either separate or cohering, and lying close upon the ovary ; the 
 filaments are dilated, and lengthened beyond the anthers ; in the irregular flowers, 
 two of them are generally furnished with an appendage, or gland, at the base. 
 The ovary is one-celled, many seeded, rarely mth only one seed. The stjde is 
 single, with an oblique, hooded stigma ; the capsule has three valves, bearing the 
 seeds on a thin plate along the centre of each : the seeds are numerous, as in Viola, 
 or of a definite number, as in Alsodea, round or winged, often with a swelling at 
 the base. 
 
 This Order has some affinity with Droseracese, and the fruit of Corynostylis 
 connects it with the Passion-flowers ; but the position of the anthers, on the middle 
 instead of at the top of the filament, is one distinguishing mark. 
 
 The chief character of the violet tribe is the emetic property of the roots, which 
 is very powerful in the South American species, and exists in a less degree in those 
 of Europe. 
 
 Viola odorata (1) ranks amongst the select favourites of the floral kingdom, 
 and has been duly celebrated in all countries where it flourishes ; it may be found 
 in woods, and on sheltered banks in many parts of England, as well as on the 
 continent of Europe ; it grows also in Palestine, China, and Japan. The roots, 
 
 1. 
 
 Viola odorata, Sweet Violet. England. 
 1a Pistil and Stamens. 
 1b Stamen with appendage. 
 Ic Pistil. 
 
 i. 
 
 Corynostylis Hyhnnthus {con 
 4c Pistil and Calyx. 
 4d Stamens. 
 4e Stamen. 
 
 iniu'd). 
 
 2. 
 
 Viola tricolor, Heart' s-ease. England. 
 
 
 4f Cross-section of Ovary. 
 
 
 3. 
 4. 
 
 2a Pistil. 
 
 Erpetion reni/ormit, Spnrless Violet. 
 
 New Holland. 
 Corynostylis Hybnnthus. 
 
 4a Seed-vessels. 
 
 ■1b Seed. 
 
 5. 
 6. 
 
 lonidium Itoubon. 
 
 Alsodea Physipkora. 
 6a Pistil and Stamens. 
 6b Pistil. 
 6o Cross-section of Ovary. 
 
 Guiana. 
 Brazil. 
 
VIOLACE.E. 
 
 leaves and flowers, all possess medical qualities in a slight degree ; a tincture made 
 from the flowers is a useful chemical test. Some travellers have observed the 
 flowers to be used in making sherbet in Turkey, and it is related by ancient 
 historians that the Romans prepared a kind of \vine from them. Viola tricolor (2) 
 in its natural state is frequently found in corn-fields ; in the highly cultivated 
 condition to which it has been brought by the skill of modern florists it is a much 
 admired flower, but cannot be admitted in groui)s of natural orders. Viola canina 
 is widely dispersed, and is said to be strongly medicinal. V. ovata is considered a 
 remedy for the bite of rattlesnakes. The species are generally of a hardy nature ; 
 three inhabit Iceland ; V. cliciranthifolia, a downy -leaved Pyrennean species, is the 
 last flowering plant on the Peak of Teneriffe, at an elevation of 11,200 feet above 
 the sea, on the verge of the barren pumice and lava. 
 
 Erpetion renifonnis (3) is a hardy little plant from New Holland, of elegant 
 aspect, but not fragrant. 
 
 Corynostylis IL/Lcnithus (4) inhabits the primaeval forests on the shores of the 
 Amazon, and particularly near the confluence of the Yapura in the pro\ance of 
 Miranha. It is of a shrubby nature, having a stem about three inches in diameter, 
 growing to the height of three or four feet, partly climbing over other trees. The 
 flowers are very irregular, two petals very small, the two side petals wider, the 
 lower petal hooded, and prolonged into a tube or horn. The stamens are hairy at 
 the back, the two placed under the horned petal have two downy prolongations at 
 their base into the tube. 
 
 lonidium Itouhou (5), a species so called from the native name, grows on sandy 
 ground in various parts of Guiana, bearing flowers nearly aU the year ; it is usually 
 about two feet high, covered \d\h a grey down ; the flowers ha^'^e a singular appear- 
 ance, the four smaller petals being usually rolled up, the lower large one only 
 expanded. A pretty variety, \\\\\i blue flowers, is very common in Guiana. I. 
 jyarvijiorum and other species are used as true Ipecacuanha in Peru and the West 
 Indies. I. suffrutico&um, of South America, grows also abundantly in the valley 
 of the Ganges. 
 
 Alsodea Physiphora (6) is an example of the regular flowers of this Tribe ; it 
 is a shrub thirty or forty feet high, Anth stem and spreading branches of a greyish 
 hue : the graceful flowers on a slender stalk resemble in appearance the Lily of the 
 Valley, though of much smaller size. Other species of Alsodea are natives of 
 Madagascar. 
 
 Conohoria Loholoho of Brazil has mucilaginous leaves, which are boiled and 
 eaten by the natives. Hymenanthera is an evergreen shrub of New Holland, 
 
 The difi"erent species of Viola belong chiefly to Europe, Siberia, America, and 
 the mountain ranges of India, a few only belong to the Tropics of Asia. In 
 South America this tribe abounds, but the plants differ considerably from those 
 of Europe, being nearly all shrubs, whilst the northern species are almost entirely 
 herbaceous. Alsodea and its immediate allies are exclusively natives of South 
 America, and Africa, except Pentaloba, which inhabits the Malay Isles. 
 
liBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 yNlVERSITY Of ilUNOl 
 
 MQ 
 

 Lay i. ■ 
 
16 
 
 POLYGALACEiE. 
 
 THE MILKWORT TRIBE. 
 
 Trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants, some of which are t^\^ners. The leaves are 
 generally alternate, sometimes opposite, mostly simj^le, and always without stipules. 
 The flawers are usually on branching stalks, often small and inconspicuous, but in 
 some instances showy. The flower-stalks have small bracts. The sepals of the 
 calyx are five, very irregular, distinct ; the two inner side sepals are usually large, 
 of the colour of the petals, and form the wings of the flower. The petals are 
 commonly three, one of which is larger than the rest, and is the keel ; sometimes 
 they are five, two minute petals being placed at the sides ; the keel is either entire 
 at the edge and bare or crested at the back, or it is divided into three lobes at the 
 edge, and destitute of a crest. The stamens are unequal, usually eight, combined 
 in a tube which is split opposite the upper sepal ; sometimes four and distinct. 
 The anthers are club-shaped, mostly one-celled, and opening at the point. The 
 ovary is above the base of the flower, compressed, with two or three cells ; the style 
 is simple, curved, entire, or lobed ; sometimes very oblique and hooded at the top ; 
 the stigma simple. The fruit usually opens through the valves, occasionally closed, 
 membranous, fleshy, leathery, or drupaceous, winged or not. The seeds are pen- 
 dulous, naked, or clothed with hairs; the outer covering crustaceous, the inner 
 membranous ; albumen abundant, fleshy. 
 
 The hooded stigma connects these flowers mth Violets ; in the form of corolla 
 there is a resemblance to the Pea tribe, but in structure and properties there is most 
 affinity to the Sapindacese. 
 
 Milky roots and intense bitterness are the prevailing qualities of this Tribe. 
 
 Polygala vulgaris (1) is one of the most curiously constructed of our native 
 flowers. It is frequent on gravelly, heathy pastures, and is worthy of minute 
 examination. The two enlarged side sepals are of a blue colour, hke the petals, 
 
 1. 
 
 Polygala vulgaris, Common Milkwort. 
 
 England . 
 1a Flower. 
 1b Seed-vessel and Calyx. 
 
 4. 
 
 Securidaca tomentosa, Woolly-leaved Sccuri- 
 daca. Meadows, Brazil. 
 4a Seed-vessel of S. erecta. 
 
 2. 
 
 Polygala cordifolia, Heart-leaved Polygala. 
 Cape of Good Hope. 
 2a Calyx. 
 
 5. 
 
 Muraltia mixta. Heath-leaved Miiraltia. 
 
 Cape of Good Hope. 
 5a Calyx. 
 
 
 2b Crested Petal. 
 
 2o Stamens and Petals. 
 
 2d Pistil. 
 
 Polygala ehnmoehuxus, Box-leaved Polygala. 
 Switzerland. 
 
 6. 
 
 Mundia spinosa, Spiny .Mundia. 
 
 Cape of Good Hope. 
 
 3. 
 
 7. 
 8. 
 
 Hoot of Polygala crotolarioides, Himalayas. 
 Seed of Trigonia. 
 
rOLYGALACE/E. 
 
 and forming ^^^ngs to the corolla, give it the appearance of a papilionaceons flower; 
 as the seed-vessel ripens, the two large jiortions of the calyx lose the blue tint, and 
 become green like the rest, remaining folded at the sides of the heart-shaped pod. 
 The lower ]>etal is keel-shaped, having a crest at the back resembling the fringed 
 petals of mignonette ; in some localities the colour of the flowers varies to pink or 
 white. P. amara is extremely bitter in its juices : occasionally found in this 
 country ; abundant in the turfy, moist meadows of Switzerland. P. cliamcehuxus 
 (3) is one of the eight species of Germany and the Alps : a yellow flower amidst 
 the ]n-evailing purjile or blue colour of this tribe. I*. cordifoUa (2), and P. speciosa, 
 are amongst the most beautiful species ; many are small and of insignificant aspect ; 
 some have heath-like leaves, with minute flowers growing in spikes or clusters. 
 Upwards of 160 species are Icnown to exist in different countries ; about fifty are 
 natives of fields or pastures in Brazil. P. i^aludosa is a slender little plant, inhabit- 
 ing marshes ; P. hispida is densely clothed with hairs. P. senega possesses strong 
 pungent qualities in the contorted woody root — considered by the American 
 Indians as a remedy for the bite of the rattlesnake. Several others are reputed to 
 have valuable medicinal properties : in P. venenosa emetic i)rinciples exist so 
 powerfully, that the natives of Java dread it as a poison. Thirty kinds belong to 
 India ; some have been found on the Khasya and Bhootan mountains at an elevation 
 of (JUOO feet ; nine grow on the Himalayas, the root of P. crotolarioides (7) is there 
 employed against the bite of venomous reptiles, with the same success as the 
 American Snake-root ; P. tinctoria affords a dye in Arabia. Securidaca (4) is so 
 called from the hatchet-shape of the seed-vessel — the \\mg extending in a curved 
 form. The leaves of these sj:)ecies vary much ; those of S. nitida are large and 
 shining ; S. voluhilis has a strong, woody, climbing stem, bearing abundant seed- 
 vessels. Muraltia (5), called after a Swiss botanist of the last century, is a genus 
 of neat foliage and small flowers; M. ciliaris is covered with extremely minute 
 horizontal hairs. Mundia spinosa (G) bears an eatable fruit of the drupe kind at 
 the Cape. The bark of the roots of iMonnina is pounded into balls, and used as 
 soap in Peru ; and the celebrated silver-work of Huanuco is polished by it. 
 Trigonia (8) is an example of the seed having long hairs ; T. macrocarpa, on the 
 Esequibo, has capsules three inches long. Xanthophyllum yields wood of value. 
 Although nearly all the plants of this Tribe are bitter, Soulamea amara, of the 
 IMoluccas, is most intensely so, and is emj)loyed as a remedy in fever throughout 
 the ]\Ialayan Archipelago. 
 
 Most of the plants of this Tribe are limited to one or two of the great portions 
 of the globe ; but Polygala occurs in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, very 
 imequally distributed, inhabiting every description of situation — plains, mountains, 
 woods, morasses, cultivated or barren ground, in the tropics and in tem])crate 
 climates. Muraltia belongs to South Africa, Salomonia to Asia, Monnina to South 
 America, Soulamea to India and China, Comesperma to Brazil and Australia. 
 
OF THE 
 I'^MVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 
 
'</, iffy 
 
 V fl^ ^ '^ 
 
 ■li if i" 
 
 
 7.h, 2j 
 
17 
 
 RESEDACE.E. 
 
 THE MIGNONETTE TRIBE. 
 
 Soft herbaceous plants, and a very few shrubs ; the leaves alternate, entire, or 
 divided, with minute gland -like stipules; sometimes rough, with very small 
 tubercle's on the surface and at the edges. The flowers grow in racemes or spikes, 
 the flower-stalks have small bracts at their base ; the calyx is parted into four or 
 six segments, which are not closed in the bud. The petals are four or six, 
 alternate with the sepals, or absent ; each petal has a broad fleshy plate at the 
 base, with slender unequal fringes proceeding from the back, like the sej^als not 
 closed in the bud : those next the stem are larger than the rest, the lower petal 
 sometimes altogether wanting. The pistil and stamens are placed at the edge of a 
 large disk, spreading at the back, glandular on its surface ; the stamens are from 
 ten to twenty, the anthers two-celled, opening lengthwise. The stigmas are three, 
 glandular, placed at the top of the three-lobed ovary. The seed-vessel is dry and 
 membranous, or succulent in Ochradenus, opening at the top, usually ha^ang the 
 seeds attached to three ridges : the seeds are kidney-shaped, pendidous, arranged 
 in a double series or scattered, white or brown, without albumen ; the covering 
 crustaceous and dotted. 
 
 This Order has most affinity with the Caper tribe ; there is also some 
 resemblance to PolygalaceJB. 
 
 The only remarkable properties of these plants are the colouring matter of the 
 "Weld, and the fragrance of the Mignonette. 
 
 Reseda is said to have been so named by the Eomans from its supposed 
 soothing properties in allaying pain. Reseda hiteola (1) is very common in many 
 parts of England, especially on a chalk soil, frequent in fallow fields, on walls, and 
 on waste ground of various kinds ; it is observed to be one of the first plants that 
 spring up amongst the rubbish cast out of coal-pits. It grows to the height of 
 
 1. Reaeda luteola, Dyers'-wced, or Weld. 
 
 2f Stamens. • 
 
 
 England. 
 
 2g Pistil. 
 
 
 1a Flower, front. 
 
 2h Section of Seed-vessel. 
 
 
 1b Floiver, side. 
 
 2i Seed. 
 
 
 Ic Seed-vessel, opened. 
 2. Reseda littea, Wild Mignonette. England. 
 2a Flower, front. 
 2b Flower, hack, 
 2c Upper Petal. 
 2d Side Petal. 
 
 3. Reseda odorata, Mignonette. 
 3a Flower, magnified. 
 3b Upper Petal. 
 3c Side Petal. 
 3d Seed vessel, opened. 
 
 Egypt. 
 
 2e Disk with Stamens and Pistil. 
 
 3e Seed. 
 
 
RESEDACE.E. 
 
 two or three feet, in slender branches, nearly upright ; but Linnajus remarked that 
 they incline towards the sun throughout the day, bending northwards by night. 
 The flowers have scarcely any scent, and the jilant when bruised is disagreeable ; 
 the seed-vessel is of a rounder shape than that of other species, and on a shorter 
 stalk. The whole plant yields a fine yellow dye — obtained by boiling whilst in 
 flower. It serves for wool, cotton, or silk, either as pure yellow, or mixed with 
 indigo for green : in France this is much used — large bales of Gaude may be 
 seen on the quay at Caen in summer or autumn. R. lutea (2) is also an 
 inhabitant of chalk soil, abundant in the Isle of Thanet and other similar districts. 
 The spike of flowers very nearly resembles that of R. odorata (3), but is very 
 slightly scented ; the sepals and petals are six ; the narrow curled leaves are often 
 much divided near the root. R. odorata is a native of Egypt, whence it was 
 brought thi'ough France, with its French name Mignonette, to England, about a 
 century ago. No other little jJant was ever so rapidly dispersed, or acquired such 
 general favour, without utility, but merely for the delightful odoriferous scent of 
 its flowers, which is of extreme subtilty, and conveyed by the air to some distance. 
 With continual clipping the plant may be rendered perennial, and even shrubby. 
 In Franco, where it is cultivated to a great extent, the Parisians are remarkably 
 fond of it, and luitil late in autumn the gardens of the Tuileries are perfumed with 
 its delicious fragrance. R. phjjteuma is an esculent herb in the Greek Archi- 
 pelago. R. scoparia is a species growing on the Peak of Teneriffe. R. dipetala 
 belongs to the Cape of Good Hope. One species, Nvith a dense spike of white 
 flowers, has been found in Affghanistan, and some also are said to have been seen 
 in the southern provinces of Canton. Caylusea is a genus growing in Brazil, 
 discovered by Auguste de S. Hilaire, at present unknown in English gardens. 
 
 Europe is the chief station of this Tribe; some species extend into the islands 
 of the Mediterranean, and the neighl>ouring countries of Asia ; a very few have 
 been discovered in the north of India, the Cape of Good Hope, and California. 
 
OF THE 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLIMOIS 
 
llm Suri'-Deuylrihe' 
 
 Pay,(-S-" I'niite 
 
IS 
 
 DROSERACE^. 
 
 THE SUX-DEW TRIBE. 
 
 Herbaceous plants, some of which are small, and covered with glandular hairs. 
 The leaves are alternate, having sometimes fringed stipules at the base of the 
 leaf-stalk ; the stalks are curled round in the early state of growth. The flower- 
 stalks spring from the root, and are likewise curled round w^hen young, after the 
 manner of Ferns ; the calyx has five sepals, which remain, and enclose the seed- 
 vessel ; the petals are five, attached to the base of the ovary, folded over each other 
 in the bud. The stamens are distinct, either equal in number to the petals and 
 alternate with them, or two or three times as many ; the anthers are erect, gaping 
 by chinks, or by pores at the top, as in Byblis (3). The ovary is single, the 
 styles three or six, either quite separate or slightly connected at the base. The 
 seed-vessel is a capsule, of three or five valves, bearing the seeds on ribs in the 
 middle, or at the base. The seeds are naked, or furnished with an aril, and 
 contain fleshy albumen. 
 
 This Order has affinity with Violace^, but the number of styles, and the 
 roUed-in stalks, distinguish them. 
 
 Slightly acrid and acid properties prevail in these plants. 
 
 Drosera is so named from the Greek for cleiv, because of the pellucid drops 
 which are almost constantly present on the glandular hairs of the leaves, even when 
 exposed to the sun. All the species inhabit morasses or bogs. D. rohindifolia (1) 
 is a native of bogs in various parts of Britain, and on the continent of Europe ; 
 it is usually found amidst Sphagnum, the Bog-moss, in a soft, moist situation : 
 the whole plant has acrid, caustic juices, pervading even the viscid liquid exuding 
 from the glands of the hairs. Flies and other small insects are attracted to the 
 leaves, where they are detained by the irritable, glutinous hairs. The delicate 
 little flowers open singly, and but for a short time. D. longi folia is often found 
 
 1. Drosera rotundi/olitt, Round -leaved Sun- 
 
 dew. Eogs, Britain. 
 
 I A Fl nicer. 
 1b Section of Ovary, and Pistil. 
 
 2. Dionea muacipula, Venus's Flytrap. 
 
 Carolina. 
 2a Pistil. 
 
 2b Section of Ovary. 
 2o Seed. 
 2d Section. 
 
 3. Byblis linijlora, Ftax-Jlowcred Byhlis. 
 
 New Holland. 
 
 ;^A Sepal mafjnified. 
 
 ;iB Stamen. 
 
 3c Pistil. 
 
 3d Section of Ovary. 
 
 3e Seed, 
 i. AldrovanJa vesiculosa, Bl<tdd(r-havid Al- 
 drovanda. Italy and Imlia. 
 
 4a Leaf, with its vesicle. 
 
DROSEKACE.^-:. 
 
 in the same localities. D. anglica is a larger plant, more rare, and grows cliiofly 
 in the bogs of the north of England. Britain contains only a very small portion 
 of this singular tribe of plants, which, though limited to a few genera, is yet 
 greatly multiplied in species of Drosera. Nearly every region of the world where 
 bogs exist has a representative of it. In South America they abound. Some are 
 of extremely minute size, scarcely an inch in height, of which are D. uniflora, 
 D. minima, Y). i^aucijlora. D. hrcvi folia, of Texas and Florida, nearly resembles 
 our round-leaved Sun-dew, but the flowers are larger. D. cistlfolius of Florida 
 has red and yellow flowers. D. villosa is a native of Sphagnum bogs on the 
 Organ Mountain, near Rio Janeiro, at an elevation of from 3000 to GOOO feet. 
 D, sessili/olia, D. montana, and several other species, grow in Brazil, either on 
 the sands of the coast, or in ravines, or damp valleys of the rivers of Minas Geraes, 
 and on mountain bogs and marshes 3700 feet above the sea. D. graminifolia 
 inhabits the lofty range of mountains called Serra da Caraja, at (5000 feet, 
 producing its delicate flowers in February. D. ethiopica is a small African 
 species, with many leaves disposed in a circle about the root. D. capensis has 
 long stalks, with leaves two inches long. D. indica has beautiful pink flowers, 
 and leaves very minutely pinnated. D. aurea is a small species found at Port 
 Jackson in Australia. D. secunda and D. p)idcliella were discovered in King 
 George's Sound ; D. tomentosa grows on the north coast. The largest species are 
 D. dichotoma and D. gigantea. This latter stains paper a briglit deep purple, 
 and, when prepared with ammonia, yields a clear yellow. Probably several of the 
 Swan River species might be of use in dyeing. Dionea (2) is a remarkable 
 instance of an irregularly developed leaf; the stalk is winged, and has the 
 appearance of a leaf, whilst the real leaf consists of a double plate, which folds 
 together when touched, bordered by strong teeth, closing firmly to retain any 
 insect that has been attracted by the glutinoiis juice on the surface of tlie leaf or 
 hairs. Byblis (3) was named after the daughter of Miletus, who shed tears till she 
 was changed into a foimtain ; the slender leaves of this delicate little bog plant 
 distilling drops of water from their points. It was brought from New South 
 Wales early in this century, and cultivated in the noble garden at Cashiobury, 
 where, at that time, was the finest collection of Australian plants. The flowers 
 resemble those of flax in form and colour. The blue anthers open by pores at 
 the summit. Each cell of the seed-vessel contains many seeds. Aldrovanda (4) 
 was first observed by the naturalist Amadeus in the marshes of Dulioli, in Italy ; 
 but he went to reside in Bologna, and had no further opportunity of obser\ang 
 marsh plants. It was afterwards carefully examined and described by Aldro- 
 vandus. The flowers are minute, and appear only in small number at the ends 
 of the branches. Like inany aquatic plants, it propagates by buds from the stalk, 
 which send oiit rootlets. The remarkable part is the little folded vesicle at the 
 end of the leaves, whih enal)les the plant to float. It has the property of staining 
 paper red, showing the whole form of the plant, like the Lichen lioccella, or Orchil. 
 This Tribe inhabits marshes, bogs, and morasses, in all parts of the world. 
 Drosophyllum lusitanicum grows on the barren sands of Portugal. 
 
OF THE 
 Ul^WERSlTY OF ILL::. 
 
4a 4i ■'<• ^* 
 
 Fn^ Wood' - Sorrel Trihe/. 
 
1!) 
 
 OXALIDACE.E: 
 
 THE WOOD-SOREEL TRIBE. 
 
 Trees, iinder-shrubs, and herbaceous plants ; the leaves are alternate, occasionally 
 opposite, rarely having stipules ; the roots of some are tuberculate or graniJate. 
 The sepals of the calyx are five, sometimes slightly cohering at the base, persistent, 
 imbricated : the petals are five, of equal size, attached to the base of the ovary, 
 having a claw at the base ; spirally twisted in the bud, sometimes wanting. 
 The stamens are ten, usually more or less united in a set at the base ; those 
 opposite the petals are longer than the rest, and form an inner series ; the anthers 
 are two-celled. The ovary has three to five cells, with as many slender styles ; 
 the stigmas are capitate, or somewhat bifid. The fruit is a capsule, rarely a berry, 
 with five angles, and from three to five cells, and five to ten valves ; when ripe, 
 gaping longitudinally at the angles. The seeds are few, attached to the axis, or 
 to plates in the angles of the cells ; striated when young, enclosed in a fleshy 
 covering, which curls back with elastic force when ripe, and expels the seeds. 
 The seeds contain a tough, fleshy albumen. 
 
 This Order has considerable affinity with the Flax tribe, and also with 
 Geraniaceaj. • 
 
 Oxalic acid exists abundantly in these plants, as well as slightly astringent 
 properties. 
 
 The genus now called Oxalis is not supposed to be the same as that known to 
 the ancients ; it includes numerous species, chiefly of slender, delicate growth : 
 some have small bidbous or scaly roots, from which spring the slender leaf and 
 flower-stalks. The delicate Oxalis acetosella (1) comes forth early in the year, 
 adorning the still bare woods of this country, as well as on the continent of 
 Europe, with its very graceful leaves and flowers. Several species have been 
 observed to have sensitive properties in the leaves, and those of our Wood-Sorrel 
 may be seen to close and droop at sunset, and to expand again into a horizontal 
 position in the morning. The capsules possess also elastic power, and project the 
 black shining seeds to a distance on the slightest touch, when ripe. Formerly this 
 
 1. Oxalis acetosella, Wood-Sorrel. England. 
 
 1a Petal. 
 
 2. OxsAx?, florihunda, Many-Jlowered Oxalis. 
 
 Brazil. 
 2a Stamens and Pistil. 
 
 0. Averrhoa Caravihola, Caramiola Fruit. 
 
 East Indies. 
 
 4:A Oxalis confertissiina. 
 Stamens and Pistils. 
 
 •4b Pistils. 
 4c Seed. 
 •iD Section. 
 
OXALIDACE.K. 
 
 lierb was xised by thrifty dames for a conserve with sugar, and considered pleasant 
 and wholesome from its acidity. 0. cornicxdata is the other British species, the 
 flowers of which are yellow, and the capsule of a more slender oblong form. 
 O. florihunda (2) is an example of those species which bear several flowers on a 
 kind of umbel, and have tuberous roots. 0. crenata of Columbia has tubers as 
 large as a potatoe, called by the natives Arracacha ; being of a very insipid 
 nature, they are not cultivated : all the agreeable acid qualities are absorbed by 
 the leaf-stalks, which are conserved. The larger tubers of O. Deppei are fleshy, 
 and contain a starchy substance similar to salep in the root of some species of 
 Orchis ; these are used for culinary purposes. O. escidcnta and others are said 
 to be equally wholesome as food. Some few species have palmated leaves ; others 
 winged leaf-stalks. The Cape of Good Hope is the chief station for Oxalis. 
 Averrhoa was named in honour of Averrhoes, the celebrated Spanish commentator 
 on Aristotle and Avicenna, in the early part of the thirteenth century. The fruit 
 of A. Caramhola (3) is eatable, although of not very agreeable flavour to 
 Europeans ; the five projecting angles of the fruit are singular, and distinguish 
 it from all others. The branches and leaves have remarkable sensitiveness to 
 the touch. A. BiUmhi, the Cucumber-tree of Goa, is much cultivated in India, 
 especially on the banks of the Ganges. The flowers yield a juice of cooling 
 qualities, which render it excellent in fevers ; there is likewise a large proportion 
 of pltasant acid juice in the fruit, very wholesome as food. Both these fruits are 
 said to be employed by the natives in dyeing. Biophytum, or the Plant of Life, 
 alludes in its name to the exceeding irritability of the pinnated leaves, which 
 move on the least motion or touch ; they are said to possess also bitter, tonic, 
 and slightly stimulating properties. 
 
 These plants are natives of all the temperate and hotter countries of the 
 world, but exist most abimdantly at the Cape of Good Hope and in America ; 
 are more rare in the East Indies and in the equinoctial regions of Africa. The 
 shrubs are confined to the hotter countries ; a few of the herbaceous species are 
 scattered over the temperate parts of Asia, and in Europe. 
 
OF THE 
 2Vn GF ILUKOIS 
 
f^ ▼« 
 
 T.dA 
 
 The' Fittosjyonmv Trd" 
 
 "■av ■* 6art^,lMTtit^ 
 
20 
 
 PITTOSPOKACEiE 
 
 THE PITTOSPORUM TRIBE. 
 
 Trees and slirnbs, the leaves of wliicli are simple, alternate, \vitliout stipules, 
 usually " entire at the edges, sometimes serrated. The flowers are at the ends of 
 the branches, or proceed from the base of the leaf-stalks, imbricated in the bud. 
 The sepals of the calyx are four or five, either distinct or partially cohering, 
 falling off when the flower expands. The petals are four or five, attached to 
 the base of the ovary, sometimes slightly cohering. The stamens are five, 
 growing from the base of the ovary, alternate with the petals. The anthers 
 are two-celled, opening longitudinally or by a pore. The ovary is single, distinct, 
 having two or more cells, in which are many seeds ; the style is single, the 
 stigmas equal in number to the plates on which the seeds are affixed. The fruit 
 is a capsule or a berry, with many-seeded cells, which are sometimes incomplete. 
 The seeds are often covered with a pulp of a glutinous or resinous nature, and 
 contains a large proportion of albumen. 
 
 This Order has some points of resemblance to Polygalacefe and Frankeniaceai, 
 and in Cheiranthera is shown an affinity with Dilleniacefe. 
 
 A slightly fragrant resin in the bark and seeds, and a bitter, acid taste, 
 are the chief properties of these plants. 
 
 Pittosporum was named from the Greek for resin and seed, in allusion to 
 the resinous pulp of the capsule usually investing the seeds. P. Tohira (1) 
 is a shrub with fine glossy foliage and pleasantly fragrant flowers, sufficiently 
 hardy to bear the English climate,' consequently an agreeable addition to our 
 shrubberies ; the bark contains a portion of resin. P. viridijlorum and a few 
 other species are of nearly similar aspect. 
 
 Billardiera, so called after La Billardiere, a celebrated French botanist who 
 travelled in Syria and afterwards in New Holland : several species have been 
 
 I. Pittosporum Tobira, Glossy -I caved PiUo- 
 
 
 2c Section of Fruit. 
 
 sporum. China. 
 
 
 2d Seed. 
 
 1a Stamen, 
 
 
 
 
 :3. 
 
 Bursaria s])inosa. Thorny Biirsrtri((. 
 
 New South Wales. 
 
 1b Ovary and Pistil. 
 
 
 Ic Section of Ovary. 
 
 
 
 
 3a Seed-vessel. 
 
 Id Seed. 
 
 
 3 b Seed. 
 
 2. Billardiera linearis, Shnder-leaved Apple- 
 
 
 
 berry. Swan River. 
 
 4. 
 
 Cheiranthera linearis. Australia. 
 
 2a Stamen and Pistil. 
 
 
 ■iA Stamens and Pistil. 
 
 2b Pistil. 
 
 
 4b Section of Fruit. 
 
riTTOSl'ORACE.T:. 
 
 introduced from thence, all of elegant form and climbing habit of growth : the 
 pendent blue flowers of some are extremely beautiful. The most abundant blossoms 
 are produced on the graceful B. linearis (2) ; their bright colour, and the slender 
 foliage, render it one of the favourite shrubs of the conservatory. B. longiflora of 
 Tasmania has solitary flowers with greenish petals ; the berries are of a long shape, 
 and become blue when ripe, and, hanging in drooping clusters, have an extremely 
 pleasing appearance. The reason of these plants having been called apple-berry 
 is not obvious, as there is no resemblance in form or colour, neither is the flavour 
 of the fruit the same. The berry of B. mutahilis is said to be eatable, but the 
 numerous hard seeds fill up a large portion of the interior, and leave very 
 little pulp. 
 
 Bursaria differs from the rest of this Tril)e in the form of the seed-vessel, 
 which, as the name records, is that of a pouch ; when first discovered with the 
 capsules ripe, it was supposed to belong to the cruciferous group of plants. 
 B. spinosa (3) is an ornamental shrub, three or four feet in height, bearing 
 profusely its delicate white flowers. 
 
 Cheiranthera (4) is a singular little plant with very fine heath -like leaves ; 
 the arrangement of the six stamens on one side of the ovary and pistil forms a 
 curious link with some genera in the Dillenia Tribe. Citriobatus is a genus 
 inhabiting New Holland. 
 
 The plants of this Tribe belong chiefly to Australia, a few only are natives 
 of Africa and the neighbouring islands ; one species has been discovered in Nepal, 
 Pitto.sporum is the most extensively dispersed, being found in New Holland, 
 New Zealand, Norfolk Island, the isles of the Pacific Ocean, the Moluccas, 
 China, Japan, and Madeira ; none have been yet found in America, and they 
 are entirely unknown in Europe. 
 
OF THE 
 UI^IVERSITY OF ILLlKOiS 
 
j.y S: Son,. . 
 
 jn.e'riax .ir%b& 
 
21 
 
 LTNACE/E 
 
 THE FLAX TRIBE. 
 
 Annual and perennial herbaceous plants, and a few small shrubs. The leaves 
 are either alternate or opposite, rarely growing in whorls, simple, entire, and 
 without stipules, sometimes with a pair of glands. The calyx is composed of 
 three, four, or five sepals, continuous with the flower-stalk, and remaining after 
 the petals are fallen off; the petals are of the same number as the sepals, have a 
 claw at their base, and are twisted in the bud state. The stamens are placed 
 alternately with the petals, and are united at their base in a ring, from which 
 proceed small teeth opposite to the petals, indicating imperfect stamens ; the anthers 
 are ovate ; the ovary has about as many cells as sepals, seldom fewer ; the styles 
 equal the number of the cells, and have round-headed stigmas; the capsule is 
 generally pointed with the hardened base of the styles, and opens by two valves 
 from the top ; it contains many cells, completely or partially divided by an 
 imperfect partition, each cell has a single compressed polished seed within. 
 
 The chief characters of the Flax tribe are the tenacity of the fibre, the oil 
 of the seed, and the mucilage of its covering. 
 
 Linum derives its name from the old Celtic word Llin, signifying thread ; 
 the tenacious and delicate fibre of Linum usitatissimum (1) is well known as 
 Flax, and has been cultivated and made into Hnen from the most remote antiquity. 
 In Egypt flax-seed was so^vn on land annually inundated by the waters of the 
 Nile, which was very favourable for its growth ; linen was made and used 
 plentifully by the ancient Egyptians ; the wrappings of mummies have been 
 ascertained to be invariably of linen cloth. The Hebrews were early acquainted 
 with the art of making fine linen. Flax is cultivated throughout India, but the 
 natives prefer Hibiscus cannahinus and other plants, for the sake of the fibrous 
 thread, employing only the mucilage and oil of the seeds of Linum. The period 
 of the introduction of Flax into Britain is unlcnown, but it is now become 
 indigenous, and is grown to some extent in Ireland. After it is pulled, and has 
 been steeped in water during several days, the fibrous part separates from the 
 stalk ; it is then dried in the sun before being further prepared for use : the water 
 
 1. Linum usitatissinnnn, Common Flax. 
 
 3. Linum trifjijnum, Tliree-sti/led Flax. 
 
 England. 
 
 East India. 
 
 1a Capsule. 
 
 4. Eadiola milleyrana. Allseed. 
 
 '2. Linum ylfricaniim, African Flax. 
 
 England. 
 
 C'app of Good Hope. 
 
 4a Floirer magnified. 
 
LINAGE^,. 
 
 in whicli Flax has been soaked is rendered injurious to cattle, on which account 
 the practice of steeping it in any running stream or common pond was forbidden 
 by Act of Parliament in the reign of Henry VIII. The fibres of Flax are spun 
 and wTought into the strongest kind of linen, and are also capable of extreme 
 attenuation for the most delicate cambric : at Cambrai in France, where the art of 
 manufacturing fine cambric was first practised, it is still the custom to weave it in 
 damp cellars, in order to prevent the breaking of the slender thread, which would 
 occur in a dry atmosphere. The seeds yield by pressure a valuable oil, which is 
 much used in painting and varnishing, and also in medicine ; the mucilaginous 
 portion that remains affords a very nutritious food for cattle. 
 
 Linum Rclaffinoides is considered medicinal in Peru, and Linura catTiarticum, 
 a native of Britain, with small white flowers, is also used in medicine. 
 
 Linum ]-)ercnne and other species are ornamental in gardens ; the flowers of 
 all are fugitive, but generally of bright colour and delicate texture. 
 
 Iladiola millegrana, allseed (4), is a small plant occasionally found on commons 
 where the turf has been pared off, as on Esher Common, Surrey ; its slender stem 
 is repeatedly forked, having small ovate leaves in pairs ; the minute white flowers 
 grow from the divisions and the tops of the branches. 
 
 The principal portion of this Tribe is found in Europe and the North of Africa, 
 but a few species are scattered more or less over most parts of the world. Several 
 are natives of North and South America, a few belong to the mountains of India, 
 one is known in New Zealand, none have yet been discovered in New Holland ; 
 the most northern limit of the tribe is at 54° N. lat. in North America. 
 
OF THE 
 UKMVERSITY OF ILLlNOi^ 
 
M 
 
 '^ hWi)\ 
 
22 
 
 CISTACE.^]. 
 
 THE ROCK-ROSE TRIBE. 
 
 Shrubs, undershrubs, and herbaceous plants ; the branches often covered with a 
 glutinous substance ; the leaves usually entire, sometimes toothed at the edges, 
 opposite or alternate, having stipules or without them. The flowers are very- 
 fugacious, lasting only during the early hours of the day. The calyx is composed 
 of five permanent sepals, usiially of unequal size, the two outer being generally 
 much smaller than the rest, often nearly wanting ; the larger sepals are twisted in 
 the bud, almost always clothed with a viscid secretion, or with hairs growing either 
 in pairs or in clusters. The petals are five, crumpled in the bud, and twisted in a 
 contrary direction to the sepals. The stamens are numerous, the anthers minute, 
 ovate, two-celled, opening longitudinally. The style is long and slender, or short 
 and thick, with a simple stigma. The seed-vessel is a capsule, three, five, or 
 rarely ten valved, one-celled, or rendered many-celled by the partitions from the 
 middle of each valve projecting to the centre. 
 
 This Order has affinity with Violacese, but differs in the indefinite number of 
 the stamens ; it agrees also with Bixacese in many points, but the leaves have no 
 pellucid dots, ' and the seeds contain farinaceous albumen. 
 
 The only remarkable property is the resinous balsamic substance Labdanum, 
 which exudes from some of the plants. 
 
 Several species of Cistus and Helianthemum are highly esteemed as ornamental 
 plants in gardens; some are upright shrubs, others small trailing plants, growing 
 particularly well among rocks and stones ; the brilliant, though ephemeral flowers 
 expanding in succession during several weeks of summer. Cistus c;jprius (1), one 
 of the most beautiful of the tribe, is extremely glutinous on the branches, leaves, 
 and calyx; but C. creticus, C. ledon, and C. ladaniferus, yield the supply of 
 
 1. Cistus cyprius, Gum Cistus, or Rock-rose. 
 
 3. 
 
 Helianthemum vulgare, Common Sun Cistus. 
 
 Spain. 
 
 
 Britain. 
 
 Ia Stamen magnified. 
 
 
 3a Seed-vessel open. 
 
 1b Pistil. 
 
 
 3b tSeed magnified. 
 
 Ic Sepal magnified. 
 
 
 lie Hairs magnified. 
 
 Id Ovary. 
 1e Cross section. 
 2. Helianthemum polifolium, While mountain 
 Sun Cistus. Devonshu-e. 
 2a Pistil. 
 
 4. 
 
 0. 
 
 Helianthemum formosum. Beautiful Sun 
 Cistus. Portugal. 
 
 Helianthemum rhodanthum, Rose-coloured 
 Sun Cistus. Spain. 
 
 2b Stamen magnified. 
 
 6. 
 
 Helianthemum canescens, Hoary Sun Cistus. 
 
 2c Hairs magnified. 
 
 
 South P^urope. 
 
CISTACEJJ. 
 
 Lalxlanum, which is collected by drawing long straps of leather over the shrubs ; 
 it is then scraped off and made into lumps of various sizes, in which state it comes 
 from the Levant and countries bordering on the Persian Gulf. Its principal 
 use is as an ingredient in fumigations, on account of its fragrance in burning. 
 C. candid issimiis belongs to the Canaries; C. vnr^inatus, with, jtale, rose-coloured 
 flowers and large leaves, is a native of Tenoriftc ; tlicse are consequently on the 
 outer limits of the geographical distribution of the Tribe in that direction. 
 C. sahifoUus inhabits the island of Corfu. Ilclianthemum poh'foUnni (2) is a rare 
 species, found chiefly on hills and downs in the south of Devonshire, and occasionally 
 on the Continent ; in habit it resembles the Heaths, the lower part of the procum- 
 bent half-shrubby stem being much branched and destitute of leaves. H. vulgare (3) 
 is frequent in hilly, open places, on a chalky or gravelly soil ; it is found also as 
 far north as the Highlands of Scotland, adorning the wild moors with its fragile 
 yellow flowers. Several garden varieties have been produced by culture. H. 
 fomentosus, a very downy species, belongs to the mountains of Scotland and 
 Switzerland. H. alpestrc attains the limits of perpetual snow on the Alps, and 
 has the usual character of Alpine plants — shrubby, hairy, and not rising far 
 above the ground. H. arahicum is scattered over Arabia, Barbary, and South 
 Europe. A few species are natives of North America, and have the peculiar 
 property of bearing flowers without petals in the autumn. H. canadense grows 
 in jNIexico ; H. cor^mhosnm is found from New Jersey to Carolina ; H. rosmarini- 
 /oliimi in Georgia and Canada. H. hrasiliense is one of the very few belonging 
 to South America. Lechea is a North American gemis, five species of which 
 have been introduced to English gardens. Hudsonia tomentosa is another half- 
 shrubby plant of North America, gro\\-ing in dense silvery tufts, about a span 
 high, on the drift sands of the Atlantic Ocean, in Delaware, and Maryland ; the 
 flowers are small and yellow, having all the essential characters of the Tribe, but 
 none of its peculiar beauty ; in size and form it resembles Lechea. H. ericoides 
 grows with a heath-like habit in the pine-woods of Canada. 
 
 The central situation of this Tribe will be found in Spain and Portugal ; 
 upwards of forty species are natives of the Pyrenees and other mountains ; thence 
 they diminish in every direction ; a few extend into North Africa ; they are rai'e 
 in North America, still more uncommon in South America, and scarcely known 
 in Asia. Britain possesses no true Cistus, only six species of Helianthemum. 
 
OF THE 
 
 -'SiTY OF !a:^!Oi^ 
 
a ^J 
 
 The-MalLm'Tr^Jp&- _ 
 
 Dav .fe Son, hxrmJUi 
 
^mw 
 
B 
 
23 
 
 M A L Y A C E ^ 
 
 THE MALLOW TRIBE. 
 
 Trees,- shrubs, aud herbaceous plants. The leaves are alternate, more or less 
 divided, and have stipules at the base of their stalks. The flowers grow generally 
 from the base of the leaf-stalks, and are often surrounded by an involucre of 
 various forms. The sepals of the calj^x are five, very seldom three, or four, in a 
 greater or less degree united at the base. The petals are of the same number as 
 the sepals, twisted in the bud, either distinct or adhering to the tube formed by the 
 stamens. The stamens are numerous, all perfect, tha filaments united together 
 by the base of the pistil ; the anthers are one-celled, bursting transversely. The 
 ovary is formed by the union of several carpels or seed-vessels around a centre, 
 from which arise an equal number of styles, either united or distinct, \\-ith variable 
 stigmas. The fruit is cither a capsule, as in Hibiscus, or a berry, as in Achania ; 
 the seed-vessels are united, as in Malva ; or distinct, but crowded into a heap, as 
 in Malope : each contains one or more seeds, which are sometimes hairy, as those 
 of Gossypium. 
 
 The united stamens of Malva connect this Order with Geraniacese ; the twisted 
 petals and mucilaginous properties with Flax ; and the arrangement of the carpels 
 of Malope has an affinity with the crowfoots. 
 
 The uniform character of the whole Order is to abound in mucilage, and to 
 be destitute of all unwholesome properties. It is remarkable for the beauty of 
 the flowers, for the toughness of the fibres, which in many species yield a strong 
 cordage, and a thi-ead used for weaving into coarse linen, for the downy cotton 
 in the seed-vessels of some species, for the softening mucilage prepared from the 
 seeds and roots of others, and for various useful properties. 
 
 Malva moscliata (1) is the prettiest of the British species of this tribe ; it was 
 named from a slight scent it possesses of musk. jMalva sj/hestris is well known 
 as one of our commonest way-side flowers, and is a good example of one species 
 being very widely dispersed beyond the usual limits of the tribe ; this and the 
 
 1. 
 
 Malva moschata. Musk Mallow. England. 
 
 •4a Fruit of distinct carpels crowded into a 
 
 2. 
 
 Gossypium herbaceum, Common Cotton. 
 
 heap. 
 
 4. 
 
 East Indies. 
 •■iA Seed. 
 
 Hibiscus syriaciis, Althcafrutex. Syria. 
 
 Malope Irifida, Trifid Icdvcd Malope. 
 
 5. Hibiscus JRosa-sinensis, Chinese Hibiscus. 
 
 China. 
 
 fi. Ahulilon .striatum, Striated .{hutilon, Brazil. 
 
 
 Larbary. 
 
 7. Fruit o/ Malva sylveslris, Common Mallcw. 
 
MALVACEAE. 
 
 British ]\1. rotnndifolia are frequently seen on the jilaiiis of India. M. crispa, of 
 tlie West Indies, yields from the bark a very tenacious fibre for cordage. 
 Gossypium, the cotton plant, is the most extensively useful of this or perhaps 
 any tribe ; there is scarcely any other plant that has proved of so much service to 
 man, or has called forth so high a degree of skill in manufacture, or enterprise in 
 commerce. It appears to have been first cultivated and woven into cloth in India, 
 but is now spread over an extensive range of the globe on each side of the equator ; 
 from the south shores of Europe to the Cape of Good Hope ; from China to Arabia 
 and Syria ; one species is peculiar to Peru ; several are cultivated in the ^^'est 
 Indies, I\rexico, and the United States. In the equinoctial regions of America, 
 cotton grows at an elevation of 9000 feet. Gossypium hcrhaccum (2) and its 
 varieties are the kinds most generally cultivated in India; the capsule contains 
 about five seeds, covered with a short grey down, lying in the mass of white cotton. 
 One of these varieties produces the delicate cotton from which the beautiful Dacca 
 muslin is fabricated. G. herhaceum is the only kind grown in the south of Europe. 
 Hibiscus Rosa-sinoisi's (o) is a splendid example of the beauty of the flowers of 
 this tribe ; the petals are, like some others, astringent ; the juice is used by the 
 Chinese to blacken their eye-brows and the leather of their slippers. H. canna- 
 hinus is employed in India as a substitute for hemp and flax ; the seeds yield an 
 useful oil. H. trionum, with its inflated membranous calyx, is known in gardens 
 as the Bladder Kelmia. AMh^a. frutex (3) is a hardy shrub, flowering abundantly 
 in shriibberies, even in the Parks of London. A. palustris inhabits the marshes 
 of our southern coast, and is also found plentifully in France, where a syrup ui.der 
 the name oi guivimive is obtained from the abundant mucilage of the roots, and is 
 esteemed as a cure for coughs. A. rosea, the Hollyhock, affords a similar kind of 
 syrup in Greece ; its leaves yield a yellow dye. Abelmoschus esculentus is an 
 excellent ingredient for soup in the East, The seeds of A. moschatiis are cordial, 
 and mixed with coffee by Arabians. Urena and Pavonia are both medicinal 
 plants of Brazil. Abutilon, Sida, and a few other genera, compose a division of 
 this tribe without an involucre to the flower. Abutilon striatum (G) is a highly 
 ornamental shrub, producing its elegant bell-shaped flowers on long drooping 
 stalks during several months. Sida lanceolata is intensely bitter, and is thought 
 valuable in medicine. S. micrantha has extremely straight light stems, which 
 serve well for rocket-sticks. 
 
 The plants of this Tribe are found in great abundance in the Tropics : plen- 
 tifully in the hottest countries of the Temperate regions, gradually diminishing 
 towards the north. In the British Isles there are only six species ; in Sweden 
 they form but a small portion of the Flora ; in Lapland they seem to be alto- 
 •jether unknown. 
 
Or iHE 
 '^'IVERSITY Of MmOlS, 
 
m^' 
 
 
 ■£*i 
 
 Th^India/C Cress or NastiuiuLrwTnhTS' 
 
 I'll}/ ^ Sen fxnd 
 
24 
 
 TROPiEOLACE.E. 
 
 THE INDIAN CRESS, OR NASTURTIUM TRIBE. 
 
 Smooth herbaceous plants, of tender succulent nature, trailing or tuaning, Laving 
 an acrid taste. The leaves are alternate, without stipules, stalked, sometimes 
 shield-shaped. The flower-stalks grow from the base of the leaf-stalks, and bear 
 each one flower ; the prevailing colour is orange. The sepals of the calyx are 
 from three to five, the upper one having a long spur, distinct or connected at the 
 base, sometimes coloured, in the bud they are usually closed in a valvular form, or 
 are very slightly folded over. The petals are from one to five, of equal or unequal 
 size, convolute in the bud, sometimes partially undeveloped, as in Tropjeolum 
 umhellatwrn, (3) ; the stamens are from six to ten, inserted into the calyx, distinct, 
 the anthers are two-celled. The ovary is simple, three-cornered, composed of three 
 or five carpels. The style is simple, the stigmas three or five, acute ; the three 
 parts of the fruit separate from the common axis, sometimes they are winged ; the 
 seeds are large, filling the whole carpel, without albumen. 
 
 This Order has affinity with the Mallow tribe, and is connected by many 
 resemblances with Geraniaceaj, but the sjDur of Pelargonium is united to the 
 flower-stalk. 
 
 An acrid property prevails in the leaves and fruit of these plants. 
 
 The flower of Tropseolum is supposed to resemble a helmet, and the leaf has 
 in some species the fonn of a buckler, from which the idea of a trophy was de- 
 rived, and the Latin name composed. T. majus (1) is one of the most ornamental 
 and hardy of the plants introduced from Peru, and is a very general favourite in 
 gardens ; the flowers, as well as the fleshy fruit, have a peculiar strong flavour, 
 and are often eaten in salads or pickles. It is remarkable that this is the only 
 plant besides those of the Cruciferous tribe on which the caterpillar of the Cabbage 
 Butterfly feeds ; this indicates the existence of similar properties to a certain extent. 
 From the similarity of the flavour to that of Cress T. minus the first species intro- 
 
 1. Tropaeolum »ja/«.<:, Great Nasbirtium. Peru. 
 
 3. 
 
 Tropseolum vmhillatum, Umhelled-floicered 
 
 lA Calyx. 
 
 
 Tropa-oliim. Peru. 
 
 1b Stamenx and Pixtil. 
 
 
 ••U Flniier. 
 
 Ic Capsule. 
 
 
 
 Id Carpel and Ovule. 
 
 4. 
 
 Tropseolum aznreum, Blue -flowered Tro- 
 
 2. Tropaeoliim p»rcgrinum, Fringed Cnnanj- 
 
 
 pcBohtm. Chile. 
 
 Florver. Porii. 
 2a Calyx and tun Petals. 
 
 5. 
 
 Tropajolum edule. Peru. 
 
 2b Orar;/ and Pistil. 
 
 r.. 
 
 T.imnanthes Dour/lassii. California. 
 
TROP/EOLACE.-E. 
 
 duced to Europe was named Nasturtium, after the water-cress : it was discovered 
 by the Spaniards in Peru, and then followed the usual track in that time, first 
 carried to Spain in the early part of the sixteenth century, thence transported to 
 the gardens of Henri IV., in Paris, and afterwards sent over to England by the 
 royal gardener Robin to his friend Gerard, who first cultivated this " rare and faire 
 plant" in his garden,- and called it " Cresses of India." The daughter of Linnaeus 
 observed the property possessed by Tropajolum of emitting sparks in the twilight 
 of midsummer morning and evening. T. tuberosum has an eatable tuberous root 
 partly resembling the potato ; on the slopes of the Andes, near Santiago, it is 
 cultivated in large fields. T. edule (o) has a root of the same nature. T. pere- 
 grlnum (2) was found by the Spaniards, a common climbing plant, in the gardens 
 of Lima and other cities of Peru ; they named it Paxaritos amarillos (yellow 
 birds), and it is here frequently called Canary-flower, from the colour and remark- 
 able shape of the flower when partially expanded ; it was first brought over in 
 1775, but has only of late years been generally grown in gardens, having become 
 perfectly hardy in our climate. T. azureum (4) is a singular example of a blue 
 flower amongst a red and orange group. In T. umhellatum (3) the two petals 
 attached to the spur are extremely minute. T. polyphi/llum is a native of the 
 Andes of Chile, near ^Mendoza. Magallana porifolia I'ecords the name of Ferdi- 
 nand INLagallan ; in manner of growth and appearance, it closely resembles 
 Tropajolum, the smooth round stems climbing and twining about ; the leaves are 
 in three slender di\asions, and have numerous small pores ; the remarkable part of 
 the plant is the seed, which has three vide wings. Chymocarpus has a fleshy 
 capsule. Limnanthes (6) is an annual plant, the name derived from the Greek for 
 lake and ^flower, in allusion to its place of growth ; the parts of fructification vary 
 a little from those of Tropaeolum, and by some botanists it has been made the 
 origin of a new Order, but the properties are precisely similar. 
 
 All these plants are natives of the Temperate regions of North and South 
 America. 
 
OF THE 
 UM!VERS!TV OF ilU^'OiS 
 
Zf' 
 
 ETd<l 
 
 Di&'Bvttnerxo, . '^nhs' . 
 
 Dtvy iS/n 
 
BYTTNERIACE.E. 
 
 THE BYTTNERIA TRIBE. 
 
 Trees, shniLs, and imderslirubs, occasionally of a climbing nature, usually 
 clothed with stellate or forked hairs. The leaves are alternate, simple, sometimes 
 notched at the edges, occasionally having stipules which soon fall off. The flowers 
 grow in clusters, spikes, or panicles. The calyx is herbaceous, membranous, or 
 leathery, four or five-lobed. The petals are of the same number as the lobes of the 
 calyx, twisted in the bud and fiat, or arched and hollowed at the base, and 
 lengthened at the point ; either permanent or deciduous, often adhering to the 
 tube of the stamens. In Lasiopetalum and others the sepals have the appearance 
 of petals, and the petals arc either minute scales, or wanting. The stamens are 
 opposite the petals, sometimes imperfect stamens are placed between them, almost 
 always united into a cup or tube; the anthers are turned inwards, two-celled, 
 opening lengthwise, very rarely by a pore or cleft near the point. The ovary is 
 free, sessile, or on a short stalk, composed of four to ten carpels arranged round 
 a central column, or reduced to one only. The styles are terminal, consolidated ; 
 the stigmas equal in number to the cells. The fruit is generally a capsule, splitting 
 when ripe through the cells, or separating at the partitions ; the seeds are some- 
 times winged, as in Pterospermum, containing always a small quantity of fleshy 
 or mucilaginous albumen. The fibrous bark and mucilaginous properties of some 
 plants in this Order, connect it with the Mallow and the Linden tribes. 
 
 Byttneria (1) was named after Biittner, Professor of Botany at Gottingcn in 
 the last century. B. tnicropliijlla is remarkable for the prickly stipules at the 
 base of the leaf-stalks. The most important tree of this tribe is Theobroma (2), 
 so called by the Spaniards on their discovering its excellent qualities ; large forests 
 of it occur in South America, particularly in the hot damp valleys of Demerara, 
 where it is one of the most verdant of the trees. It attains about sixteen feet 
 in height, and bears fiowers, fruit, and leaves throughout the year ; so vigorous 
 is its power of vegetation, that fiowers si)ring out of the woody roots whenever 
 they are uncovered by earth. The flowers are of singularly elegant shape, the 
 
 1. Byttneria cnin]paf<>Ua, Calulpa - leaved 
 
 Byttneria. Caraccas. 
 
 1a Stamens and Nectaries. 
 1b Pistil. 
 Ic Petals. 
 
 2. Tlieobroma Cacao, Chocolate Nnt Tree. 
 
 South America. 
 
 '-^A Nectaries, Stamens, and a Petal. 
 2b Pistil. 
 )lc Stamen. 
 2d Seed. 
 
 ;i. Lasiopetalum ijnindijlurum, Large-Jlowend 
 Lasiopetalum. Australia. 
 
 I 
 
BYTTNERIACE^. 
 
 petals form a hollow nt the base in which the anther ia concealed, the elongated 
 point of the petals being bent upwards. The large fruit is full of a creamy pulp, 
 in which are about twenty-five seeds ; these when ground are made into cocoa, 
 or chocolate, a favourite Mexican beverage, much esteemed in all parts of South 
 America and the West Indies for its nourishing properties, simple mode of pre- 
 paration, and facility of conveyance ; peculiarly valuable to travellers, whether on 
 the extensive table-lands of the Andes, or in the vast uninhabited forests of Central 
 America. An immense quantity is sent to Spain, where it is the daily food of all 
 classes. Bubroma or Guazuma ulmlfolia is a spreading tree of Jamaica, affording 
 agreeable shade to cattle, and a wholesome fruit containing sweet mucilaginous 
 pulp, of great value for them in the season of drought when all herbage is 
 scorched. The bark of young trees is used in Martinique to clarify sugar, and 
 the light wood is sendceable to the natives ; the leaves, like others of this tribe, 
 droop during the night, while the leaf-stalks remain iipright. The fruit of Abroma 
 is said to be uneatable by either men or animals. Dombeya spectahills yields a 
 strong cordage in Madagascar ; Microlajna and Abroma are of equally fibrous 
 nature. Astrapsea is a noble evergreen, bearing large drooping heads of flowers 
 of a splendid red colour. Kydia calijcina is valued by the natives of India for 
 its medicinal bark. Two species of JMelhania produce the Red-wood and the 
 Black-wood of St. Helena. Hermannia is a low shrub of no value, but several 
 species are to be seen in conservatories \n\h. small do\\Tiy wrinkled leaves, and 
 numerous yellow flowers, the petals of which remain curiously folded over each 
 other. The different species of Waltheria are natives of the East Indies and 
 Brazil. Lasiopetalum (3) belongs to the division of this Order in which the 
 coloured and usually do^vny calyx forms the apparent flower, the petals, if present, 
 being minute scales ; the anthers open by two small pores. 
 
 The different sections of this Tribe are dispersed in various regions of the 
 world ; some are limited to the Tropics, others belong to Temperate climates. 
 Byttneria and its immediate allies are natives of Asia and America ; Hermannia 
 and others, of the Cape of Good Hope ; Dombeya and a few more, of Africa and 
 Asia ; Eriola;na and others, of Asia ; Philippodendron and others, of New 
 Zealand ; Lasiopetalum and other similar genera belong to Australia. 
 
OF THE 
 I'ERSiTY OF lUJd'm 
 
ITdMl 
 
 ^'yniHio ■' 
 
 live' SUh - cottorv Tree>Inbc 
 
2G 
 
 B0MBACEJ5. 
 
 TUE SILK-COTTON TREE TlilBE. 
 
 Large trees or shrubs, sometimes clothed with stellate hairs ; the leaves are 
 alternate, simple, or compound, some of a digitate form, often toothed at the edges, 
 with free deciduous stipules. The flowers are variable, regular or iiTegular, in 
 some cases not having both stamens and pistils. The calyx has five sepals in 
 valves, not imbricated, and is either naked or surrounded with an involucre more 
 or less united at the base. The petals are five, or wanting, convolute in the bud 
 state. The stamens are numerous, united in sets in various ways ; the anthers are 
 two-celled, turned outwards, and in some species have vai-ious turnings and wind- 
 ing passages. The pistil consists of five, rarely three carpels, either separate or 
 cohering into a single ovary, often placed on a column-like axis; the styles are 
 equal in number to the carpels, distinct or united. The fruit is a capsule with 
 three or five cells, as in Bombax; or a fleshy drupe, as in JNIyrodia; or a berry, or a 
 pod bursting long before the ripening of the seeds, as in Herculia. The seeds are 
 ovate or angular, sometimes involved in silky cotton. 
 
 This Order has affinity A^ith I\Ialvace£e both in structure and jDroperties. It 
 is chiefly remarkable for the abundant mucilage contained in the plants, and for 
 the profusion of silky cotton in the seed-vessels of Bombax and others. 
 
 Bombax is more to be admired for its noble aspect than valued for its utility, 
 although it is of some se^^^ce in the countries where it is indigenous. The down 
 of the capsules is useless for spinning, as there exists no adhesion between the 
 hairs ; it has, however, been employed in South America for hats, and is occa- 
 sionally used by the poor natives for stuffing cushions, but is considered 
 imwholesome for beds. Bombax heptaphijllum (1) is one of the largest of 
 East Indian trees, and is found in various districts throughout the country, 
 growing to a greater size near the hills than elsewhere, often attaining 100 feet in 
 height. It begins to blossom about the end of winter, before the leaves come 
 forth, and has a splendid appearance when covered with its bright red flowers. 
 The trunk is straight, covered \\\i\\ many sharp conical prickles ; the bark is 
 rough, ash-coloured on the outside, the branches grow horizontally, and are also 
 armed with prickles. The wood is white, Hght and spongy, fit for few purposes 
 except to make floating rafts ; in India the cotton is put between quilted cloths. 
 
 1. Bombax heptaphyllum, Silk-cotton Tree. 
 
 East Indies. 
 
 2. Bombax pentandum, 
 2a Seed-vesseU. 
 
 West Indies. 
 
 3. Helicteres verhascifolia. Mullein - leaved 
 
 Screw-tree, Brazil. 
 
 4. Helicteres revispira. 
 
 4a Pistil 4d Seed-vessel. 
 
BOMBACEiE. 
 
 B. licntandruni (2) abounds in xVutigua and other West Indian Islands ; the seeds 
 are eaten, and the soft b^o^^^^ cotton is used by the natives. B. ceiha is an 
 iniiuense tree in Soiith America and the East Indies ; the spiny trunk spreads out 
 into enormous buttresses at the base, it is often hollowed out into a canoe of 
 twenty-five tons burden, carrying from fifteen to twenty hogsheads of sugar. 
 Columbus found one of these canoes on his first discovery of Cuba, which was 
 capable of containing 150 men. When the tree decays it becomes food for the 
 Macaca beetle, which is fried and eaten as a delicacy by West Indian epicures. 
 
 In the mass of luxuriant vegetation which covers the tract of country bounding 
 the Great Desert of Africa on the south, the tree most likely to attract the attention 
 of a traveller is the enormous Adansonia digitata, the Baobab or Calabash tree ; 
 this is su]-)posed to be the largest production of the vegetable kingdom, and to be 
 of the greatest longevity. Adanson measured some on the banks of the Senegal 
 more than seventy feet in circumference, the trunks were about fifteen feet high be- 
 fore branching, the immense horizontal branches were fifty feet in length, descending 
 by their weight to the ground at their extremities ; the portion of the roots above 
 ground was often upwards of 100 feet long ; the whole tree forms an hemispherical 
 body sometimes as much as 150 feet in diameter. The oblong fruit is about 
 ten inches long, downy on the exterior of the brown rind, the interior is filled with 
 a white farinaceous pulp containing the seeds ; it has a ]ileasant acid flavour, and 
 is much eaten by the Africans, who also prepare a medicine and a kind of soap 
 from it. The rind of the fruit serves for useful vessels, the bark furnishes a coarse 
 fibrous thread, of which they make ropes and cloth ; the young leaves are eaten in 
 times of scarcity, the larger are used to thatch their huts. Adansonia was long 
 ago introduced into India ; large trees exist at Allahabad, and other places in 
 India and in Ceylon. Herculia Tragacantha of Sierra Leone yields a famous 
 gum ; the seeds of this and other species contain an oil that might be used for 
 lamps. Helicteres (4) is remarkable for the t^Adsted seed-vessel ; although chiefly 
 natives of S. America, H. Isora and a few other species are found in India and 
 China. Cheirostemon pJatanoides, the singular Hand-plant of Mexico, has no 
 petals, bi;t a large leathery calyx, from the centre of which arises a column of five 
 curved anthers, and a curved style, thought to resemble a hand or claw. Durio 
 Zibetliinus is much cultivated in the Isles of the Indian Archipelago for its fruit. 
 
 Nearh^ all the plants of this tribe are natives of the Tropics, where they are 
 extensively dispersed ; Bonibax abounds in America and India, Adansonia and 
 Herculia belong chiefly to Africa and India, Helicteres and its immediate allies 
 seem to be unknown in Africa, but a few species extend beyond the usual limits 
 of the Order, as far as Tasmania and New Zealand : none belong to Europe. 
 
OF IHt ' 
 
EXM. 
 
 
 l'SJk<i- ,y''n,,Lu>l; 
 
27 
 
 TILIACE.E. 
 
 THE LINDEN OR LIME-TREE TRIBE. 
 
 Trees; slirubs, and a few lierbaceous plants. The leaves are alternate, simple, 
 toothed at the edge, with stipules at the base. The flowers are generally perfect ; 
 the sepals of the calyx are four or five, distinct or imited ; the petals are also either 
 four or five, entire or fringed at their edges, lasually with a small pit at their base, 
 occasionally entirely wanting. The stamens are generally numerous, growing at 
 the base of the pistil, sometimes surrounded by the enlarged border of the lower 
 i:)art of the pistil. The anthers are two-celled, opening lengthwise, or by pores ; 
 the outer stamens are sometimes of a petal-like form. The ovary is composed of 
 from two to ten carpels, which are in some cases disunited ; the single style is 
 terminated by as many stigmas as there are carpels. The fruit is dry or pulpy, 
 often prickly, sometimes winged ; it contains several cells, or one only becoming 
 perfect; the seeds are solitary or numerous. In most respects this tribe has 
 afiinit)'^ with the Mallow tribe, and others connected with it. 
 
 The character of the whole Order is to contain a wholesome mucilaginous juice. 
 
 Tilia Europaa (1) is now naturalized in England, if not originally a native of 
 our island ; it may be reckoned amongst the most elegant of European ti*ees ; the 
 foliage is of a delicate texture, and of a very bright green in spring ; the upper 
 surface of the leaves is smooth, at the branching of the veins beneath is a small 
 tuft of bro\^^l woolly hairs. The flower-stalk is attached for about half its length 
 to a pale membranous bract ; the flowers are of a }'ellowish green colour, highly 
 odoriferous, especially in the evening ; they are considered a remedy for coughs, 
 and yield a large supply of honey to bees ; the honey obtained from the Linden- 
 trees in the forest of Ko\^t.io, Lithuania, is esteemed more than any other. The 
 wood of the Lime is light and fine-grained, and serves for many useful purposes ; 
 it was selected by Gibbons for his celebrated carvings, specimens of which are 
 highly valued, in the choir of St. Paul's, London, in the library of Trinity College, 
 Cambridge, and in various edifices. The bark of the different species affords 
 strong tough fibres for matting and cordage, the young t-svigs are made into 
 
 1. Tilia Europaa, European Lime. England. 
 
 3. Grewia occidcntalis, Elm-leaved Grewia. 
 
 1a Capsule. 
 
 Cape of Good Hope. 
 
 1b Cross -section of capsule. 
 
 4. Elrcocarpiis cyaneus. Blue -fruited Elico- 
 
 Ic Seed. 
 
 rarpus. New Holland. 
 
 
 4a Petal. 
 
 2. Sparraannia Africana, African Sparmannia. 
 
 4d Stamen and Pistil. 
 
 Cape of Good Hope. 
 
 4c Anther. 
 
TILIACE^. 
 
 baskets, and the sap produoos sugar. In the last lialf of the seventeenth century, 
 Evelyn encouraged the jdanting of Lime-trees in London, and in country ])arks, 
 to a great extent ; and about the same period they were generally adopted in 
 France, for public gardens and avenues, instead of the llorse-chesnut, which until 
 then had been the favourite tree. On the ramparts of many ancient German cities 
 the Linden-trees flourish most luxuriantly, forming a delightful shade, and per- 
 fuming the air with their fragrance to a great distance, as at Augsburg and 
 Worms. In the modern city of Berlin, the famous street, Unter den Linden, 
 is shaded by four rows of trees, chiefly Lime. It is said that the ancestors of 
 Linnaius derived their name from an old Lime of vast size which grew near their 
 abode, Linn being Swedish for the Lime-tree. Sparmannia Africana (2) was 
 named in memory of Anders Sparmann, of Stockholm, a celebrated traveller in 
 China, in the South Sea Isles, and at the Cape of Good Hope, where he discovered 
 this beautiful shrub. The calyx is white, and appears to form part of the flower 
 with the petals ; the long yellow nectaries which surround the stamens are of a 
 singular club-shape ; the whole plant abounds with a tasteless mucilage. Grewia 
 occ/Je«^a//s (3), named by Linnajus after I)r. Grew, author of a work on "The 
 Anatomy of Vegetables," is a shrub of no particular beauty ; the inner surface of 
 the sepals is coloured like the petals, which have at their base a small nectariferous 
 scale of the same purple colour. G. elastica, and other East Indian species, pro- 
 duce a little purjile berry, of pleasant acid flavour, used in making sherbet. G. 
 op^yositifolia grows on the lower range of the Himalaya, and yields a fibrous inner 
 bark of the same nature as that of Tilia. Corchorus oUtorius contains so large a 
 portion of mucilage as to be eaten as a vegetable in India and in Egypt ; its fibres, 
 as well as those of C. capsidaris, are made into a coarse cloth in Bengal, used for 
 garments by the poor, for rice-bags and for cordage ; a kind of paper is also made 
 from it. The wood of Aristotelia maqxd is used for musical instruments in the 
 East, the strings are formed from the tough bark ; the berries are made into wine. 
 Berrya amomilla, of Trincomalee, is employed in the construction of the famous 
 Madras boats. 
 
 Elreocarpus ajanens (4) belongs to the division of this Order that has fringed 
 petals, and anthers opening by a pore at the top. The fruit is of the size and 
 shape of the olive ; it is eaten by the natives of India in curries ; the hard furrowed 
 seeds are frequently worn as beads, and are sometimes set in gold as ornaments for 
 Europeans. 
 
 The principal portion of this Tribe is to be found within the Tropics, either 
 as fine trees, shrubs, or small plants; those w'hich are peculiar to the northern 
 countries of both hemispheres are timber trees. Several species are widely scattered 
 throughout India and China. Tilia is the only genus belonging to Britain. 
 
OF THE 
 UNIVERSITY Of *[ 
 
Z8 
 
 ETiA 
 
 Day&Si7n,,li7nita 
 
 27i& Soap^ee'Tnhe' 
 
2S 
 
 SAPINDACEiE 
 
 THE SOAP-TREE TRIBE. 
 
 Trees-, slirubs sometimes having tendrils, and a few herbaceous climbing plants. 
 The stem has frequently several distinct axes of growth. The leaves are alternate, 
 compound or simple, wdth or without stipules, often marked with lines or pellucid 
 dots. The flowers are on branching stalks or panicles, small, generally white ; the 
 calyx is more or less deeply parted in four or five divisions, imbricated in the biid. 
 The petals are four or five, occasionally absent, alternate with the sepals, inserted 
 on the base of the disk, sometimes having an appendage in the inner side. The 
 disk is fleshy, expanding between the petals and the stamens. The stamens are 
 sometimes in separate flowers, they vary from eight to twenty ; the filaments are 
 free or combined at the base; the anthers turn inwards and burst lengthwise. 
 The ovary is three -celled, the style simple, or more or less deeply two or three 
 cleft. The fruit is sometimes a capsule, two or three valved, sometimes extended 
 at the back into a membranous wing, sometimes fleshy and whole. The seeds 
 have usually an aril and a large scar at the base, the outer covering is crustaceous 
 or membranous ; the inner one soft and pellucid, of a saponaceous nature : the 
 seeds contain no albumen, the embyro is usually curved or spirally twisted. 
 
 This Order has affinity with the Horse-chesnut and the Maple tribe ; with the 
 former, in the saponaceous properties of the fruit ; with the latter, in the winged 
 fruit of some species. 
 
 The curved or twisted embryo is a general character of the Order, poisonous 
 properties exist in many of the plants. 
 
 Sapmdus is derived from Sapo-indicus, Indian soap, the pulpy fruit being 
 used by the Americans in washing linen, for which purpose it is very efficacious, 
 requiring only care to avoid injury from the acrid properties. The fruit of 
 S. Saponaria, the common soap-berry, is about the size of a cherry, inclosing a 
 
 1. 
 
 Sapindus juglandifnUus, Walnut-leaved 
 
 4. 
 
 Cardiospormiim anomalum. Drazil. 
 
 
 Soap-Tree. Rio Janeiro. 
 
 
 4a Stamen and Calyx, magnified. 
 
 
 lA Flower, magnified. 
 
 
 4:B Section of Ovary. 
 
 
 iB Petal, front. Ic Petal, hack. 
 
 
 4c Upper Petal. 
 
 
 Id Section of Ovary. 
 
 
 4d Lower Petal. 
 
 2. 
 
 Melicocca bijuga, Honey-Berry. Jamaica. 
 
 r>A 
 
 . Fruit of S.fnttescens. 
 
 
 2a Flower, 2b magnified. 
 
 
 5b Fruit, open. 
 
 
 2o Seed. 
 
 G. 
 
 Membranous Capsule of Urvillea glabra. 
 
 •'i. 
 
 Nephclium Litchi, Chinese Litclii, China. 
 
 7. 
 
 Ophiocaryon paradoxum. Domerara Snake 
 
 
 3a Seed. 
 
 
 Nut. 
 
SAPINDACE.E. 
 
 shining black seed : the whole plant, but particularly the fruit, is poisonous to 
 fish. The tlowers of S.Juffhindi/oh'its (1) are of insignificant appearance, but of 
 curious construction, the petals smooth outside, but densely downy on the inner 
 surface, where there is a two-lobcd appendage arising from the claw, also downy ; 
 the stamens are hairy on the lower part. The leaves of Q./rutescens (5) are eleven 
 inches long and three wide ; the outer sldn of the fruit is of a fine red colour, the 
 inner pulp yellow, containing one black seed enveloped in a membranous covering. 
 These glossy seeds were formerly brought to England and used as buttons, some- 
 times tipped with silver, and considered very ornamental as well as durable. In 
 this and other species one of the cells alone riiJcns the seed, another remains 
 imperfect at the base. S. esculentits affords a fruit much relished by the inhabitants 
 of Brazil. Melicocca hijuga (2) is a tall elegant tree with shining foliage. The 
 terminal branches bear numerous small white flowers of very grateful odour ; the 
 inner pulp of the fruit resembles the yolk of an egg in appearance, and has a sweet 
 taste mingled with a little acid. In some parts of South America and in Jamaica 
 it is much cultivated, Nephelium Litchi (rj) is a favourite fruit in China, fre- 
 qiiently brought to England in a dried state, and esteemed, although it possesses 
 in a strong degree the peculiar mixture of sweet and acid flavour. N. Longan is 
 another species, the fruit of which is eaten in China. Cardiospermum is a slender 
 climbing plant, named from having a white heart-shaped scar on the black seed ; 
 the triangular capsule of C. lialicacabum is extended at the back into membranous 
 Agings, whence it is sometimes called the Balloon vine. The flower-stalk has a pair 
 of small curling tendrils below the triple division ; the petals are four, small and 
 white ; the singularity of the seeds appears to have early attracted the notice of 
 travellers in the East and West Indies, for plants were raised in England in 1594. 
 Although so slender in its growth, it climbs to the tops of the highest trees in 
 Jamaica ; various parts of the world are suited to it, being found at Rio Janeiro, 
 in New Holland, Otaheite, and other isles of the Pacific Ocean. Urvillea (G) is 
 a genus of a very similar aspect, and graceful climbing character, having com- 
 pound triple leaves with tendrils at the base of each. 8erjania is another genus 
 of the same class. Paullinia pinnata is a strong narcotic poison, used by the 
 natives of Brazil slowly but surely to destroy life. The Indians of Guiana employ 
 the juice of P. cururu to poison their arrows. The fruit of Pappea capensis is 
 eaten at the Cape, and an oil is obtained from the seeds. Ophiocaryon (7) 
 shows the twdsted embryo in the highest degree. 
 
 This Tribe inhabits most parts of .the Tropics, especially of South America and 
 India ; it is found in Africa. Dodonea represents it in Australia. It is unkno^^^l 
 in the United States of America, in Europe, and in all cold countries. 
 
OF THE 
 !' '"^^FRSITY Of ILLINOIS 
 
E.I.M 
 
 iEorse^Ckesrmt Tribes 
 
 DsA 
 
29 
 
 HIPPOCASTANACE^, 
 
 THE HORSE-CHESNUT TRIBE. 
 
 Trees, and shnibs ; the leaves of wliicli are opposite, compound, with five ov 
 seven leaflets, without stipules ; the racemes of flowers are terminal, somewhat 
 panicled, the flower-stalks jointed to the main-stalk. The calyx is campanulate, 
 with five lobes. The petals are five, occasionally only four, unequal in size ; the 
 stamens are seven or eight, distinct, imequal, inserted on a disk. The anthers are 
 turned inwards, and open longitudinally. The ovary is rounded, three-cornered, 
 and three-celled ; the style single, slender, conical, and acute ; the fruit is coria- 
 ceous, one, two, or three valved, spiny or smooth, usually only ripening one seed. 
 The seeds are large, smooth, and shining, with a broad pale hilum or scar ; they 
 cuutain no albumen. 
 
 This Order is very closely allied to Sapindaceaj, the Soap-tree tribe, in 
 structure and properties ; saponaceous principles existing in the seeds of both. 
 
 ^-Esculus Hippocastanum, the Horse-Chesnut (1) was broiight about 300 years 
 ago from the mountains of Northern Asia to Constantinople, thence to Vienna, 
 Italy, France, and England; in the two latter countries the regular and noble 
 character of its form soon caused it to be adopted for avenues, one of the finest 
 specimens of which in this country is that of Bushy Park, Middlesex. The 
 flower-buds come forth at the ends of the branches, in winter, protected by several 
 glutinous scales, which remain and grow for some weeks, until the warmth of the 
 sun in spring dissolves the gummy substance, and the expansion of the flowers 
 within causes them to fall off, when the cluster of upwards of sixty flowers proceeds 
 rapidly in its growth. The large spikes of dehcate white and pink flowers which 
 appear abundantly in May, and the massy foliage, place the Horse-Chesnut in the 
 highest rank of our ornamental trees ; it is besides extremely rapid in its growth, 
 and well suited to the English climate, even in the vicinity of towns. The wood 
 is white and soft, and available for a few purposes ; the bark is bitter and 
 astringent, useful for tanning, and is supposed to possess febrifugal properties. 
 The large seeds contain a considerable portion of starch and potash, and are 
 capable of affording nutrition to animals ; deer eat them readily when fallen out of 
 the prickly covering ; in Switzerland, they are given to sheep with good success, 
 and it is said that horses are fed on them in Turkey. If the bitter acridity could 
 
 1. iEsculus Hippocastanum, Common Horse- 
 Chesnut. 
 
 Asia. 
 1a Petal. 
 
 1b Cahjx and Pistil. 
 Ic Fruit. 
 2. Pavia rubra. Red-flowered Pavia. 
 
 North America. 
 K 
 
HirPOCASTANACE.E. 
 
 be entirely extracted, they miglit probably be made into a kind of bread. In 
 some parts of France and Switzerland, they are used in cleansing wool and 
 Ijleaching linen, for which the soapy properties are well fitted. It is asserted that 
 the leaves and fruit of iEsculus ohiotensis, the Buck-eye or American Horse- 
 Chesnut, are poisonous to man and animals. 
 
 Pavia was named after Peter Paw, a Dutch botanist of Leyden in IGOO. 
 Pavia rubra (2) was introduced to this country from North America in the 
 beginning of the last century; it is a tree of less magnitude than the Horse- 
 Chesnut, but the spikes of crimson flowers nearly rival in size those of the 
 Horse-Chesnut. The fruit of this genus is smooth. P. indica is found on the 
 mountains of Kemaon and Gurhwal in India, also near the sources of the Ganges ; 
 in growth and aspect it equals the common -^sculus ; the large seed contains 
 much starch, and although bitter to the taste, is occasionally eaten by the natives 
 of the Himalayas in times of famine. P. Jlava and P. discolor are now both 
 added to English shrubberies. 
 
 The few plants belonging to this Tribe are natives of India, Persia, and 
 North America. 
 
OF THE 
 rK"VFRS!TY OF lLL!^:Oi^ 
 
JC 
 
 T^^' Maple- Tribe 
 
30 
 
 ACERACE^. 
 
 THE MAPLE TKIBE. 
 
 Trees, with nodose branches, the leaves of which are opposite, simple, stalked, 
 usually with palmate veins, rarely pinnate, without stipules. The flowers grow on 
 branching stalks from the base of the leaf-stalk, either in upright or drooping 
 clusters : sometimes the pistil and stamens are in different flowers, sometimes 
 united. The calyx is divided into five lobes, rarely from six to nine, often coloured ; 
 the petals are equal to them in number, and agree with them in colour, they are 
 inserted round a fleshy disk, in some instances they are wanting. The stamens 
 are placed on the disk, are usually eight, rarely five or twelve ; the filaments are 
 free, anthers oblong, two-celled. The ovary is free, with two lobes, the style single, 
 bearing two stigmas. The fruit is a samara, or \^^nged closed capsule, consisting 
 of two connected carpels, each being one-celled, containing one or two erect seeds 
 without albumen. 
 
 This Order has affinity vnih Sapindacete and Malpighiacese, although the 
 opposite leaves, and fruit with only two carpels distinguish it from the former, and 
 the palmate-veined leaves and glandless calyx separate it from the latter. 
 
 A saccharine juice is the chief property of these trees ; the astringent bark 
 yields a bro\^^l and a yellow dye. 
 
 Acer canipesfre, the Maple (1) is a small tree very abundant in woods and 
 hedges in most European countries, but becoming rare northwards ; seldom seen 
 in the northern part of England, or in Scotland ; unknown in Iceland. It has 
 been in all times esteemed for the fine grain and durability of the wood ; Virgil 
 describes the throne of Evander as made of maple, and the Romans made their 
 tables of it, mahogany not being then introduced into Europe : it was formerly 
 employed for pikes and lances, now for gunstocks and various musical and mathe- 
 matical instruments ; the old knotted parts, being much variegated, are also very 
 useful in ornamental inlaid cabinet work ; the bark is often of a thick corky nature, 
 full of fissures. Acer Pseudo-platanus, the Sycamore (2), resembles the Plane in 
 general aspect, and rivals it in beauty ; it is a native of the principal Continental 
 countries of Europe, but is supposed to have been transplanted to England, where 
 it flourishes vigorously, and can endure without injury the breezes from the sea. 
 The wood is soft and used only for some agricultural implements. Its sap abounds 
 
 1. Acer ccimpestrc, Common Maple. 
 
 England. 
 
 
 2a Winijed Seed vessel. 
 
 
 Ia Flower. 
 
 
 
 2b <Sc<y/ within. 
 
 
 2. Acer Psctidoplalaniis, Sycamore. 
 
 Europe. 
 
 3. 
 
 Acer caiiddlum. 
 
 Nepal 
 
ACERACE.E. 
 
 in saccharine juice, which may he ohtaincd in sprincc, and converted into wine or 
 sugar. Acer cuudahim (3) was discovered by Ur. VN'allich, in the highest region 
 of Nepal, where it is a noble tree, distinguished by the delicate colour of the winged 
 seed-vessels. A. Jcevigatum belongs to the same country, grows to the heiglit of 
 forty feet, is remarkable for the oblong serrated leaves, the white flowers, and red- 
 brown fruit ; the timber is emj^iloyed by the natives. A. cnltratum is found at 
 about GoOO feet on the mountain-ranges, its wood is white and fine-grained. 
 A. ohlonrfum grows at the lowest elevation between 2000 and 3000 feet. On the 
 mountains of Bootan, north latitude, 27, east longitude, 91, A. sterculiaceum 
 ascends to the height of 12,000 feet, nearly to the limit of woody vegetation. The 
 most valuable tree of this tribe, Acer sacchariymm, the Sugar Maple, belongs to 
 the New World, but might in all probability be successfully cultivated in the 
 valleys and slopes of the Himalaya, where it would be of great value to the poor 
 natives who have no means of obtaining sugar. It attains sixty feet in height in 
 North America, and a single tree is said to yield in the spring sufficient juice to 
 produce five or six pounds of sugar by evaporation, it affords also a pleasant wine, 
 and an excellent vinegar. A. ruhriim, the Swamp Maple of Pennsylvania, has a 
 scarlet calyx, Anthout petals, the stem furnishes useful timber, sugar, and treacle 
 to the Canadians, the bark dyes a dark blue colour. The Italian Maple, A. Ojyalus, 
 is much planted in avenues in public gardens in Italy for the sake of its spreading 
 shade. The princijial species found in the mountain districts of the more northern 
 countries of Europe is A. platanoides, a quick-growing handsome tree, bearing 
 yellow flowers in spring, and the foliage acquiring a fine golden tint in autumn ; 
 although usually growing on mountains, it descends to the sea-shore in some parts 
 of Norway. 'EQ^wndio fraxin If olhim of North America has compound leaves like 
 the ash. Dobinea, discovered in Nepal by Dr. Hamilton, differs from the rest of 
 the tribe in ha\-ing a campanulate four-toothed calyx, and eight stamens united 
 into a column, it is besides of a shrubby character, about six feet high. 
 
 This small Tribe is dispersed over Europe, the Temperate parts of Asia, the 
 mountain -ranges of northern India, and North America : it is unknown in Africa 
 and the Southern hemisphere. 
 
Or THE 
 
 U:!1VEPS!TV GF ILL!.:Q!3 
 
'al'OdJji:-. :i.--ny,r:' 
 
31 
 
 MALPIGHIACE^. 
 
 THE BARBADOES CHERRY TRIBE. 
 
 Trees and slirabs, some of uhich are of a climbing habit. The leaves are 
 usually opposite or whorled, rarely alternate, simple, generally entire at the edges, 
 sometimes having glands either on or underneath the leaf-stalk. The stipides are 
 short, and soon fall off. The flo\Yers vary, those of some species are complete, 
 others have only stamens or pistils ; they are most commonly yellow, rarely white, 
 and very seldom blue, a few are red ; in some scarce instances imperfect green 
 flowers are intermingled with the perfect ones. The calyx is five-parted, with 
 large glands at the base of one or all the sepals, very rarely without glands. The 
 petals are five, clawed at the base, convolutely folded in the bud. The stamens are 
 mostly double the number of the petals, often united at their base. The carpels 
 are usually three, rarely two, very rarely four, either partly or entirely consolidated 
 at the end, or cut off, or variously expanded. The fruit is either a drupe as in 
 Malpighia, or a woody nut as in Hiptage, or winged as in Ryssopteris. 
 
 The most striking peculiarity of this Order is the presence of the large glands 
 on the calyx, these are secreting organs filled with a kind of oil containing a fluid 
 substance besides one that is concrete. Another remarkable circumstance is the 
 tendency among the stems of the climbing species to acquire a very singular form 
 of growth, by having the usual centre of pith and wood surrounded with irregu- 
 larly-lobed and zoneless ribs, as may be distinctly seen in a section of the stem of 
 Heteropterys anomcela. 
 
 Scarcely any uses are made of these plants, except in the countries where they 
 are indigenous. 
 
 Malpighia, an American genus, was named after Malpighi, a botanist and 
 physician of Bologna, in the last century. Maljnghia aqxiifoUum (1) bears a small 
 fruit in South America ; M. glabra and M. ^lrens are cultivated in the West 
 Indies for the sake of the fruit, which is eaten by the natives, and is called Bar- 
 hadoes cherry by Europeans, although much inferior to the real cherry. The 
 leaves of M. iirens are covered with sharp bristles which are painfully pungent ; 
 
 1. Malpighia ilicifoUum, Holly-Icavcd Bnr- 
 
 hadoes Cherry. West Indies. 
 1a Section of Ovary. 
 
 2. Banisteria chrysophylla, Golden - leaved 
 
 Banisteria. Brazil. 
 
 3. Stigmaphyllum arisfalum, J wned -leaved 
 
 iStiijmaphyllum. Bi'azil. 
 
 3a Sepal and Glands, magnified. 
 
 3b Stamen, rnat/nijied. 
 
 3c I'istils, mutjnijied, 
 
 3d Pistils and Stamens, ma<inijied. 
 
 Winged Seed-vessel of B.yssOT^ieris timorensis. 
 Carpels of Diplopteris paralias. 
 
MALPIGIIIACE.E. 
 
 the iindcr-sTirfacc of the leaves of M. aqui/olktm and other species are also beset 
 with long slender bristles. 
 
 Banisteria chrysopliijUa (2) has fine bright foliage of a peculiarly golden hue 
 on the under side. Stigmaphyllum aristatum (3) is a beautiful climbing plant 
 with curious flowers, the name explains the leafy nature of the stigmas which are 
 three in number and in the form of a concave leaf ; by a twist in the stalk of the 
 stigmas they are brought immediately over the three perfect anthers. The folding 
 of the petals in the bud is worthy of examination, so bcautifidly are they arranged ; 
 the two larger petals are neatly tucked under the points of the sepals : within lie 
 the two side petals one over the other, the smallest petal lies innermost, the two 
 lobes of its claw being inserted under the two nearest stigmas ; the third stigma is 
 between the two largest and outermost petals. At the base of the calyx are two 
 oval glands on each sepal, except that which is between the two largest petals. 
 
 The bark of Byrsonima is em])loyed for tanning in Brazil, that of B. crassi/olia 
 yields an antidote to the bite of rattlesnakes ; the wood of B. verhascifoUa and 
 others is of a bright red colour ; the fruit of some species is eatable ; Alcornoco 
 bark is said to be the produce of B. laurifolia and others. 
 
 The seed of Bunchosia armeniaca, a Peruvian tree, is supposed to be poisonous. 
 
 Hiptage and Hirea are two climbing genera, scattered over every part of India, 
 Hiptage Madahlota extends into the valleys of the Himalaya as far north as the 
 Deyra Doon, climbing over lofty trees, adorning them with its elegant fringed 
 white flowers, slightly tinged with pink and yellow. Hiptage ohtusifolia is a 
 native of China. 
 
 Almost all the plants of this Tribe belong to the Tropics ; the chief portion is 
 to be found in South America, nearly three hundred species are natives of Brazil ; 
 many grow in Mexico and the West Indies, some in Africa and IVIadagascar, a 
 few in India and Ceylon, the isles of the Indian Archipelago, China, and Polynesia. 
 None belong to Europe. 
 
OF THE 
 
 .V Gf ILL. 
 
Bay i: Son. J/mulea. 
 
 Tn/' Hippocraiecu Trihe^ 
 
32 
 
 HIPPO CRATE ACE JE 
 
 THE HIPPOCRATEA TRIBE. 
 
 Arborescent or climbing shrubs, wbich are almost always smooth. The leaves 
 are opposite, simple, entire at the edges, or toothed, somewhat leathery, with small 
 stipules at the base soon falling off. The flowers grow in clusters from the base of 
 the leaf-stalks. The flowers are small and inconspicuous : the sepals of the calyx 
 are five, minute, combined at the base, persistent : the petals are five, partly folded 
 over each other in the bud. The stamens are three ; the filaments are wide at the 
 base, and cohere to form a thick disk around the ovary ; the anthers open trans- 
 versely at the point. The ovary is free, partly concealed within the disk of the 
 filaments, three-celled, surmoimted by one style, and either one or three stigmas. 
 The fruit consists either of three dry carpels, as in Hippocratea, or of a berry 
 with one to three cells, as in Salacia ; the seeds are attached to the axis of 
 each cell, in pairs ; in some instances they are winged. 
 
 The winged fruit of some species connects this Order with Malpighiacese ; 
 there are also some affinities with the Spindle-tree tribe. 
 
 The frait of some of these plants contains oil. 
 
 Hippocratea was so named by Linnaeus in memory of Hippocrates, a de- 
 scendant of Esculapius, and the renoAATied founder of a scientific school of medicine 
 in Greece, 2300 years ago. He was deeply studious of natural history, and 
 having travelled throixgh a great part of Asia, the genus of plants selected to bear 
 his name is not inappropriate. Hippocratea arhorea (1) has a slender stem, with 
 smooth brown bark ; the young weak branches are usually disposed to climb over 
 trees ; the flowers appear in July ; the fruit does not ripen till IMarch ; two seeds 
 lie in the top of each carpel, and have a long thin wing extending to the base. 
 H. indica extends in Bengal as far as the mountains at Monghyr. H. comosa, the 
 wood almond of the Antilles, bears thick clusters of small flowers on fine feathery 
 branches ; the seeds are oily, of sweet, pleasant flavour, and are much esteemed ; 
 the flowers have a bitter taste, and are said to be used as a remedy in fever. The 
 seed-vessels of H. velutina are clothed with a velvet-like down. The flowers of one 
 species are extremely fragrant. The manner of growth of these plants varies much. 
 
 1. Hippocratea arhorea. Tree Hippocratea. 
 
 2a Calyx. 2b Flower. 
 
 Hindostan. 
 
 2c Fruit. 
 
 ] A Seed-vessels. 
 1b Winged Seed. 
 
 3a. i^/oMt/q/" Hippocratea Arnottiana. 
 8n. Section of Ovary. 
 
 vJ. Tontelea scundens, Climhin;/ Ti»ittlra. 
 
 East Indies. 
 
 South America. 
 
 4. Fruit of f^n\nc\a prinoidt s. East Indies. 
 
HIPPOCRATEACEiE. 
 
 n. voluhilis twines and twists its branches in knotted curls over other trees. 
 H. Schimperiana of Sierra Leone grows stiff and straight, the opposite branches 
 forming right angles with the stem. 
 
 Tontelea scandms (2) was discovered by Aublet, near the River Pinemari, 
 about a hundred miles from the coast of the Pacific : it spreads its long branches 
 and tough leaves over lofty trees, sending out roots from its branches ; the small 
 green flowers are of very insignificant appearance. Several Icinds of Tontelea in 
 Brazil are said by Martins to have a sweet, mucilaginous fruit. . Salacia prinokles 
 (4) has a small, eatable, pulpy fruit ; that of S. piriformis, of Sierra Leone, is 
 much larger, and is also eaten by the natives. Several species of Salacia belong 
 to the same regions of India as Hippocratca, and some extend to the Burmese 
 country and the ]Malay Isles. Johnia coromandcUiana produces an eatable berry 
 of agreeable flavour. 
 
 The chief portion of this Tribe belongs to South America ; a few species are 
 natives of Africa and the Mauritius : some grow also in the Peninsula of India, 
 but none have been discovered in the northern provinces. 
 
OF THE 
 
 r"nrcRQ'T\ Of lU.!'^!^^^ 
 
LTdil 
 
 Ute'-'S^ Johns WortlrSbe 
 
 DtwJiSc'i.Jii'^'t' 
 
33 
 
 HYPERICACE.l': 
 
 THE ST. JOHN'S WORT TRIBE. 
 
 Trees, shrubs, herbaceous and annual plants, having a resinous juice, and often 
 with angular branches. The leaves are opposite, entire, without stipules, occa- 
 sionally alternate, sometimes notched at the edges, usually imprest with transparent 
 dots, and bordered ^^'itll dark glands. In almost every instance, the flowers are 
 yellow, the rest red or w^hite ; the form of inflorescence is various, though the 
 flowers are regular. The calyx has four or five sepals free from the ovary, two 
 exterior, three within, either separate or partially united. The petals are of the 
 same number as the sepals, unequal sided, twisted spirally in the bud, sometimes 
 bordered with black dots, and often having a fleshy scale or hollow at their base. 
 The stamens are numerous, growing from the base of the pistil, either distinct or 
 united into one, or generally many sets ; the filaments are slender, the anthers two- 
 celled, opening lengthwise, frequently surrounded by a gland. Small fleshy glands 
 are in some species placed between the sets of stamens, as in Parnassia and others. 
 The carpels are three or five, partly united around an axis, the styles are of the 
 same number, usually distinct, but occasionally cohering to the base. The stigmas 
 are capitate or truncate, rarely two-lobed. The fruit is sometimes one-ceUed, but 
 in most cases either a dry or a fleshy capsule of many valves and many cells. The 
 seeds are minute, usually tapering at the point. 
 
 The unequal sided petals, and dark glands upon their edges, and the stamens 
 united in sets, are the chief distinguishing points of recognition in this Order. 
 
 An essential oil is contained in the glands of Hypericum resembling those of 
 the Orange tribe ; a yeUow juice in other parts of the plant, as well as some points 
 of structure, connect this tribe with Clusiacese. 
 
 The different species of Hypericum are chiefly small undershrubs ; a few which 
 grow in the woods and hedges of England and other countries of Europe are her- 
 
 1. Hypericum calycinum, Lurijr-Jlowered St. 
 
 John's Wort. Ireland. 
 
 2. Hypericum pulchrum, Uprhjht St. John's 
 
 Wort. England. 
 
 2a Cross section of Sevd-vessel. 
 2b Sepal of Calyx, mucinifted. 
 
 3. Androssemuni officinale. Tutsan. England. 
 
 ;{a Pulpy Capsule. 
 
 4. Hypericum (cyypliacuiK, Eyyidian St. Jnhii's 
 
 Wort. K^ypt 
 
 4a Petal. 
 
 4b Pistils. 
 4c Stamens. 
 5. Hypericum elodes, Marsh St. John's IJ'ort. 
 
 England. 
 (I. Parnassia ;)«/((s/;7'.s, Grass of Parnassus. 
 
 England. 
 Ca Stiimen. 
 Ob Nectary. 
 (ic Ovary. 
 
 7. Capsule o/Vismia yuiaiiensis. 
 7a Cross-section of Capsule. 
 
 L 
 
IIYI'ERICACPLE. 
 
 l)acoo\is. Sonic are of much beauty and delicacy, the bordering of round glands 
 giving a jicculiar ornament to the delicate flowers. Hypericum calycimmi (1) is a 
 well-known evergreen plant in shrubberies, where it spreads over the ground, 
 flourishing well under the shade of trees, and producing abundantly its bright 
 golden flowers during the summer. PI. p«7c/(rH»)i (2) is an elegant sjiecies, fre- 
 quent in woods or heathy places, on a clay soil. H. j^cr/oratinn, a British species, 
 is also a native of France and Germany ; it was formerly valued by the peasants 
 as a charm against storms and other dangers. In Scotland it was considered a 
 preservative against witchcraft; and if gathered on the eve of St. John, was 
 supposed by the imaginative to be endued \^ath peculiar power. Its more real 
 properties consist in dyeing wood of a yellow colour, and in the flowers imparting 
 a fine purple hue to sj)irits and oil ; it was also used as a healing balsam in the 
 olden time. This is one of our British plants which is also found on the Himalaya. 
 The bruised seed-vessels and the leaves of Androssemum officinale (3) have long 
 been reputed beneficial for shght wounds in France, where tha plant is still called 
 Toute-saine, whence the common English name Tutsan was derived. The fruit of 
 this species is pulpy, and has the appearance of a berry. This is almost entirely 
 an European species, but has been seen in Greece. 
 
 Vswna&iin j^alustris (tj), said to have been first discovered on Mount Parnassus, 
 is one of the most delicately beautiful of our marsh plants, and does not appear to 
 be surpassed by any other species; that of Carolina has a larger flower, but is of a 
 greener colour, and the nectaries are croAvned by only three glands each. Elodea 
 has also bundles of glands between the stamens. Elodea vlrginica is a medicinal 
 plant of the United States. 
 
 Vismia guianensis (7) j'ields a copious yellow gum, known as gummi gutta, 
 Vismia micrantlia and V. laccifera of Brazil contain a gum resin similar to 
 gamboge. The leaves of Hypericum laxiusndum are supposed to afford a remedy 
 against the bite of serjients in Brazil. Cratoxylon is also used medicinally. 
 Ascyrum is a North American genus of evergreen shrubs. 
 
 The plants of this Tribe are very widely spread over the earth, on mountains 
 and in valleys, in meadows and on heaths, marshes and dry plains. North 
 America possesses the largest number of species ; in South America about half the 
 number have been found ; to Asia belong several species of arborescent shrubs, 
 growing in the south of India, and others ai-e scattered over the Himalaya. 
 
OF THE 
 iJlviVHRSITY OF !LL!^:0IS 
 
34 
 
 £J<U' 
 
 The' &axnhog& Tribf-'. 
 
31 
 
 CLUSIACE^. 
 
 TPIE GAMBOGE TRIBE. 
 
 Tress and shrubs, some of which are parasitical ; nearly all yield a resinons juice. 
 The leaves are opposite, without stipules, leathery, entire at the edge, Avith a strong 
 mid-rib, the side veins often running straight to the margin. The flowers are 
 usually numerous, terminal, or from the base of the leaf-stalk, jointed to their stalk, 
 ha\'ing occasionally stamens and pistils in separate flowers. The calyx has two, 
 four, six, or eight sepals, in alternate pairs, usually persistent, round, meml)ranous, 
 unequal, frequently coloixred like petals. The flower is composed of petals equal 
 in number to the sepals of the calyx, sometimes passing insensibly into them. The 
 stamens are numerous, distinct or combined in sets, placed below the ovary, rarely 
 of any definite number ; the filaments are of various lengths, the anthers usually 
 bursting inwards, sometimes opening by a pore, or transversely, sometimes im- 
 mersed in a fleshy receptacle. The ovary is solitary, one or many-celled ; the 
 ovules are solitary or numerous. The style is very short or absent ; the stigma is 
 circular or radiate. The seeds are often embedded in pulj^, their covering thin and 
 membranous, frequently having a torn covering at the base. 
 
 This Order has affinity with Hypericacese, but differs in the parts of the flower 
 being of even numbers, instead of five, in the jointed flower-stalk, and in other points. 
 An acrid, yellow, resinous gum is the pi'evalent secretion of these plants, 
 Clusia, the type of this Order, was named after an excellent botanist and 
 traveller of Flanders in the sixteenth century. The trees abound in a glutinous 
 balsam, and are of considerable beauty of foliage, flower, and fruit. C. iiisiguis (1) 
 is one of the finest of the species, yielding a copious aromatic resin from the stalks 
 and stem, drops exuding from the scars of the leaf-stalks ; the stigma, also, which 
 is densely clothed with small scales, is usually covered with a yellow wax-like 
 resin ; when dry, it becomes brown and resembles benzoin. C. rosea is an ex- 
 tremely beautiful tree, growing on rocks and not unfrequently on other trees, the 
 glutinous seeds taking root in hollow parts, in the same manner as the Mistletoe, 
 but the resemblance of habit soon ceases, for Clusia, being caj)able of attaining a 
 height of thirty feet, cannot remain in its parasitical situatioil ; roots protrude h-oni 
 the cavity and descend to the ground, sometimes from an elevation of forty feet. 
 
 ] . Clusia iiisiffnis, Noble Baham-trce. 
 
 Tropical America. 
 1a Stamens and Pistil. 
 
 ;i. Mamraea Americana, Maimnee Apple. 
 
 South America 
 3a Seed. 
 
 In Stamen, magnified. 
 
 8. Garcinia apeciosa, Showy Ga-rciiiia. 
 
 East Tnilies. 
 
 4. Fniit o/" Clusia '///'", While flowered Baham- 
 tree. South America 
 
clusiace.t:. 
 
 there taking more independent growtli, the tree soon acquires its natural vigour 
 and size. The fruit when ripe ojiens at the di\Tsion8 of the cells, exposing the 
 scarlet mucilaginous seeds. C. alha has a stem of one foot in diameter, with a 
 spreading crown, the white flowers are small, the petals hollow; the red fruit filled 
 with pulp and seeds, affords food to the birds of the forests in South America. 
 Garcinia spcciosa (2) is the largest example of the flowers of this genus, of a bright 
 colour and extreme fragrance. The leaves are large and glossy. Almost every 
 part of the tree yields a yellow juice, resembling gamboge. The fruit of G. jMan- 
 gostana is the delicious Mangostcen of the INIalay Isles and the Indian Archipelago ; 
 the fruit is of the sha]ic of an orange, rough on the exterior. G. cochinchinensis ia 
 supposed to produce the genuine gamboge used in medicine and for painting ; it 
 comes to Europe in sticks, apparently having been rolled up in strong fibrous 
 leaves whilst in a soft state. G. pictoria, of the East Indies, affords a gamboge of 
 brilliant yellow, but not so permanent as the Chinese. The juice of Xanthochymus 
 pictorius is of inferior quality, though used as gamboge. Mammea amerkana (;-5) 
 is called ahricotier by the French colonists in the West Indies, on account of the 
 colour and consistency of the pulp of the fruit ; it grows in the Caribbee Isles and 
 on the continent of South America ; from the flowers the natives made the first 
 spirituous beverage known to them. The seeds of Calophyllum iiwphijlhim contain 
 oil, and resin exudes from the roots. C. Calaha produces the East Indian resin 
 Tacamahaca. The aromatic pale yellow resin of South America is obtained from 
 C. hrasiliense. Verticillaria yields the balsam of Maria, and several other species 
 contain a large proportion of balsam. Pentadesma hutyracea is the butter and 
 tallow -tree of Sierra Leone. INIoronobea coccinea is supposed to afford the resinous 
 substance called hog -gum, used as pitch. Some of these trees are valuable for 
 their timber ; that of Mesua is said to be extremely hard ; Calophyllum angusti- 
 folmm is the Piney-tree, from which remarkably straight spars are obtained in the 
 islands to the east of the Bay of Bengal. 
 
 All these trees are natives of the Tropics ; the greater part belong to South 
 America ; a few grow in jNIadagascar, and on the continent of Africa. Extreme 
 heat and humidity are essential to nearly the whole Tribe. 
 
OF THE 
 '^SITY Of ILLl^^OIS 
 
.^5 
 
 
 y 1 ' 
 
 'yLca/yuicu/'. 
 
3o 
 
 DIPTEROCARPACE/E. 
 
 THE DIPTEROCARPUS TRIBE. 
 
 Gigantic trees, abounding in resinous juice. The leaves are alternate, rollc<l 
 inwards in the bud, with veins passing from the mid-rib to the margin : tlie 
 stipules are oblong, folded over the leaf-bud, and terminating the branches, like a 
 sheath, until they fall off: the flowers are eitlier solitary or several, from the base 
 of the leaf-stalk, or on terminal branching panicles : the calyx is tubular, imbricated 
 in the bud, five-lobed, unequal, persistent, afterwards enlarged. The petals are 
 five in Dipterocarpus and Shorea, united into one at the base in Hopea, twisted in 
 the bud : the stamens are numerous, distinct, or slightly combined in sets : the 
 anthers are awl-shaped, oiiening longitudinally towards the point : the filaments 
 are widened at the base : the ovary is above the base of the stamens, three-celled, 
 each cell containing a pair of ovules : the style is single, surmounted b}' a simple 
 stigma : the fruit is leathery, ripening only one cell, opening by three valves, or 
 remaining closed, surrounded and crowned by the calyx, of which two or more 
 divisions have become enlarged and leafy : the seed is single, without albumen. 
 
 The peculiar rolled-in stipules of these trees connect them with the Magnolia 
 tribe ; the resinous juice allies them with the Gamboge tribe ; the enlarged, tough 
 calyx resembles that of the Hazel-nut ; but the limits of the Order are clearly 
 defined, and separate it from all others. 
 
 The chief property is a balsamic resin. 
 
 The different trees of this tribe are at present unknown in a living state in the 
 Temperate chmate of Europe, although many of them would be extremely orna- 
 mental, from the stately grandeur of their form, the noble foliage, the delicate 
 beauty of the flowers, and the singular effect of the large drooping wings of the 
 seed-vessel, often brightly coloured. Dipterocarpus, so named from the two wings 
 of the fruit, abounds in the East Indies and in Java ; several species yield resin ; 
 that of D. trhiervls is used as a medicine in Java, and when spread over the leaves 
 of the Plantain, forms a kind of torch, burning with a pale light, and shedding an 
 
 1. 
 
 Dipterocarpus pad lis, Slender -flowered 
 Dipterocarpus. India and Java. 
 lA Pislil. 
 1b Stamens. 
 Ic Piflil and Stamvus. 
 
 2a Flower, mafjni/led. 
 2b Stamens, magni/ied. 
 2c Pislil, matjnified. 
 2d Seed-vessel. 
 
 
 
 
 Id Seed-vessel. 
 
 •'!. Sliorea robnsta, Saul-tree. 
 
 }lin<l<. 
 
 sliiii. 
 
 
 1e Section of Ovary, maijnified. 
 
 3a Stamen, maijidjied. 
 
 
 
 2. 
 
 Hopea odorutu, Sweet-scented Ilopea. 
 
 Chittagong. 
 
 •"^B Pistil, mmjnified. 
 3c Seed-vessel. 
 
 
 
DIPTER(^CARPACE/E. 
 
 agreeable perfume. D. fjracilis (1) grows in woods in tlie interior of Java, to tlie 
 westward, near Monut Parang, attaining 150 feet in height, and great thickness of 
 stem ; the hard, ash-coloured wood is very valuable for many purposes; pellucid, 
 golden drops of resinous balsam exude from fissures in the bark. D. turhinahis 
 affords a supply of the famous balsam Gunjun, called by the English wood-oil, 
 much employed for painting ships and houses in Bengal ; to obtain the balsam a 
 large notch is cut into the trunk of the tree, about three feet from the ground, where 
 a fire is kept up till the wood is charred, after which the liquid flows out. The 
 average produce of the best trees is said to be as much as forty gallons in one 
 season. D. retnsns, of Java, has a very graceful appearance when the large red- 
 winged seed-vessels hang in profusion from the branches. 
 
 Hopea odorata (2) is indigenous in Chittagong, perfuming the air with the 
 fragrance of its blossoms during March. Shorea robust a (3), the Saul-tree of the 
 Hindoos, is a striking: object, standing singly on the outskirts of the jungles, rising 
 to the height of 150 feet, with a straight, upright stem. It early attracted the 
 attention of Europeans, and in one of the first collections of drawings made in the 
 interior of India, by Mr. Longcroft, towards the close of the last century, the 
 Saul-tree forests are skilfully represented with their peculiar character. The heavy, 
 close-grained timber ranks next to the Teak in strength, but is less durable ; the 
 purest portion of the abundant resin is burnt as incense in the temples ; in a liquid 
 state it is used as pitch for ships. Dryobalanops camphora, the celebrated 
 camphor-tree of Sumatra and Borneo, contains a large quantity of camphor in 
 hollow cavities of a foot or more in length ; this is much prized by the Indians 
 and Chinese, and affords considerable traffic. The resin called dhammar is 
 procured from Vateria indica ; when solid, it resembles amber, and is carved into 
 ornaments by the natives ; the fruit yields a fatty substance, used as tallow. 
 
 This Tribe exists only in Asia, chiefly in India and the islands of the Indian 
 Ocean ; in Java it forms the largest trees of the forests. Shorea extends to the 
 most northern boundaries of the tribe, being found at the base of the Himalayas. 
 
OF THE 
 ?:;^!VERS!TY OF U::ioi^ 
 
M 
 
 E.I . 
 
 Pa^,iS.>x..; >'ileA.l 
 
 
36 
 
 MARCGRAVIACE.E. 
 
 THE MAIiCGRAVIA TRIBE. 
 
 Trees. and shrubs, some of which are climbing, parasitical, and sending out 
 rootlets from the knots of the branches, or base of the leaf-stalks. The leaves are 
 alternate, simple, entire at the edges, tough and leathery, without stipules. The 
 flowers are regular, growing on branching sialics, or in umbels, or in terminal 
 spikes ; usually having bracts, which are sometimes hooded, or hollow bags. The 
 sepals of the calyx are from two to seven, generally leathery ; the corolla is attached 
 to the base of the ovary ; in Marcgravia it is composed of one petal, hollow, cup- 
 shaped ; sometimes it is formed of five small petals, as in Norantea. The stamens 
 are either of definite or indefinite number, inserted either on the receptacle or on a 
 membrane at the base of the ovary ; the filaments are dilated at the base ; the 
 anthers are attached by the base, long, two-celled, bursting inwards. The ovary 
 is single, usually furrowed, three or many-celled, surmounted by a single style 
 with a simple or capitate stigma ; the ovules are numerous, attached to the pro- 
 jections of the central column. The fruit is at present imperfectly known, supposed 
 to be generally succulent, but sometimes a capsule, leathery, and consisting of 
 several valves which separate slightly, the partitions from the middle of each valve 
 not reaching to the central column, the fruit becomes one-celled. The seeds are 
 very small, numerous, imbedded in pulp, oblong, blunt at each end, straight or 
 incurved, the outer skin hard and netted, with the scar at the side, without albumen. 
 
 This Order appears to have affinity with Hypericacese, but is still more closely 
 allied to Clusiaceaj : the hooded bracts form a kind of link with the pitcher-plants. 
 
 Marcgravia (1) was so named in memory of Marcgraf, a German botanist, who 
 made a voyage to Brazil in 1048. It is a sub -parasitical shrub, creeping over the 
 stems of tall trees, with drooping divided bi-anches terminated by umbels of 
 flowers ; the corolla is of one petal, which is conical, falling off soon ; the stamens 
 then become spreading ; the sepals are six, the two outermost largest. The 
 round germen has no style, but is crowned by the radiant stigma; the small 
 shining seeds are enclosed in a succulent fruit full of soft red pulp. In the woods 
 
 1. Marcgravia mnheUala. 
 
 1a Calyx. 
 1b Ovary. 
 
 2. Norantea jup)iren.<iis. 
 
 2a Flower and Brad. 
 
 •■la Brad. 
 
 2c Biifl, magnified. 
 
 West Indies. 
 
 South America. 
 
 2d Pistil and Stamen. 
 2e Stamen. 
 
 3. Ruyschia coralliiia. 
 
 3a Flower and Brad. 
 3b Calyx and Pistil. 
 3c Flower, mayni/icd, 
 3d Capsule, 3e Seed. 
 
 South America. 
 
MARCGRAVIACE/K. 
 
 of Jamaica it is frequent, assuming various aspects during the different periods of 
 growtli ; the liollow bracts hcing the most remarkable feature. Tlic stem, root, 
 and leaves are said to be employed medicinally in the West Indies, M. cuncifolia 
 has hooded bracts on three flower-stalks, like Norantea, the two other flo\\er-stalks 
 have none : it has also five petals instead of one hollow petal. 
 
 Norantea (2) is supposed to be called after its native name in Guiana, where 
 it was discovered by Aublet, a French traveller of the last century. 'N . jajmrensis 
 (2) is a parasitical shrub growing on the trees of the primseval forests on the shores 
 of the River Japure; the membranous hollow bracts contain pellucid water; this 
 species was found flowering in the month of January, others were in flower in 
 June, from which it seems probable the plants flower twice in the year, as fre- 
 quently occurs in the vegetation of the Tropics. "N . paraensis is of nearly similar 
 aspect with the rest, but the petals and calyx are purple, the bracts scarlet. 
 N. adamant inum has small green flowers, on long stalks. 
 
 Ruyschia records the name of a celebrated Dutch botanist. Several species of 
 the genus abound in South America ; it is in some instances a tree, in others a 
 shrub. R. corallina (3) is a parasite, sending out aerial roots from the joints of 
 the stem, climbing on lofty trees in the hot, damp forests on the sandy shores of 
 rivers in Brazil, and everywhere near the coast of the Pacific, in the tropical region 
 of Soiith America, extending to about twent}?^ degrees of latitude north and south 
 of the equator. It flowers in January, and at that time bears much resemblance 
 to an orchideous plant. R. amazoiiica, of the shores of the Amazon River, has 
 yellow petals with red bracts, and flowers in August. R. fSjiunajia was discovered 
 by the Bavarian botanist Spix, in the interior of the province of Para, in the course 
 of the Amazon, bearing its curious flowers abundantly in August. The modifica- 
 tions both of form and colour of the bracts of the plants of this tribe are very 
 singular ; in several instances, they have the appearance of the spur, or nectary of 
 some flowers, in others they are of a size and colour as to acquire the aspect of an 
 actual flower, which is of comparative insignificance itself. 
 
 Equinoctial America is the region inhabited by this Tribe. 
 
OF THE 
 
 ■r.- TY cf IL! 
 
5/ 
 
 ^TM' 
 
 [I. a X- SotiL^mit' 
 
 Th& V^JiA Trihe 
 
VITACE J5. 
 
 THE VINE TRIBE. 
 
 Climbixg shrubs, with enhirged separable joints, and erect bushes; the woody 
 tissue abounds with large dotted ducts, which at certain seasons pour forth sap in 
 unusual quantity, popularly called the tears of the Vine. The leaves are either 
 with or without stipules, the lower are opposite, the upper alternate, simple or 
 compound. The flower-stalks are branching, sometimes undeveloped and changed 
 to tendrils ; the flowers are small,, generally green; the calyx is minute, nearly 
 entire at the edge : the petals are five or four, inserted on the outside of a disk 
 surrounding the ovary, clinging together at the points, and shed whole in Vitis ; 
 distinct or united at the base as in Leea ; in the bud they are often turned inward 
 at the edge, and bent down at the point. The stamens are equal in number and 
 opposite to the petals, inserted on the disk, sometimes imperfect ; the filaments are 
 distinct, or shghtly cohering at the base in Leea, anthers ovate. The ovary is 
 superior, from two to six celled, the style is single, very short, the stigma simple. 
 The fruit is a pulpy berry, usually perfecting only one cell. The seeds four or five, 
 occasionally none, bony and erect ^^^th hard albumen. 
 
 The petals being turned inward at the point is a remarkable character which 
 connects this Order with umbelliferous plants. 
 
 Acid leaves and sweet fruit are the usual properties of the Vine tribe. 
 
 The Latin name Vitis is derived from the Celtic, thence the various European 
 appellations. The grape-vine ranks highest in the class of fruits ; it was among 
 the earliest plants Imown to man, and the art of making ^^'ine was one of the first 
 discoveries of the uses of those trees yielding fruit which were given to him " upon 
 the face of all the earth." The vine grows wild about the shores of the Caspian 
 Sea ; Astracan is probably its northern limit in Asia. In very ancient times it 
 was conveyed to Greece, thence to Sicily, and onwards to the south of France ; 
 the Romans planted it on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, where it still 
 flourishes, to the utmost extent northwards, except in a few peculiar localities. In 
 France it scarcely advances beyond 48° of north latitude. Although the grapes 
 ripen farther north, they do not acquire sufficient sacchai-ine matter to produce 
 
 J . Vitis vinlfcra, Grape-vine. 
 
 1e Ovary. 
 
 Shores of the Caspian Sea. 
 
 If Seed, 
 
 1a Flower-bud. 
 
 2, Cissus quinquefoUa, Virginian creeper. 
 
 1b Petals, united and cast off. 
 
 North America. 
 
 Ic Petals rant, seen from above. 
 
 2a Flower. 
 
 Id Pistil and Stamens, 
 
 2b Stamen. 
 
VITACE^. 
 
 good wine. Vineyards were foniierly cultivated in England with considerable 
 success in favourable parts of tbe southern counties. The limit of the Vine region 
 to the south is in Africa about 3G" north latitude, rcacliing to 32° in Madeira, 
 and as far as 12° in Asia, vineyards having been established by the French in 
 Pondicherry. In the north-west provinces of India the vine thrives well; but in 
 general the climate prevents converting the grapes into raisins or wine. On the 
 Himalaya, in Kunawur, at 1)000 or 10,000 feet, luxuriant vineyards exist, yielding 
 both wine and raisins. In the valley of Cashmere at 5500 feet there are excellent 
 vines. They are found also in China and Java. Beyond the equator, the region 
 of the vine is chiefly in South Africa, from 24:° south latitude, to the Cape of 
 Good Hope, where extensive and productive vineyards are cultivated. In the 
 New World there is a corresponding belt on either side the equator, though of 
 less breadth than in the eastern hemisphere ; in North America it includes the 
 coimtries between 30° and 40° north latitude ; but the progress of civilization is 
 continually spreading the vine over a wider range. On the Andes of South 
 America it grows at 7000 feet, in the region of Maize as elsewhere ; in Brazil and 
 Cumana it finds a suitable climate. From America, it has been transplanted to 
 the Sandwich Isles, and from England to Australia. Numerous varieties of Vitis 
 vinifcra (1) afford valuable fruit, differing according to soil, situation, and other 
 circumstances. The plants begin to bear fruit at two years, and are said to remain 
 in vigour upwards of three Centuries. The small black grape of Ascalon and 
 Zante, formerly chiefly cultivated in the isthmus of Corinth, affords the dried fruit 
 usually called currants. The white Ascalon is the Sultana raisin. Verjuice is 
 obtained by pressure from unripe grapes ; an oil is in some countries expressed 
 from the seeds. There are, besides, several species of Vitis of comparatively little 
 value : V, vulpina, the fox-grape, V. laLrusca, and others belong to North 
 America. In India, about fifty species have been discovered ; V. carnosa grows 
 chiefly on the plains, others on the hills. Cissus quinquefolia (2) is one of the 
 most ornamental of climbers ; the leaves, like so many American plants, changing 
 to varied brilliant hues in autumn, amply compensate for the want of beauty in 
 the flowers. C. rosea, and C. capreolata climb over trees on the Himalaya. 
 C. antarctica is the Kangaroo vine of Australia. C. coesia, the Sierra Leone grape ; 
 other species grow in the West Indies, some in Japan. The leaves of C. tinctoria 
 yield a blue dye to the Indians of Brazil for their cottons. Pterisanthes is a curious 
 plant, bearing innumerable flowers on a flat receptacle. Leea is an evergreen 
 shrub, without tendrils, of little beauty, producing harmless berries ; the root of 
 L. macrophi/lla is astringent and mucilaginous ; the different species belong to the 
 East Indies and the Cape. Ampelopsis Iliynalayaita is common on lofty trees at 
 Mussooree and Simla. 
 
 This Tribe is fomid in greatest abundance in the East Indies, inhabiting chiefly 
 woods on the hills ; some species are dispersed over mild and hot countries in 
 both hemispheres. None are natives of Euroj^e. 
 
OF THE 
 
 ywiVERSSTV Of iLimob 
 
38 
 
 l.T.dd. 
 
 I>n'^.f/-T 
 
3S 
 
 GERANIACEJ5 
 
 THE GERANIUM TRIBE. 
 
 Undeeshrubs and herbaceous plants, the stems of which are enharged at the johits, 
 and separable when young. The leaves are mostly simple, the lower opposite, the 
 upper alternate, with membranaceous stipules. The roots of some are tuberous. 
 The calyx is formed of five persistent sepals, ribbed, more or less unequal, the 
 lower sepal sometimes spurred at the base, or prolonged into a hollow nectary down 
 the flower-stalk. The petals are five, seldom four, clawed at the base, twisted in 
 the bud, equal or unequal, alternate with the sepals, attached to the ovary, or to 
 the calyx. The stamens are usually united at the base in one set around the 
 pistil, of the same nmnber as the petals, or twice or thrice as many ; the anthers are 
 two-celled, opening lengthwise, some occasionally abortive. The ovary is com- 
 posed of five carpels placed round a central cokimn, to which the five styles cohere. 
 The fruit is formed of five membranous carpels round the hardened beaked axis, 
 separating and bending backwards when ripe by the elastic twisting of the styles : 
 the seeds are solitary, without albumen. 
 
 The separable joints of this Order associate it with Vines ; the united stamens, 
 and the general habit connect it with the Mallow tril:)e. 
 
 All the plants are harmless, in general slightly acid, sometimes astringent, 
 some secrete fragrant resin and essential oil. 
 
 Geranium, or Crane's-bill, was so named by the ancient Greeks, from the 
 resemblance of the seed-vessel and its beak to the head of a crane. Nearly all the 
 species are European herbaceous plants ; G. anemonefoUum of the Capo and 
 Madeira is shrubby. G. Rohertianum (1) is very common on banks and under 
 hedges, frequently also growing amongst the mortar of old walls ; the smell is 
 disagreeable, but in autumn it is very striking from the leaves acquiring a bright 
 red colour. G. pratense (2) is one of the most beautiful of the British species, 
 
 1. 
 
 Geranium Rohertianum, Herb Robert. 
 
 5. 
 
 Pelargonium zonule, Horse -shoe Stork's- 
 
 
 England. 
 
 
 bill. 
 
 
 1a Ovary and Pistil. 
 
 
 5a Carpels. 
 
 
 1b Curiiel. 
 
 
 5b Ovary and Pistil. 
 
 
 Ic Seed, 
 
 
 5c Stainens. 
 
 2. 
 
 Geranium pratense, Blue meadow Geranium. 
 
 0. 
 
 Erodium cicularium, Humlock Heron's-bill. 
 
 
 England. 
 
 
 England. 
 
 3. 
 
 Pelai-goniura pellatum, Ivij-hnvcd 8t(irk'$- 
 
 
 Ca Carpel, 
 
 
 hill. Cape of Good Iloiic. 
 
 
 Cb Seed. 
 
 i. 
 
 Pelargonium tricolor, Three-coloured Storh-'s- 
 
 7. 
 
 Erodium incarnatum, Flesh-coloured Heron's- 
 
 
 bill. Cape of Good Hope. 
 
 
 bill. Cape of Good Hope. 
 
GEUANIACE.E. 
 
 found chiefly in rather moist pastures and copses in hilly districts ; like some other 
 blue flowers, they occasionally vary to white. The roots of G. macidatnm are 
 considered useful as a medicine in Philadelphia, and the fleshy tubers of G. parvi- 
 Jlornm are eaten in Tasmania, but the value of this tribe consists in the beauty 
 of the flowers, especially of the Pelargonium genus, not in useful properties. 
 Pelargonium, the Stork's-bill, affords the most favourite flower in the kingdom 
 of Flora for the adorning of European gardens and houses, whither they have been 
 trans] )lanted, almost without exception, from the Caj^e of Good Hope. A great 
 similarity prevails in their manner of growth, but the foliage as well as the flowers 
 are of various shapes and hues, and countless varieties have been produced by 
 cultivation. P. zonale {5) is the hardiest species in its nature, and can flourish 
 even in the close air of cities : the tubular nectary extending along the flower-stalk 
 is very obAnous in this species. P. odoratisstTnum contains a considerable portion 
 of essential oil, to which it owes its extreme fragrance ; this has been obtained by 
 distillation. The tubers of P. hirfitm are eaten by the Arabs : those of P. triste 
 are also thought eatable by the natives at the Cape. Erodium cicufariuni (6) is 
 a common ])lant on sandy ground near the sea, also on a chalky soil ; the pro- 
 cumbent stems sometimes spreading far around. E. moschahmi is less abimdant, 
 found cliiefly in mountainous parts of Yorkshire and Westmorland, and cultivated 
 in gardens for its scent of musk ; both these species are aromatic. E. incarnatum 
 (7) of the Cape affords an instance of an European genus developed into greater 
 size and beauty in a hotter climate. Several species of Geranium and Erodium 
 exist on mountains of tropical coxuitries where the temperature is sufficiently 
 moderate. They are also found on the Himalayas ; G. hicolor occurs at the lowest 
 elevations ; others rise to an elevation of 7000 feet. E. Hinialajjanum grows in 
 the northern jiortion of the flimalaya, and in Cashmere. The resinous secretion 
 in some of the plants is very abundant ; the stems of Sarcocaulon will burn like a 
 torch, yielding an agreeable fragrant perfume during combustion. This curious 
 genus differs from the rest in having spiny and fleshy branches. 
 
 This Tribe is distributed in unequal proportions over various parts of the 
 world ; Geranium and Erodium principally throughout the plains of the northern 
 hemisphere, being found in Europe and North America ; a few only extend to 
 Siberia ; some species belong to the mountains of Northern Asia. Pelargonium 
 abounds chiefly at the Cape ; a few have been discovered in New Holland, and 
 some inhabit the Island of St. Helena. 
 
OF THF 
 
 fjr\'n'FRSfTV OS 
 
I lay hSorvlwd 
 
 l^.dd. 
 
 
31) 
 
 CEDRELACE.E. 
 
 THE MAHOGANY TRIBE. 
 
 Trees, with a compact wood, usually sweet-scented, and finely veined. The 
 leaves are alternate, pinnated, without stipules. The flowers are miniite, growing 
 on branching stalks, terminal, or from the base of the leaf-stalks : the calyx is four 
 or five-cleft, the petals four or five. The stamens ai'e from eight to ten, distinct, 
 and fixed in honey-glands in Cedrela, united within a tubular nectary cup in 
 Swietenia, inserted into a disk at the base of the ovary. The style and stigmas 
 are simple. The cells of the ovary are equal in number to the petals, or fewer. 
 The fruit is a capside, with valves separable from the thick axis, splitting from the 
 top in Cedrela, from the base in Swietenia. The seeds are flat, winged, placed in 
 two rows on the valves, having thin albumen or none. 
 
 These trees have a close affinity with IMeliacese, but are distinguished by their 
 winged seeds : Flindersia and Chloroxylon, having their leaves dotted \\Tth 
 pellucid glands, form a link with the Orange tribe. 
 
 Fragrant, close-grained, and astringent bark, are the two chief properties of 
 this tribe. 
 
 Cedrela is a genus of trees remarkable for the length of the pinnated leaves; 
 those of C. serrata, in the valleys of the Himalaya, have eighteen pair of leaflets, 
 the whole being nearly three feet long, drooping in a graceful form ; the flower- 
 branches exceed them in length. The bark, leaves, and fruit have usually a 
 disagreeable scent, but the wood is fragrant. Cedrela Toona (1), the Mahogany 
 tree of India, has an erect trunk, attaining great height in favourable localities in 
 Bengal ; the light wood is extensively used for furniture throughout the Indian 
 provinces, the trees being scattered widely as far as the base of the Himalaya. 
 The leaves come forth with the flowers in February, and the seeds ripen in May ; 
 the astringent bark is employed as a remedy in fever. The bark of 0. fchrifuga 
 is considered medicinal in Java. The young shoots of C. augustlfolia are said to 
 have a strong smell of garlic. C. odorata, having an extremely straight stem and 
 a soft wood, furnishes canoes for the colony of Demerara : the Warani Indians, 
 who inhabit the swamps between the rivers in the Delta of the Orinoco, are very 
 
 1. Cetlrela Toona, Indian Muhoganij-Tree. 
 
 East Indies. 
 1a Flower, magnified. 
 1b Witkont the Petals. 
 Ic Seed-vessel. 
 Id Open, mai/niji'd. 
 1e Seed. 
 
 Swietenia Alahoyani, Mahoyany-Trr)', 
 
 West Indies. 
 ■2a Flotver, magnified. 
 2b Stamena and Pixtil. 
 2c Seed-ves.iel. 
 2d Seed. 
 2e Section. 
 
CEDRELACE.E. 
 
 exjtert in hollowing them out, frequently obtaining a canoe forty feet in length 
 and six in width. One species of Cedrela grows in the vicinity of Pekin. 
 Swieteuia Malioyani (2) was named by Jacfjuin, in honour of Gerard von Swieten, 
 who, by command of the Empress Maria Theresa, formed the Botanic Garden 
 at Vienna, Ever since its introduction into Europe in 1724:, it has Ijeen esteemed 
 the most valuable timber-tree for various kinds of furniture, being of extreme 
 durability, and capable of the finest polish ; the wood of the branches is usually 
 selected for ornamental small objects, on account of the beauty of the veining. 
 The trees abounded formerly in the forests of Jamaica, and are still used there for 
 beams and planks requiring strength ; they are found also in St. Domingo, Hon- 
 duras, and other parts of the West Indies. The Honduras IMahogany is not so 
 highly valued in general as that of Jamaica, but the wavy veining and the brighter 
 colour are very beautiful for some purposes, particularly fur i)ianofortes ; the value 
 of a single tree is sometimes as high as 2000^. The felling of the trees constitutes 
 the chief occupation of the natives, w^ho are able to recognise them by the colour 
 of the withering leaves in autumn at a great distance. After having collected a 
 sufficient store, and conveyed them with much labour to the rivers, they are floated 
 down to the coast for embarkation in ships. Q./ehn'/ur/aof the East Indies affords 
 a durable wood for the Hindoo temples : the bark yields a red dye. Soymida 
 fehn'/uf/a, the Rohuna of llindostan, and the Red-wood of Coromandel, is a 
 valuable tonic in fever in India. The bark of Chickrassia tahularis is astringent 
 without bitterness. Chloroxylon Swietenia is one of the trees which produces 
 wood-oil in India, and is the well-known satin-wood of cabinet-makers. Oxleya 
 xanthoxyla is a large tree in New South Wales, called by the natives yellow-wood. 
 The Khlaya of Senegal, the common febrifuge in the fevers of the Gambia river, 
 belongs also to this tribe. Fli'idersia of New Holland and Amboyua, and 
 Chloroxylon of the East Indies, differ from the rest of these trees in having 
 transparent glands in the leaves, containing essential oil. 
 
 The trees of this Tribe are common in the tropical regions of America and 
 India. Cedrela and Swietenia grow on the Andes at an elevation of 15UU feet : 
 they are rare in Africa and the adjoining islands. 
 
OF THE 
 UI^IVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 
 
40 
 
 
 VayScSoro-Um 
 
40 
 
 IM E L I A C E ^ 
 
 THE BE.\D-TREE TRIBE. 
 
 Trees and slirnl)s, the leaves of wliicli are alternate, occasionally nearly opposite, 
 simple or pinnate, without stipules. The flowers are sometimes imperfect in pistil 
 and stamens ; the sepals of the calyx are three, four, or five, partly united ; the petals 
 are of the same number, attached below the ovary, conniving or cohering at the 
 base. The stamens are twice as many as the petals, the filaments cohering and 
 forming a long tube, the anthers seated within the orifice of the tube, which is 
 slightly expanded and notched. The disk is often very large, surrounding the 
 ovary like a cup ; the ovary is single, having usually as many cells as the number 
 of the petals ; the style is single ; the stigmas distinct or combined. The fruit is 
 a berry, or a drupe, or a dry capsule, often one-celled ; the seeds are without 
 wings ; those of Melia and others contain fleshy albumen ; those of Trichilia and 
 a few more have none. 
 
 These trees have relation to the Soap-tree and Mahogany tribes. 
 
 Bitter, astringent, and tonic properties exist throughout the Tribe ; a few 
 species are poisonous. 
 
 Melia Azedarach (1) was not known to the ancients, but is now abundant in 
 the countries of Europe, Asia, and Africa bounding the Mediterranean ; it is a 
 tree attaining the height of forty feet in the south of France and Italy ; the foliage 
 is graceful, and the flowers abundant and elegant ; the tubular crown formed by 
 the stamens is the peculiar character. The pulp of the fruit is poisonous, although 
 some birds eat it without injurious effects. This is one of the few fruits, besides 
 the Olive, which contain oil in the pulp instead of the seed, the usual receptacle of 
 it ; in the East it is used for burning in lamps, and for other domestic purposes. 
 The ribbed seed is hard, and serves as beads for rosaries, on which account it is 
 often planted in the court of a monastery, this use giving the name to the tribe : 
 the root is bitter and nauseous, and is said to be employed medicinally in North 
 America. M. Azadirachta, the Margosa, or Nym-tree of the East Indies, attains 
 
 I. "MeMB, Azedarach. Bend-Trer. 
 
 2b Section. 
 
 Syria nnd South Europe. 
 
 2c Section of Ovary. 
 
 1a Stamens. 
 
 3. Turrsea lohata, Various-leaved Turrcra. 
 
 1b Pistil. 
 
 East Indies. 
 
 1 c Section of Fruit. 
 
 3a Stamens and Pistil. 
 
 2. Guarea tubcrculutn, Tiihrrcvlated Guana. 
 
 South America. 
 
 ■4a Ekebergia sencynlmsis, Flower. 
 4b Fruit. 
 
 2a Fruit. 
 
 r)A Seed o/"Ekebeigia indita. 
 
MELIACE.4£. 
 
 considerable dimensions, tlie branches stretching horizontally to a great distance ; 
 when planted around religious edifices, those trees form a valuable shade, and are 
 of very striking effect. The bitter juice obtained from the stem and bark is one 
 of the common medicines of Hindoo doctors ; the piilp of the fruit yields oil like 
 that of the former species, and is supposed to have properties rendering it medicinal. 
 The leaves are used generally in India for poultices. Guarea (2), so called from 
 the Cuban name, contains in the wood and bark a bitter resinons substance with 
 the odour of musk : that of C. grandifolta is highly fragrant and valued as a 
 perfume ; in general, the wood is unfit for casks, as it has the property of impart- 
 ing an extreme bitterness to the liquor contained in them. Trichilia has also a 
 powerful scent of musk ; T. speciosa yields a fragrant oil used as a remedy in 
 rheumatism. T. Catigoa imparts a bright yellow^ colour to leather. Turraea (3), 
 named after a botanist at Padua, is a genus belonging to the Islands of India. 
 A few eatable fruits are found in this tribe. The Lavgsat, much esteemed in the 
 Indian Archipelago for the cooling qualities of its watery pulp, is a sj)ecics of 
 Lansium, and the fruit, called by the natives Aijer Aijer, belongs to the same 
 genus. Milnea cdulis, of 8ilhet, is another plant affording eatable fruit. The 
 aromatic roots of Sandoricum indicum are said to possess medicinal properties. 
 The bark of Carapa gnianensis is an esteemed fever remedy in Guiana ; the oil of 
 the fruit preserves iron from rust. C. guineensis yields the useful Kundah oil, 
 which, though bitter and acrid, burns well in lamps. An odour of garlic occurring 
 in Dysoxylon and Hartiglisea is a connecting link with a few species of Cedrela 
 in the Mahogany tribe ; the Javanese lase the fruit as garlic. 
 
 The plants of this Tribe are found in almost all parts of the world ; most 
 abundantly in Asia and America ; Hartighsea exists in New Zealand ; Melia 
 Azedarach extends as far north as lat. 40^* ; beyond the Tropics the species are 
 rare. 
 
OF THE 
 
■Jrl 
 
 i#fc. 
 
 \ 
 
 ETiU 
 
 (^g 
 
 The- Orang&Trihe 
 
 Day i Son,,Lim> 
 
41 
 
 AURANTIACE.^ 
 
 THE OEANGE TRIBE. 
 
 Trees and shrubs, almost always having a smooth surface, and filled in all parts 
 with little pellucid receptacles of volatile oil. The leaves are alternate, often com- 
 pound, always articulated with the leaf-stalk, which is frequently winged ; spines 
 sometimes at the base of the leaf-stalk. The calyx is generally short, of a bell- 
 shape, soraeAvhat adhering to the disk, three or four toothed, and withering. The 
 petals are from three to five, broad at the base, either distinct, or slightly combined, 
 inserted on the outside of the disk of the ovary. The stamens are equal in number 
 to the petals, or twice as many, or some multiple of their number, inserted on the 
 same disk ; their filaments are flattened at the base, sometimes distinct, sometimes 
 slightly combined in one or several sets ; the anthers are terminal, fixed in the 
 slender summit. The ovary is many-celled, having one style surmounted by a 
 slightly-divided stigma. The fruit is pulpy, with one or more cells, the thick rind 
 sometimes separable from the cells, and full of receptacles of oil ; the cells often 
 filled with pulp. The seeds are attached to the axis, either numerous or solitary. 
 
 This tribe has several affinities with the Hue tribe, but the consolidated juicy 
 fruit forms an obvious distinction. 
 
 The chief characters of the Orange tribe are, the abundant oily receptacles dis- 
 persed over all parts of the plant, leaves articulated with their stalks, and succident 
 pulpy fruit of a golden yellow colour, containing citric and malic acid in various 
 proportions. 
 
 Citrus, being a striking genus of fruit trees dispersed over many parts of Asia, 
 and extending through the provinces of Asia Minor, towards Greece, was early 
 Icnown to the ancients under various forms ; yet none appear to have been culti- 
 vated by the Romans. It is supposed to have given the idea of the Golden 
 apples of the Hesperides, and tradition even attributes the Forbidden fruit of the 
 garden of Eden to one of its species. The numerous kinds of Citrus are remark- 
 able for their bright evergreen foliage, highly odoriferous flowers, and brilliant, 
 refreshing fruit, the rind of which is aromatic and bitter. C. mcdica, the citron 
 (2), is said to have been first introduced into Europe from Media, and cultivated 
 in Italy by Palladius in the second century. It is now grown throughout Southern 
 
 1. Citrus avraiitium, Sweet Orange. 
 
 China. 
 
 4. Cookia punctata, Wampee. 
 
 China. 
 
 1a Cross-section of Fruit. 
 
 
 4a Calyx. 
 
 
 1b Seed. 
 
 
 4b Pistil. 
 
 
 2. Citi-us mcdica, Citron. 
 
 Asia. 
 
 4c Stamen, magnified. 
 
 
 3. Citrus Limonum, Lemon. 
 
 Asia. 
 
 4u Section of Fruit. 
 
 
AURANTIACK.E. 
 
 Europe, and in the West Indies. The acidity of its Large fruit renders it unfit for 
 food until preserved with sugar. Plants of C. anrantluin, the sweet orange (1), 
 were brought to England in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, since which time it has 
 been considered tlie favourite object of interest in conservatories, although of late 
 years the great accession of exotics has in some degree displaced it. In Portugal 
 and the Azores the climate is extremely favoiu'able to it ; tlic flowers continue to 
 come forth during the summer, thus ripe fruit are mingled with them on the same 
 tree, giving it a very beautiful appearance. The produce of fruit is most abundant : 
 one tree has been known to bear 27,000 oranges in the year. C. vulgaris, the 
 Seville orange, is distinguished for the extreme bitterness of its rind. C. nohilis, 
 the Mandarin orange, is much eaten in China. The Kum-quat, Cjapouica, is 
 about the size of a gooseberry ; a small quantity are preserved in sugar at Canton. 
 Possessing the valuable property of ripening after being gathered, the orange is 
 capable of being transported to a considerable distance, and thus enjoyed in its 
 natural freshness by the inhabitants of colder climes. The perfumed oil known as 
 Bergamot is obtained from the rind of a variety of orange grown at Bergamo in 
 Italy. C. Limonum, the Lemon (3), ranks amongst the most valuable of all fruits, 
 the sharp yet agreeable acidity of the juice making it available for various useful 
 purposes. It is extensively cultivated in Sicily and other countries of the 
 Mediterranean. C deciimara, the Shaddock, the pulp of which is pink; and 
 C. Limetta, the Lime, are esteemed in the West Indies, where they have been 
 introduced from China. Gookisi punctata (4), the Wampee of China and the Isles 
 of the Indian Archipelago, commemorates the name of Captain Cook, ^gle 
 Marmelos is considered an exquisite and nutritious fruit by the Dutch in Ceylon ; 
 the root, leaves and bark afford medicine to the natives of Malabar, and the 
 astringent rind yields a yellow dye, used by the Hindoos. Feronia dephantmn is 
 the elephant apple of Coromandel ; an useful gum exudes from the bark, and the 
 wood is hard and durable. Limonia Laureola, of the Himalaya, is the only species 
 of this tribe known to inhabit lofty mountains, where the snow remains for some 
 months of the year ; its fragrant leaves are used in the religious ceremonies of the 
 natives. Glycosmis and Triphasia both jiroduce agreeable fruit. 
 
 Almost exclusively natives of the East Indies, whence some have spread over 
 Tropical countries; two or three species belong to IMadagascar; one is described 
 from the forests of the Esscquibo in South America. 
 
i 
 
 OF THE 
 
 l^vlVERSiTY Of ILLINOIS 
 

 J,i> .feJ'.TTT, ^;/7U/-*' ■ 
 
 i 
 
42 
 
 CAMELLIACE^ 
 
 THE CAMELLIA TRIBE. 
 
 Trees and shrubs ; the leaves of which are alternate, coriaceous, generally without 
 stipules, usually undivided, occasionally with pellucid dots. The flower-stalks 
 grow either from the base of the leaf-stalk, or at the ends of the branches, and are 
 jointed at their base. The flowers are generally white, sometimes red. The sepals 
 of the calyx are five, or seven, concave, coriaceous, soon falling off, the innermost 
 often the largest. The petals are five, six, or nine, not always equal in number to 
 the sepals ; often combined at their base. The stamens are many, the filaments 
 slender, united in one or many sets, or distinct ; the anthers are two-celled, opening 
 lengthwise ; the ovary contains several cells, the styles are from three to seven, 
 slender, more or less combined. The capsule is from two to seven-celled, opening 
 when ripe in various ways ; sometimes rough and leathery, and not gaping, usually 
 with a central column, to which the few large seeds are attached. 
 
 The chief known properties of this tribe are, the abundant oil contained in the 
 seeds, and the tonic astringency of Thea, combined with a fragrant and stimu- 
 lating volatile principle. 
 
 Camellia, the type of this Order, was named after Camellus, a botanist who 
 studied the plants of the Philippine Isles. C. japonica (2) and its numerous 
 varieties are amongst the most admired of shrubs, as w^ell in their native countries 
 of Japan and China as in Europe. The form and hues of the shining evergreen 
 foliage, and the delicate beauty of the white or red flowers, unite to render them 
 peculiarly attractive. Some species of Camellia are valued for more important 
 uses ; C. oleifera (1) yields froni its seeds an excellent oil, for the sake of which it 
 is extensively cultivated in China. C. Sasanqua is remarkable for the aromatic 
 fragrance of its leaf and flower-buds, which are sometimes added to tea in China. 
 The leaves of C. Kissi, growing on the moimtains of Nepal, at an elevation of 
 4000 feet, have also the flavour of tea ; the flowers are small and white ; the 
 seeds contain a large proportion of oil. 
 
 But the most valuable genus of this tribe is Thea, the Tea-plant, two species 
 
 1. Camellia ohifera, Oil-seed Camellin. China. 
 
 2. CnmeWia japonicn , Red Camellia. Japan. 
 
 2a Seed-vessel. 
 
 n. Kielmeyera rosea, Rose-coloured Kielmeyera, 
 
 Brazil. 
 oA Stamen, mai/iiified. 
 3b Pistil. 
 
 3o Cross-section of Ovary. 
 3d Seed-vessel. 
 
 i. Thea Bohea, Black Tea-plant. Chma. 
 
 S. Stiiartia pentaj/i/na (Malochodendron ova- 
 tuvi). North America. 
 
 5a Pistils and Stamen. 
 
CAMELLIACE/E. 
 
 of which, T. Bohea (4) and T. viridis, both in a wild and cultivated state, are 
 spread over a wide district in Asia, extending from 17*^ to 31^' of N. latitude in 
 China, and in the Islands of Japan as far north as 41*^. The tea plantations are 
 generally situated on the lower fertile slopes of the hills ; the shrubs yield three 
 crops of leaves in the year, the gathering and manufacture of which employs an 
 immense number of the Chinese; and the jicasants in the Tea country have each 
 their small tea plantation, as the English have their cabbage garden, and the Irish 
 their potato field. In favourable localities in the Himalayas, the culture of Tea is 
 now increasing with considerable success. The transportation of this curious 
 prejiaration of a plant, so singularly restricted in its native place of growth, to all 
 parts of the civilized world, forms a very valuable branch of commarce. T. assamica 
 is a species of late years discovered in Assam, flourishing abundantly in the shade 
 of dense forests, on the borders of rivers and lakes, and also on hills of 700 feet 
 elevation. Its cultivation is already becoming a profitable object of labour, and in 
 due time it may, in all probaliility, yield a plentiful addition to the stores of that 
 innocuous and most grateful of vegetable productions, which by its diffusion in 
 every land, seems mercifully destined to cheer and refresh all classes of mankind. 
 The seeds of T. oleosa yield an oil much used in Canton and Macao for economical 
 purposes. Kielmeyera is a genus inhabiting the region between 12° of S. latitude, 
 and the tropic of Capricorn, in South America. K. rosea (3) is one of the most 
 beautiful of the species, growing in oj^en mountain fields, 3000 feet above the sea, 
 in the province of JMinas Geraes, in Brazil. The mucilaginous loaves of K. speciosa 
 are used medicinally by the Brazilians. Ternstroemia, Caraipa and others are 
 found growing chiefly on the river banks of Guiana; some are tall trees with 
 fragrant flowers. Anneslea fragrans is a tree of the East Indies, with smooth 
 grey branches, and sweet-scented white flowers. Eurya acuminata grows on the 
 Himalayas, at an elevation of G500 feet, among Oaks and Rhododendrons. The 
 bark of Gordonia is used for tanning in the United States. Some s^iecies exist 
 in Jamaica. 
 
 The greatset j)ortion of the finest trees and shrubs of this Tribe are to be 
 found in South America, although those best known in Europe are from China 
 and North America. A few only are natives of Asia ; one belongs to Africa. 
 
UBRARY 
 OF THE 
 UMIVFRJ^ITV fit 
 
They Olaa> Tnb& 
 
 Da^ &Son>,Limiffdj 
 
43 
 
 OLACACE^. 
 
 THE OLAX TRIBE. 
 
 Trees and shrubs, often having spines. The leaves are alternate, simple, rarely 
 compound, entire at the edges, without stipules ; occasionally wanting. The 
 flowers are small, growing from the base of the leaf-stalks, often sweet-scented ; 
 the calyx is small, entire or slightly toothed, often becoming enlarged and fleshy. 
 The petals are four or six, somewhat leathery, attached to the base of the ovary, 
 valvate in the bud, either altogether separate or cohering in paii's by means of the 
 stamens ; the central vein of the petals is usually hairy or furrowed. The stamens 
 generally not all perfect ; the imperfect are opposite the petals, to which they in 
 part adhere ; the perfect are alternate with the petals and cohere with them ; the 
 anthers are oblong, two -celled, and burst longitudinally. The ovary is free or 
 partially adherent to the calyx, placed in a disk which is sometimes thickened and 
 united with the calyx, one-celled, or imperfectly three or four-celled ; containing 
 one, two, or three ovules. The style is slender, the stigma simple, the fruit some- 
 what drupaceous, not gaping, often invested by the enlarged calyx, one-celled, and 
 one-seeded; the seed is pendulous, and contains abundant fleshy albumen. 
 
 This small Tribe appears to have most affinity with the Orange and the Rue 
 Tribes. 
 
 These plants are harmless ; some are eatable. 
 
 Olax is said to have derived the name from the Greek for a furrow, such a 
 line being generally found along the centre of the petals : others suppose it was 
 adopted from the native name of Mcela-liola in Ceylon, signifying Salad-tree, 
 Olax zeijlanka being there used as a herb for salads, and esteemed for that 
 purpose, although the wood has an unpleaisant odour. Olax stricta (1) is of a 
 stiff upright nature ; the opened corolla shows the five imperfect rudiments of 
 stamens besides the three perfect filaments bearing anthers. 0. scandens is a 
 climbing shrubby plant brought from the East Indies in 1820. O. psittacornm 
 was named Bois de Perroquet by the French colonists in the Isle de Bourbon, 
 from observing the extreme fondness of parrots for the fn;it, which resembles 
 an olive in size. 
 
 1. 
 
 Olax stricta, Upright Olax. 
 1a Flower magnified. 
 
 ■-2. Heisteria coccinca. Scarlet Heisteria. 
 
 West Indies 
 
 
 li! Floirer opened. 
 Ic Ovary and Pistil. 
 
 3. Xiraonia Americana, American Ximcnin. 
 
 America and Senegal 
 
 
 In Fruit. 
 
 4a. Apodytes dimidiata. Flower opened. 
 
 
 1e Section. 
 
 4b Ovary and Pistil. 4c Section of Ovary. 
 
OLACACE^. 
 
 ITeisteria coccinea (2) is a native of the dense woods which border the rivers 
 in tlie ishind of Martinique, flowering in Febriiary and March, and ripening the 
 fruit in June. Tlie effect then is very singuhir, the enlarged red calyxes remaining 
 with the fruit, which is a favourite food of doves, but does not seem to be eaten 
 by man. The trees attain a height of twenty feet, and are much branched ; the 
 flowers are small and inconspicuous, scarcely visible amidst the large leaves at the 
 base of which they grow. Ximenia Americana (3) is a tree bearing fruit like a 
 plum in form, with a thin yellow pulp, of a sweet and sul}acid flavour, esteemed 
 in Senegal by natives and children, but, like many of the inferior fruits of the 
 Tropics, rough to the taste. The small white flowers are not of much beauty, but 
 extremely fragrant, scenting the woods of St. Domingo, Carthagena, and INIinas 
 Geraes in Brazil, confirming the theory from experiments made by Schiibler and 
 Kohler, that white flowers are the most frequently odoriferous. lacina Senegalensis 
 forms a connecting link with the Orange Tribe, from its general habit of growth, 
 and its glandular disk ; the stem and branches are thorny, the fruit yellow when 
 ripe, and of agreeable flavour. 
 
 The few trees and shrubs of this Tribe belong entirely to the Tropics, or those 
 countries immediately adjoining ; existing in the East Indies, Africa, South 
 America, and New Holland; one only is known in the West Indies. 
 
Of wt 
 
 'vrpSWI OF ILUr-OlS 
 
u 
 
 "V 
 
 >.0 
 
 4-a, 
 
 TdeL 
 
 
 Poy &■ SarvLinuie 
 
4:1 
 
 R U T A C E vE 
 
 THE RUE TRIBE. 
 
 Trees and shruLs, and some herbaceous plants : the leaves are opposite or 
 alternate, simple or pinnate, covered with minute pellucid dots, without stipules. 
 The flowers are on terminal stalks, or grow from the base of the leaf-stalks, are 
 perfect, regular or irregular ; the calyx has either four or five divisions ; the petals 
 are either as many as the divisions of the calyx and distinct, or combined into a 
 monopetalous corolla, or occasionally absent. The stamens are equal in number to 
 the petals, or t^^^ce or thrice as many, usually growing from the base of the ovary, 
 placed outside the disk which surrounds it ; either free or united with the base of 
 the petals. The ovary is surmounted by a single style and a simple or dilated 
 stigma. The fruit consists of several carpels cohering firmly, or more or less 
 distinct ; the seeds two or solitary ; those of Ruta and its immediate allies contain 
 albumen ; those of Diosma and its allies have none. 
 
 The abundant oily receptacles of these plants connect them with the Orange 
 tribe, but the dry separable fruit forms an obvious distinction. 
 
 An essential oil of ])o\verful odour, and an extreme bitterness, are the pre- 
 vailing properties of the Rue tribe. 
 
 The derivation of Euta is unknown, but the name is nearly the same in all 
 languages. Ruta graveolens (1) is a herb of ancient fame and repute for its 
 medicinal qualities ; in the time of Hippocrates it was highly esteemed ; for many 
 ages it was supposed to prevent contagion, and was called the herb of grace ; 
 in the days of Shakspeare it was considered emblematical of repentance, pro- 
 bably owing to its bitterness. The leaves have an exceedingly unpleasant odour, 
 and an acrid taste ; the petals vary from four to five. For medicinal use it is 
 now, like many other European plants, superseded by foreign species : none 
 possess any beauty of flower, except R. dlhiflora of the mountains of Nepal, 
 
 J . Huta ijravfiolens, Common Rue. 
 
 y. 
 
 Boronia crenulata, Notched-leaved Boroniu. 
 
 South Europe. 
 
 
 Australia. 
 
 1a Floiier. 
 
 
 3a Stamen. 3b Pistil and Nectaries. 
 
 1b Ovary and Pistil. 
 
 
 3c Leaf, magnified. 
 
 1 c Stamen. 
 
 •4. 
 
 Dictamnus Fraxinella, Red Frnxinclla. 
 
 2. Adcnandra xtnijlora, Onc-JloweredAdenandra. 
 
 
 4a Seed-vessels. Geriuiiuy. 
 
 Cape of Good Hope. 
 
 
 -Ib Carpel, open. 4c Seed. 
 
 2a Piftil, Stamens, and Nectaries. 
 
 
 4d Glandular hairs, vuu/nified. 
 
 2b Seed-vessel. 
 
 5. 
 
 Erytlirochitou Brusiliensis, Brazilian Ery- 
 
 2c Section. 
 
 
 throchiton. Brazil. 
 
RUTACEiE. 
 
 t'liipkiyed by tlie natives medicinally. R. vwntana, a Spanish plant, is so ex- 
 cessively acrid that it blisters the hands of those who gather it through the 
 thickest gloves. Adonandra iinijhra (2) was amongst the first plants brought 
 from the Cape ; the anthers are glandular, and between each is a stalked nectary ; 
 in many respects it closely resembles Diosma, a geniis of plants called by the 
 natives Bucku, partaking of the strong disagreeable scent peculiar to many of 
 this tribe, but said to be thought agreeable by the Plottentots. Boronia cremtlata 
 (o) is one of the numerous sjiecies which abound in New Holland, of pleasing 
 aspect, but little value for useful purposes. Dictamnus FraxincUa (4), a native of 
 Germany, was early introduced to English gardens, and admired for its grateful 
 aromatic odour, derived from the numerous glands containing volatile oil, especially 
 on the flower-stalks ; the root was formerly thought valuable as a medicine : this 
 species is also a native of the Altai mountains. D. Ilimalaijanus belongs to the 
 Himalayas. Erythrochiton Brasillensis was found by Martins in Brazil, conse- 
 quently requires the protection of a hothouse in this climate. Several plants of 
 this tribe are valuable for their febrifugal bark ; Ticorea fehrifuga is one of the 
 most powerful remedies in the intermittent fevers of Brazil. The bark of 
 Esenbeckia/eZ;r?/i/ryfa is said to rival that of Cinchona, and is supposed to afford 
 the medicines so much esteemed by the Brazilian miners. Hortia has nearly 
 similar properties. A species of Galipea yields the famous bark known to the 
 Spanish missionaries in Guiana for its beneficial effect in the most malignant 
 fevers. The leaves of some plants in this tribe are made by infusion to supply 
 both medicine and beverage ; those of Ticorea ja&minijiora are used for the 
 former, those of Correa aiha for a kind of tea by the colonists in New Holland. 
 The leaves of Haplophyllum hihemdatum are employed by the Avomen in Egypt 
 to form a wash for the hair. It may be remarked of this tribe, as of several others 
 60 "widely dispersed, that the species on the limits of its geographical distribution in 
 cool climates, possess only slightly developed properties, and are of comjiaratively 
 little value to man ; Avhilst those plants which are natives of the hot regions have 
 powerful properties, rendering them extremely valuable to the inhabitants of the 
 countries where they grow. 
 
 This Tribe is dispersed in every quarter of the globe ; some species extend 
 over the southern portion of the Temperate zone, Ruta and Dictamnus advance into 
 the south of Europe. Diosma and its immediate allies abound at the Cape of 
 Good Hope ; Boronia, Correa, and others, are natives of Australia ; Cusparia and 
 several more inhabit the equinoctial regions of America. 
 
OP THE 
 UNIVERSITY 0^ li.[!N0!3 
 
4-6 
 
 The- i^iuissKJuTnic' 
 
\ 
 
45 
 
 SIMARUBACE.E. 
 
 THE QUASSIA TRIBE. 
 
 Trees and shrubs ; the leaves are alternate, usually compound, occasionally simple, 
 without dots. The flowers are at the ends of the branches, or grow from the base 
 of the leaf-stalk ; the petals are green, whitish, or red ; the stamens and pistils are 
 sometimes in separate flowers. The calyx is small, thick, parted into four or five 
 divisions at the top ; the petals are of the same number, much longer than the 
 calyx, generally combined into a tube at the base, spreading or twisted ; usually of 
 a greenish hue, white or red. The stamens are usually ten, each arising from the 
 back of a hairy scale growing at the base of the pistil, five generally losing their 
 anthers before the rest. The ovary is four or five lobed, placed on a stalk, from 
 the base of which the stamens arise ; it has four or five cells, each cell containing 
 one ovule ; the style is simple ; the stigma occasionally four or five lobed. The 
 fruit consists of four or five drupes arranged around a common receptacle, not 
 gaping when ripe. The seeds are pendulous, with a membranous covering, and 
 contain no albumen. 
 
 These plants have affinity with the Eue tribe, but may be readily distinguished 
 by the want of dots in the leaves, and by the seed-vessels remaining closed. 
 
 An intense bitterness in all the parts is their chief characteristic. 
 
 The name Quassia was adopted from that of the Indian who first discovered 
 the bitter qualities of these plants, and employed them successfully as a remedy in 
 the fevers of Surinam. Simaruba officinalis (1), or Quassia amara, as it was 
 formerly called, is a shrub ten feet high, with grey bark, of beautiful appearance 
 when covered with its spikes of red flowers. It possesses the bitter property in an 
 excessive degree, especially in the root, but combined with other qualities that are 
 now supposed to render it injurious as medicine. Small cylindrical chips of the 
 white root were at one period imported in considerable quantities from Surinam ; 
 of late years the traffic has diminished. An infusion of the flowers is still taken 
 by the natives medicinally. The chief use of Quassia in this country is as a 
 poison for flies and other insects ; also as an illegal substitute for hops in making 
 beer. Some botanical travellers have supposed the Quassia chips are obtained 
 from Picroena excelsa ; that, however, appears to be of inferior quality. S. amara 
 
 1. ^imarnhsiofficuiuHs, Bitter Quassia. Guiana. 
 '-1. Saniadera indicu, Indian Crown-Nut. 
 
 Sandy Shores of Malabar and Ceylon. 
 
 ■•2 a Flower. 
 
 2b Fruit. 2c Nut. 
 
 Oa. Simaba v«'«'"'"S's. Guiana. 
 
 Stamens and three of the Petals, 
 '•in Pistil and two Stamens. 
 3c Seed-vessels. 
 
SIMARUBACEyE. 
 
 is fi'eqiiently used as medicine in the West Indies ; the natives of Cayenne take a 
 decoction of the bark as a common remedy in fever ; the wood has the same 
 properties, hut less powerful ; it is described by Sir Robert Schombnrgk as similar 
 to the White Pine. S. versicolor, called Paraiba by the Brazilians, is so exceed- 
 ingly bitter that it is secure from the attacks of insects, not only in a fresh state, 
 but even when dried in an herbarium. This bitter princi^ile in plants appears to 
 be one of the most perfectly retained, as may be observed in the cominou British 
 Wormwood, on brealcing or lightly moving portions of this herb after having been 
 preserved in a dry state for many months, the minute particles ascend directly, and 
 will be perceived in their full bitterness of flavoi;r on the lips. It is said that the 
 wood of this tribe is unfit for burning on account of the air becoming impregnated 
 with a bitter smoke, and travellers have related that food cooked at a fire made of 
 such fuel is unwholesome. 8amadera inclica (2), the Kroon-nooten of the Dutch 
 traveller and naturalist, Van Rhecde, affords the Niepa bark used by Indians as a 
 febrifuge. The name is very descriptive of the growth of the cluster of fruit. The 
 w^ood is white and l)itter, as usual in this tribe ; the bark black ; the stem reaches 
 about thirty-five feet in height. The petals are red above, yellow or white beneath. 
 Each fruit contains one nut; the pulp is extremely bitter, and is. considered good 
 as medicine, although not as food. Nima qiiassioides is well known in northern 
 India for its medicinal properties. Simaba (3), Brucea, and Sumatrana, in their 
 qualities resemble Quassia. 
 
 The Tropics of Asia, Africa, and America, are the regions favourable to this 
 Tribe ; Nima belongs to the Himalayas. 
 
OF THE 
 
 ^^RSiTY Of \ium\s 
 
ir, 
 
 'Q^IA\ k 
 
 w«r/ ^ 
 
 ^'\ //■' 
 
 ■ W^H/j 
 
 
 M 
 
 Zh 2c 2i 2^ 
 
 
 hi del 
 
 They Sanyydo' Triie 
 
 3o 
 
 Day Sc'SoH/.. 
 
4(i 
 
 SAMYDACEiE 
 
 THE SAMYDA TRIBE. 
 
 Trees and shrubs ; the leaves are alternate, on short stalks, simple, entire at the 
 edges or toothed, evergreen, with stipnles at their l)ase ; usually having pellucid 
 dots and small oblong lines. The flower-stalks grow from the base of the leaf- 
 stalks, and are solitary or numerous ; the calyx has four or five sepals more or less 
 cohering at their base, usually coloured inside, and folded over each other in the 
 bud ; the petals are wanting. The stamens arise from the tube of the calyx, and 
 are two, three, or four times as many as the sepals ; the filaments are united at the 
 base, and either all bear anthers, or are alternately shorter and surmounted by a 
 tuft of hairs; the anthers are erect and ovate, two-celled. The ovary is above the 
 calyx, one-celled ; the style single and thread-like ; the stigma capitate or slightly 
 lobed ; the ovules many, attached to plates on the sides of the ovary. The capsule 
 is leathery, with one cell and three or five valves, many-seeded, the valves gaping 
 imperfectly when ripe, often somewhat pulpy within. The seeds are fixed irregu- 
 larly on the yalves, with a fleshy fringed covering ; they contain ol\y or fleshy 
 albimien. 
 
 This small tribe has a few points of affinity with several others, but it is easily 
 distinguished by the mingling of round and oblong pellucid dots on the leaves. 
 
 The bark and leaves have slightly astringent properties. 
 
 Samyda was named from the Greek of the Birch, which it resembles partly in 
 the manner of growth of the branches ; it was introduced into this country from 
 the West Indies before the end of the last century, but it is seldom seen in our 
 conservatories ; the species are of slow growth and have not gained much favour, 
 although graceful in habit and of delicately coloured foliage : the calyx of S. rosea 
 (1) assumes the form and hue of petals, and gives a pleasing appearance to the 
 plant, Casearia grandijiora (2) is one of the common plants of Brazil ; the leaves 
 are covered on the lower surface with a dense yellowish down, the prominent nerve 
 is also downy on the upper surface ; the calyx is clothed with yellowish hairs. 
 This species has the largest flowers among the genus, but it does not rank high 
 
 ]. Samyda rosea, Rose-coloured S>nni/(la. 
 
 2e Seed-vessel. 
 
 
 West Indies. 
 
 2f Seed and Aril. 
 
 
 2. Casearia grandijiora, Lar<je -flowered Case- 
 
 2g Section of Seed. 
 
 
 aria. Minas Geraes, Brazil. 
 
 •'!. Pitumba tfuianensis. 
 
 (jiiiaiia. 
 
 2a Portion of cahjx, opened. 
 
 3a Seed-vessel, opened. 
 
 
 2b Stamen. 2c Pistil. 
 
 3b Section showing Seeds, 
 
 
 2d Section of Ovary. 
 
 3c Seed. 
 
 
SAMYDACE^. 
 
 for beauty of aspect. The alternate filaments bearing no anthers, appear to indicate 
 affinity with the rays of the crijwn of Passion-flowers : the finely fi'inged aril of 
 the seed is a enrions appendage ; the meadows of IMinas Geraes afford a locality 
 suitable to this species. In that part of the same province, called Distrito dos 
 diamantes, on the rocks bounding the Rio Pardo, is found another species, C. ada- 
 mantiinim, the small ovate leaves of which are excessively hairy. C. ulviifoHa is 
 valued by the Brazilians as an antidote to the bite of poisonous snakes ; they also 
 boil the leaves to heal wounds, and employ the juice as a medicine. A decoction 
 of C. lingua is used as a remedy in malignant fevers and other disorders. The 
 acrid yet mucilaginous bark of C. astringens is also considered to have peculiarly 
 healing properties. C. Anavinga yields a medicine from its pulpy fruit, and the 
 bitter leaves are thought efficacious in baths. The root of C. esculenta is too 
 bitter for food, but serves as medicine, and the foliage is eaten. Pitumba guian- 
 ensis (3) is a small tree, seven or eight feet in height, growing on the margins of 
 fields in (luiana : the Caribbean name, Pitumba-rana, was adopted by Aublet, one 
 of the first French botanists who explored the country ; the fruit contains many 
 irregularly shaped seeds. 
 
 This Tribe belongs entirely to the Tropical regions of the world ; the South 
 American species are most abundant ; those of Asia and Africa are few and little 
 known. 
 
OF THE 
 
 v OF 11! i^on 
 
TieL 
 
 Th&J5zL£kthomyIhh& 
 
 Voy &>Son^Zi7n2iei' 
 
47 
 
 R H A M N A C E ^, 
 
 THE BUCKTHORN TRIBE. 
 
 Trees and shrubs, which are often spiny ; leaves simple, alternate, very seldom 
 opposite, occasionally having minnte stipules. Flowers small, generally green, 
 gro^ving either from the base of the leaf-stalk, or at the ends of the branches, 
 sometimes not containing both stamens and pistils, the calyx is four or five cleft, 
 the petals are distinct, hooded, or twisted, inserted into the orifice of the calyx, 
 occasionally wanting. The stamens are five, placed opposite the petals, the fi'uit 
 is fleshy and whole as in Ehamnus, or dry and separating into three divisions, 
 as in Ceanothns, the seeds are erect with fleshy albumen. 
 
 The bark and berries of Rhamnus contain dyeing properties, as w-ell as me- 
 dicinal remedies. 
 
 This Order has affinity mth Byttneriaceai. 
 
 Ehamnus is supposed to be named from the old Celtic w'ord ram, signifying 
 branching, a derivation which may be traced in several modern languages ; in 
 old French it is called reim, and the arms of the city of Rheims are two branches 
 intertwined. The berries of several species have medicinal properties, those of 
 Rhamnus Frangula (1) are used in an unripe state for dyeing wool yellow and 
 green ; when ripe, they yield a blue colour : the bark also dyes yellow and black. 
 The flowers are peculiarly grateful to bees ; goats and sheep are fond of the leaves. 
 The berries of R. cathartica yield likewise a yellow dye, as well as medicine ; the 
 ripe jiiice, when prepared with alum, is the < sap green of painters; later in the 
 autumn, a purple dye is obtained from them, the colouring matter appai-ently being 
 influenced by the state of maturity of the fruit. R. saxatills is one of the plants 
 employed to dye morocco leather yellow. R. virgatus grows plentifully on the 
 Himalaya, and would doubtless yield from its abundant berries a valuable dye to 
 the natives. R. Alaternus is a hardy evergreen shrub, common in European 
 gardens, the glossy foliage forming rapidly a close and sheltering hedge ; the 
 honey -bearing flowers are much frequented by bees. The wood of several sj^ecies 
 is compact and durable, that of R. li/cioides is selected by the Mongols to make 
 their images, on account of its hardness and orange red colour. 
 
 1. 
 
 Rhamnus Frangula, Aider 
 
 Buchthoni, 
 
 '■\x Flower, magnified. 
 
 
 1a Berry. 
 
 England. 
 
 3b Seed-vesKel. 
 
 
 1b Seed. 
 
 
 4. Ceanothns nziirea, Bine Ceanothns. Mexico. 
 
 2. 
 
 Zizyphus lotli.i, Lote-trei: 
 
 Africa. 
 
 4a Flower wilhout the Stamens. 
 
 3. 
 
 Paliunis auslralis, Ckrist's 
 
 -Thorn. 
 
 4b Pistil and Stamens. 
 
 
 
 South p^uropc. 
 
 5a. Section of Frnit o/" Zizyphus Baclei. 
 
RHAMNACEiE. 
 
 Zizyitlnis derives its name from the Araliie, the fruit is destitute of any strong 
 medicinal qualities, and is often eatable and wholesome. Z. Lotus (2) is the true 
 Lotus fruit of the Lotophagi, and is still eaten hy the Arabs of Barbary. 
 Travellers in Africa have found it growing in different countries ; Mungo Park 
 describes the fruit as delicious, and relates the manner in which the natives made a 
 kind of bread of the dried and pounded fruit, separating the farinaceous portion 
 from the stone, mixing it with water, and making it into thin cakes, which when 
 dried in the sun reseml»le gingerbread in flavour and colour. From the fi'uit of 
 Z. Jnjnhd and Z. vulgaris the well-known Jujube lozenges for coughs are pre- 
 pared. The berries of several other species are eaten by the natives of India and 
 China ; those of Z. Badei are considered poisonous by the Negroes of the Gambia, 
 but they make a land of wine from the fruit of Z. orthocanthus. 
 
 Paliurus australis (3) is a remarkably beautiful tree, the pliant branches with 
 their strong thorns and delicate flowers bending gracefully downwards ; the singular 
 shape of the seed-vessel has caused it to be named by the French porte-diapeau. 
 It is generally believed to be the plant of which Christ's crown of thorns was made, 
 as it abounds in Judea, and from the nature of the branches is peculiarly fitted 
 to be woven into any form. 
 
 Ceanothus is a genus named by Theophrastus ; C, americana is called New 
 Jersey Tea, from the leaves being dried and nsed as Tea in Carolina ; the root 
 yields a buff dye for wool. Two species of Berchemia are employed medicinally 
 by the Chinese. The acrid root of Discaria feJmfuga affords a remedy in the 
 fevers of Brazil. Hovenia dnln's is remarkable for the enlarged and esculent 
 flower-stalks, which after the petals are fallen, become filled with a red pulp, and 
 are esteemed as a fruit in China. Sageretia Theezans has aromatic leaves which 
 serve as Tea to the poor Chinese. 
 
 This Tribe is found in nearly every part of the world, except in the Arctic 
 Zone. The largest portion is said to be dispersed through the hottest countries of 
 the United States, the south of Europe, the north of Africa, Persia, India, the 
 Cape of Good Hope, and New Holland. A few genera appear to be limited to 
 ]iarticular countries, as Ceanothus to N. America, Phylica to the Cape, Cryptandra 
 and Pomaderris to New Holland. 
 
OF THE 
 
 -Y OF ILLirJOiS 
 
4S 
 
 IXdeL 
 
 Th^yIi.crparitine/-Tree^TrilfC. 
 
48 
 
 TEREBINTHACE^ 
 
 THE TURPENTINE-TREE TRIBE. 
 
 Trees and shrubs abounding with resinous gummy sap, or a milky caustic juice ; 
 the leaves are alternate, simple or compound, without stipules, and having no 
 pellucid dots. The flowers grow either at the ends of the branches or from the 
 base of the leaf-stalk. The stamens and pistil are seldom perfect in the same 
 flower ; the calyx is usually small and persistent, with five or seven divisions ; 
 sometimes the sepals are united, and it falls off. The petals are equal in number 
 to the segments of the calyx, attached to its fleshy disk, occasionally wanting. The 
 stamens are equal in niimber to the petals and alternate with them, growing 
 separately from the disk, or cohering at their base when the disk is absent. The 
 ovary is generally one-celled, having an ovule attached to its base by a cord; it is 
 surmounted by one style, or three or foiir, and as many stigmas. The fruit is 
 most commonly a drupe ; the seed contains no albiimen. 
 
 This Tribe has some affinity with the Walnut tribe, although the flowers 
 are disposed differently. 
 
 A resinous, acrid, and extremely poisonous juice prevails in these plants. 
 
 Pistacia Terehinthus (1) is the tree which yields the celebrated Cypress Tur- 
 pentine, a limpid balsamic resin, remarkable for its fragrance. Incisions being 
 made in the bark, the turpentine exudes during the night, and is collected in the 
 morning before sunrise ; the produce is extremely small, consequently it is very 
 costly, and it is liable to be mixed with other turpentine. P. Lentiscus affords the 
 more abundant Mastick, which, flowing from transverse wounds made in the trunk, 
 concretes on the ground, and is gathered up for iise ; it was formerly much em- 
 ployed as a medicine, and is still esteemed by the Turks and Armenians. P. 
 atlantica yields the same kind of resin. The fruit of P. vera is the eatable 
 Pistacia-nut, once much used in cookery, but now of little value. Anacardium 
 occidentale (2) is a ciirious example of an apparent fruit farmed by an enlarged 
 fleshy stalk. The name was given on account of the heart-shape of the nut wliicli 
 is attached to the end, and remains without exterior covei'ing. Between the shell 
 
 1. 
 
 Pistacia Terehinthus, Turpentine Tree. 
 
 5 A. 
 
 Pistacia atlantica. Pistil flower. 
 
 
 1a Seed. South Ei;ropp. 
 
 
 5b Ovary and Pistil. 
 
 o_ 
 
 Anacardium occidentale, Cashew Nut. 
 
 Ca. 
 
 I'istacia vera. Section of Seed. 
 
 
 2\ Section of Seed. West Indies. 
 
 7a. 
 
 Rhus lasiocarpa. Fruit, 
 
 3. 
 
 Mangifera indica. Mango Tree. East Indies. 
 
 8a. 
 
 Melanorrhoja glalira. Calyx. 
 
 4. 
 
 IMelam rrhica usitata, T'amish Tree. 
 
 
 Ru Flower. 8c Stamen. 
 
 
 ix Section of Fruit. Martahan. 
 
 
 Hd Ovary and Pistil. 
 
TEREBINTHACEiE. 
 
 and the kernel there is a thick caustic oil, blistering the skin if incautiously 
 touched : the natives use it for preserving wood from decay ; the fresh kernels are 
 of delicious flavour when young ; in an older state, they are generally roasted, and 
 if mixed with cocoa, make an excellent chocolate. The pulpy part, or apple, has 
 an agreeable acid taste, and is eaton in the West Indies either fresh or roasted ; the 
 juice is fermented for wine, or distilled for a spirit. From the stem a milky lirpiid 
 is obtained, which marks linen with an indelible black ; also a fine semi-transparent 
 gum exudes from the bark. Spondias, a Greek name for Plum, is applied to a 
 genus bearing eatable fruit called Hog-plums in the West Indies ; the thin yellow 
 pul]i covering the large fibrous stone has a sweet scent and not unpleasant flavour. 
 Cuttings of these trees grow so readily, that in St. Domingo hedges made of them 
 take root and produce flowers and fruit in the course of a few months. S. dnlcis 
 is cultivated in the islands of the Pacific Ocean for the sake of the fruit, and is 
 known as the Otahcite Apple. ]\Iangifera (3), or Mango, the native name, is a 
 large spreading tree, producing one of the most esteemed fruits of the East. In 
 this country, we know it only in a green state, pickled. When fully ripe, the soft 
 pulji is filled with an agreeable and wholesome juice ; the fruit as well as the shell 
 within is of a kidney shape ; in size and quality, it varies as much as the European 
 a])ple. Among the drawings of the late INIr. Longcroft, already alluded to, a 
 Mango Grove, near Lahore, gives a noble idea of these majestic trees. 
 I\lelanorrhoea (4) is described by Dr. Wallich as one of the most valual)le trees 
 of the East, forming, together with Teak and Saul, extensive forests. The stem 
 attains thirty or forty feet before branching ; it contains throughoiit a thick viscid 
 grey juice, which on exposure to the air changes to black ; one tree yields about 
 121bs. in the year. This abundant and cheap varnish is employed either pure or 
 coloured for all kinds of boats, and for vessels to contain anything liquid or solid ; 
 it is besides much used by the Burmese in gilding their idols, and for religious 
 writings on ivory. The points of the calyx remaining united, it falls off, after 
 which the jietals expand and enlarge considerably ; as the seed ripens, they acquire 
 a brown colour. Semecarpus and other genera yield also a valuable varnish in 
 Silhet and China. Schinus is a very graceful shrub, with slender pinnated leaves, 
 growing near the shore in Teueriffe, and on the Andes at an elevation of 8000 feet. 
 Rhus is most kno^^^l in Europe as the Sumach, an alteration of its Arabic name. 
 R. vernix is the Japanese varnish with which almost everything is coated in 
 Japan. 
 
 The Tropics are the chief station of the Tribe. Pistacia inhabits the south 
 of Europe and the Levant. Rhus is most extensively dispersed, being found in 
 Northern India, in South Africa, in North America, and south of Europe. 
 Duvaua and Schinus belong to Chile ; no species have yet been discovered in 
 Australia. 
 
OF THE 
 
 ;^V OF ILimOlS 
 

 u. 
 
 '9 
 
 
 TICLV& '^■' '''^' 
 
49 
 
 LECtUMINOS^ 
 
 THE PEA TRIBE. 
 
 Trees,- shrubs, and herbaceous plants, of extremely various aspect. The leaves 
 are alternate, generally compound, having a pair of stipules at the base of the leaf- 
 stalk, and at each leaflet. The flowers are usually papilionaceous, some are 
 spreading and regular ; the calyx is below the ovary, five parted, often unequally 
 so, the odd segment placed in front. The petals are five, inserted into the base of 
 the calyx, the upper one forming the standard, the one on either side the wings, 
 the two lower combined into the keel, enclosing the stamens and pistil. The 
 stamens are of definite or indefinite number, iisually attached to the calyx, either 
 distinct or united into one or two sets, very rarely into three. The pistil is simple, 
 one-celled, one or many-seeded, commonly consisting of a single carpel, occasion- 
 ally of more ; the style and stigma are simple. The fruit is a legume, or a drupe, 
 as in Dipterix (11) ; the seeds are fixed to the upper seam, solitary or several, 
 without albuinen. 
 
 This Tribe has most affinity -sA-ith Rosacese ; the position of the odd lobe of the 
 calyx and the leguminous seed-vessel are distinguishing characters. 
 
 This remarkable Tribe is amongst the most important to man, contributing a 
 large portion of embellishment to the earth, yielding excellent timber, the most 
 useful of all dyes, indigo and logwood, bark for tanning, gums, resins, balsams, 
 medicines, and although in general containing deleterious juices, yet many species 
 afford an abundant supply of wholesome nutriment in the pulse of the seeds to men 
 and animals. The seed-vessel is developed in diverse forms of pod : in some of 
 the South American trees it is of enormous size and solid woody substance ; when 
 ripe, bursting, and the large seeds falling to the ground with considerable noise. 
 Pisum sativtim (1) is of ancient renown and extended use throughout Europe. 
 Trifolium (2) was known to the Greeks, and has ever been esteemed as food for 
 cattle. Several kinds of Vetch are valuable as fodder. Spartium (3) is one of 
 the most ornamental of European shrubs, adorning the wildest ground with its 
 
 1. Pisum S'ltiviim, Eatable Pea. S. Europe. 
 
 2. Trifolium pralenxe, Purple Clover. Britain, 
 n. S^pSLVtmrnscoparhmijComnion Broom. Britain. 
 4. Tetragonolobus ediilis, Whii/cd Pea. Sicily, 
 f). Robinia hispida. Rose Acacia. Carolina. 
 
 5a Floiver, separated. 
 (i, Alexandra imperatrlcis. Guiana. 
 
 Ca Section of Ovary. 
 
 7. 
 
 Acacia Soplioree. Tasmania. 
 
 
 7a Stamen Flower. 7b Siamen. 
 
 8. 
 
 Cassia Justralis. Australia. 
 
 
 8a Stamen. 8b Pistil. 
 
 9. 
 
 Wistaria sinensi.i China. 
 
 10. 
 
 Clitoria Tirnatea. ^Moluccas. 
 
 11. 
 
 Drupe (if Dipterix. Toni/a, Frni/rant Tonya 
 Bean. 
 
 \-> 
 
 Se'-d-vessel of 'SlciWcn.gO lupulina. 
 
 
 V 
 
LEGUMINOSiE. 
 
 golden flowers, rivalled only by the still more hardy Ulex, the Furze, which is, 
 however, of more limited distribution. The species of Spartium called Rctama, 
 nine feet in height, covers the sandy ridges of the Peak of Teneriffe at an elevation 
 of OOoO feet, until the barren pumice and lava impede vegetation ; the flowers are 
 highly odoriferous, and the fine brown goats that feed on it are considered of very 
 superior quality. The ^Vinged Pea (4) was formerly eaten by the peasants of 
 Sicily and Spain. Tiobinia hispida (o) is a beautiful, but very fragile shrub ; a 
 variety with tougher branches is extremely ornamental to the public walks of many 
 German towns. R. psexidacacia, the Locust-tree of North America, is much 
 planted here for the sake of its W'ood, which is said to last one hundred years as 
 gate-])osts. Acacia Sophorce (7) belongs to an extensive genus, with small spread- 
 ing flowers, having the stamens and pistil separated, yielding gums, delicious 
 perfumes, and astringent bark in Arabia and Egypt. Some species afford useful 
 wood. The compound leaves of these shi'ubs have a peculiar tendency to diminish, 
 gradually falling away, till the apparent leaves are in reality only the expanded 
 leaf-stalk, as in A. Sopliora. The chief vegetation of the Arabian Deserts belongs 
 to this Tribe, Acacia vera and arabira exuding the well-known gtim ; Alhagi, the 
 Camel's thorn, and other low, thorny, balsamiferous shrubs, are scattered over the 
 scorched dreary tracts. Mimosa sensrtiva and pudlca possess an extraordinary 
 irritability, when touched at the top of the leaflets each pair closes in succession. 
 Cassia (8) is a genus comprising the medicinal Senna, the pi'oduct principally of 
 African species. Among the lofty trees, one of the most striking is Alexandra (H), 
 discovei-ed by Sir Robert Schomburgk on the shores of the Cuyuni in Guiana : 
 the graceful stem attains 120 feet in height, and the rich dark foliage, thickly 
 interspersed with brilliant flowers, has a very splendid appearance : the pod is 
 nearly two feet in length, and the seed as large as a chesnut. Wistaria (9) has 
 now become acclimatised in England, producing its countless blossoms in spring 
 on the leafless branches, wdiich can be led horizontally to the extent of eighty feet 
 from the stem. The seeds of Ceratonia siliqua, the Carat-tree of the East, are 
 said to have furnished the original carat weight for jewels ; they are now used as 
 food for horses in Spain. Gum Tragacanth of Syria and Persia is produced by 
 several shrubby thorny kinds of Astralagus, a genus of which only herbaceous 
 species are natives of England. Crotalnria Juncea furnishes the coarse Bengal hemp 
 for canvas bags. The wood of Ilymenea Courharil of South America is of the 
 heaviest cla~s, a cubic foot weighing 100 lbs., whilst that of Laburnum, although 
 fine-grained, weighs only 52 lbs. Among the useful roots of these plants, that of 
 Glycyrrhiza Liquorice, is included. Indigo is now chiefly grown in South 
 America, but is of great antquity in the East Indies ; an ancient Sanscrit writing 
 mentions " the vat of a dyer filled with indigo, a jackal falling into it was coloured 
 blue." 
 
 This Tribe is distributed in unequal proportions in every part of the known 
 world, except in the Isles of St. Helena and Tristan d'Acunha : in tiie Tropics 
 more than IGOO species have been discovered; thence the numbers gradually 
 diminish north and south : the largest portion are natives of South America : in 
 the countries bordering the I\Iediterranean a considerable number exist. 
 
OF [H£ 
 TRSiTY OF IL!'"^'^ 
 
Tke^ Walnut Tni^ 
 
 Day .i.. 
 
JUGLANDACE.l^. 
 
 THE WALNUT TRIBE. 
 
 Trees," with a watery or resinous juice. Leaves alternate, pinnate, generally 
 without dots, and have no stipules. Flowers herbaceous, inconspicuous, and 
 imperfect ; those having stamens only grow in catkins from the branches of the 
 preceding year ; the fruit-bearing flowers grow at the ends of the young branches, 
 either in small clusters, or in long racemes ; in some cases the two kinds of flowers 
 are mingled in one panicle. The calyx of the staminiferous flowers has two, three, 
 or six membranous unequal divisions at the top, with a scale-hke bract at the base. 
 The stamens are three, or many, with short free filaments, and erect, two-celled 
 anthers. The small terminal clusters of fertile flowers of Juglans are surrounded 
 by a few small bracts. Those of Engelhardtia grow in long loose racemes, each 
 flower being enclosed in an involucre, cup-sha|)ed at the base, and united to the 
 calyx, acquiring at last \\ing-like expansions. The calyx adheres to the ovary 
 excepting at the top, where it is divided into three or five segments, which fall 
 away as the fruit increases. The corolla is formed of very minute petals, or is 
 altogether wanting. The styles are sometimes two, very short, the stigmas seldom 
 more than four, imequal, fringed, occasionally placed on the ovary without a style. 
 The fruit is a drupe of one stone, that of Juglans is naked, that of Engelhardtia 
 enclosed in an adherent involucre. The outer covering iisually separates from the 
 stone, which has two or four cells at the base, one at the top. 
 
 This order has some connexion with the Cashew-nut tribe, through Pistacia, 
 and has also affinity with the Oak, and Hazel-nut, in points of structure. 
 
 Juglans was greatly esteemed in ancient times, and is said to have been named 
 Jovis glans, the nut of Jove, on account of its excellence. The native country of 
 Juglans regia, the Walnut (1), is Persia, but it has long since been introduced 
 into all European countries, producing fruit in perfection, particularly in Holland, 
 and the Rhine country of Germany, whore it is extensively cultivated, both as a 
 fruit and timber tree. The outer portion of the fruit is thick and soft, having 
 acrid and astringent properties ; whilst young, and before the inner shell of the 
 kernel is hardened, the whole is made into a pickle ; when ripe, the green covering, 
 which contains an extremely black juice, is taken off, the inner shell divides into 
 two valves, showing the large irregularly lobed nut, covered with a thin browTi 
 
 ]. ^w^XdiXxa reijia, Cotiini'in ll'alniil. 
 
 l.v St'clion <if a J'eride Flower. 
 Id Flower, with Ulamciin. 
 
 Persia. 
 
 2. Engelhardtia acertflora, Maple -Jlowertd 
 Enffellutrdtid. .T:ivu. 
 
 2a Involucre, coiitftiniiit/ the Fruit, 
 'in Fruit, mngnijied. 
 
JUGLANDACE.E. 
 
 skin ; when the nut is split, the embryo of the future ])hxiit is distinctly seen at the 
 summit. From the kernel is expressed an oil of a very drying nature, which is 
 valuable to jiainters in oil ; in France it is also used in cooking ; and a very large 
 quantity is prepared in Cashmere, where it serves for burning in lamps. 
 
 The wood of the walnut-tree is light and strong, and is thought ornamental in 
 cabinet work, in Germany and France ; when polished, it acquires a rich brown 
 colour. Various species of Juglaus abound in North America. 
 
 Engelhardtia was named after a Dutch governor of Java, where it was first 
 discovered ; several species are now known ; the wood of some is resinous ; that of 
 E. spicata is extremely hard ; in Java, cart-wheels are cut out of a single hori- 
 zontal slab. Engelhardtia acerijiora (2) is a tall tree in the woods of the moun- 
 tains of Bantam, in Java. The fruit is small, enveloped in the involucre, and of 
 no value. E. Roxhurghiana grows in the forests of Silhet, and affords a valuable 
 wood to turners ; the bark, containing much tannin, is used by the natives of India 
 in tanning leather. 
 
 Carya affords the different kinds of Hickory in North America, yielding both 
 fruit and timber. The nuts of Carya sulcata, the shell-bark Hickorj^, are large 
 and well flavoured. C. glabra, the Hog-nut, is called also Broom-Hickory, 
 durable brooms being made with slender slips of the tough wood. C. olivceformis, 
 the Pekan nut, is considered delicious. The bitter nuts of C. aviara are combined 
 with oil and taken medici-ially. 
 
 Pterocarya Caucasica is a hardy tree, its elegant foliage resembling that of 
 the Ash. 
 
 The trees comprised in this small Tribe are chiefly natives of North America ; 
 a few belong to Asia. Juglans reyla inhabits the woods of Persia and Cashmere. 
 Engelhardtia forms some of the loftiest forest trees in Java, Borneo, Sumatra, and 
 other islands of the Indian Ocean ; some species are thinly scattered over the East 
 Indies, from Singapore to Nepal. Pterocarya is a native of Caucasus. One 
 species is known in the West Indian Islands. 
 
LIBRARY 
 OF THE 
 
 IJMIVERSITV OF ILliuQIS 
 
Dav& Son^.Luruted ■ 
 
 Th& Rvsti^ Trihey 
 
61 
 
 ROSACEA 
 
 THE ROSE TRIBE. 
 
 Shrubs and herbaceous plants. The leaves are simple or compound, alternate, 
 often having a pair of stipules at their base, occasionally dotted. The flowers vary- 
 in form and size, and are variously arranged, occasionally imperfect. The calyx 
 is three, four, or five-lobed, with a disk either lining the tube or surrounding the 
 orifice ; the fifth lobe placed next the stem. In the true Eoses the calyx tiibe 
 becomes fleshy and covers the fruit ; in Potentilla and others it remains herbaceous, 
 and the fruit is a mass of Achenia. The stamens are of definite number, or many, 
 arising from the calyx, curved inwards in the bud ; the anthers are two-celled, 
 bursting lengthwise ; occasionally one-celled, bursting transversely. The ovaries 
 are above the calyx, solitary or several, one-celled, sometimes cohering. The 
 styles are many or single, stigmas compound or simple. The fruit is various, 
 containing a one-seeded nut, or seeds fixed in pulp, or a capsule with several seeds ; 
 the seeds have no albumen. 
 
 This tribe has close affinity with the Apple and Almond tribes ; but the fruit 
 clearly distinguishes each. 
 
 Astringent tonic juices and wholesome fruits are the characteristics of these 
 plants. 
 
 Rosa, the Rose, has the same name in all languages, and from time immemorial 
 has been considered pre-eminent for beauty of form and colour, and fragrant scent. 
 Various species abound in Europe and Asia, and countless varieties have been 
 produced by cultivation : in a wild state the flower has only five petals, but they 
 are readily multiplied. Those which adorn our hedges are either pink or white ; 
 in Austria and the north of Italy, as well as near Cortona and elsewhere, a yellow 
 Rose is abundant. Rose-bushes are liable to the attacks of an insect, which 
 punctures the bark and causes the growth of rose-galls and mossy tufts on the 
 stalks. R. canina (1) is a beautiful ornament of hedgerows in June ; the astringent 
 fruit is used medicinally ; in Germany it is made into a conserve, and eaten with 
 
 1. 
 
 Eosa canina, Dng nr Hep Rose. 
 1a Section of Fruit. 
 1b Seed. 
 
 Britain. 
 
 C. 
 
 llnhnHfrnticosnf, Bramble or Blac/iberri/. 
 6a Section of Fruit. Britain. 
 Ob Seed. 
 
 2. 
 
 PiOsa punicea, Scarht Briar Rose. 
 
 Austria. 
 
 7. 
 
 Sieversia elala, Tall Sieversiu. Himala^'as. 
 
 3. 
 
 Rosa bracteata, the Macartney Itosc 
 
 . China. 
 
 8. 
 
 Fragaria vesca, Jfood Strawberry. Britain. 
 
 4. 
 
 Rosa (jallica, Officinal Rose. S. 
 
 Eiiropo. 
 
 
 8a Section of Fruit. 
 
 5. 
 
 S]^ireSi fiUpendida, Drop-irort. 
 
 
 
 8b Slanien. He Carpel. 
 
 
 Chalk Downs, 1 
 
 'lii^lanil. 
 
 
 Sd Achenia. irilh its Seed. 
 
ROSACE.E. 
 
 roast meat. R. rubiginosu, Sweet-briar or Eglantine. i,'rows on gravel or chalk 
 soil here and on the Continent, and for its delightful fragrance is admitted into 
 every garden. R. hractcata (3) is the finest of white Roses, with glossy foliage, 
 and simple flower of extremely delicate perfume ; it was brought from China by 
 Lord Macartney, and is become acclimatized in this country. The petals of 
 R. gallica (4) are not so liighly scented as those of some other species, but they 
 have astringent tonic properties, and are employed as medicine. The celebrated 
 Attar of Roses of the East is extracted from the petals of R. inoschata and 
 R. damascena. No native Rose exists on the plains of India, but on the Hima- 
 layas several species are found ; one of the most beautiful is R. L/jcUi, with double 
 white flowers ; some climb to the tops of lofty trees, adorning them with their 
 elegant branches. Rubus fruticosus (G) is the well-known Bramble, common in 
 many countries in rough places and hedges ; the Blackberry is the most abundant 
 at least of our native fruits, although not much esteemed ; it is a native also of 
 Cashmere. R. idcrus, the Raspberry, grows in woods and hedges in the north of 
 England ; the fruit is of good flavour, but it has been much improved by cultiva- 
 tion, particularly in Holland. The leaves of R. arctlcus ai'e used in the most 
 northern countries as tea. The fruit of R. chamcemorus and others, is thought to 
 possess medicinal properties ; the root of R. villosa is used in North America. 
 Fragaria affords one of the most wholesome and agreeable of fruits. F. vesca (8) 
 and F. elatior are the two British species ; from these many varieties have been 
 raised, as well as from F. Virginiana, the Scarlet Strawberry, imported from 
 North America more than two centuries ago. F. ruhicola affords a grateful fruit 
 to the natives of tlie Himalayas. The dried roots of Spirea fiUpendida (5) afford 
 a mealy substitute for bread to the poor Laplanders. S. Ulmaria is one of the 
 most graceful of British plants, very plentiful in moist meadows, by the side of 
 ditches and streams in Kent and in the Midland counties, or wherever the damp 
 valleys afford a suitable locality, as in \Yestmoreland. The flowers have an 
 aromatic scent, and it well deserves the title of " Queen of the Meadow." Dryas 
 is one of this tribe which advances farthest to the north, being found within the 
 Arctic regions ; it grows on hills in the Craven district of Yorkshire, and in the 
 Scotch Highlands ; the seeds being tipped with the long feathery styles, have a 
 singular appearance in autumn. Agrimonia yields a yellow dye, once used for 
 nankeen ; A. Ncpalensis represents the genus on the Himalayas. Poterium and 
 Sanguisorba have heads of small flowers without petals ; both are occasionally 
 cultivated for fodder, and known as Burnet. The roots of Gillenia trlfoUata are 
 employed as Ipecacuanha in the United States. Brayera antlichnintica possesses 
 extremely powerful properties. In the Feroe Isles, Tormentilla root is used for 
 tanning. Sieversia is dispersed on the Swiss Alps, in Kamtschatka and ]\Ielville 
 Isle, S. elata (7) belongs to the mountains of Asia. Quillaia saponaria contains 
 a saponaceous secretion in the bark, which makes it useful as soap in South 
 America. 
 
 This Tribe inhabits chiefly tlie Temperate or cold climates of the northern 
 hemisphere ; a few species are natives of high land within tlie Tropics ; several 
 belong to the Himalayas ; a few only to South America. Rubus Jamaicensis is 
 the only example in the West Indies. The apetalous plants represent the Tribe at 
 the Cape of Good Hope. 
 
OF THt 
 ; ;;iVERSin OF ILLlMOiS 
 
la, lb 
 
 EJd^. 
 
 
 Do^ ltSnn..i\r»iX<'A 
 
52 
 
 POMACES. 
 
 TflE APPLE TRIBE. 
 
 Trees and shrubs. The leaves are alternate, simple or compound, with stipules. 
 The" flowers are solitary, or in terminal clusters, usually white or pink ; the calyx 
 is adherent, five -toothed, the odd segment placed behind. The petals are five, 
 clawed at the base, inserted into the calyx, the odd petal placed in front. The 
 stamens are of indefinite number, inserted in a ring in the calyx. The ovaries 
 are from one to five, adhering more or less to the sides of the calyx and to each 
 other ; the styles are from one to five, the stigmas simple ; the fruit is one to 
 five-celled, the seeds solitary, without albumen. 
 
 The Apple tribe is closely allied to the Kose tribe, but is distinguished by 
 the fruit being a fleshy pome, and the seeds placed side by side, instead ot one 
 over the other. 
 
 Beautiful flowers and eatable fruit are the chief characteristics of this Tribe. 
 Pears contain small stony concretions in their cellular substance. 
 
 Pyrus, Pear, and Apple are names derived from the Celtic ; the fruits were 
 cultivated by the Greeks and Romans ; the varieties have been exceedingly 
 increased since those times, but all have been derived from Pyrus Mains (1), 
 the original stock. The juice of the wild apple or crab, in its natural state, 
 is extremely sour and austere ; as verjuice it serves some useful purposes. 
 The apple is the most valuable fruit grown in Britain ; and it attains to 
 great perfection in this country, being suited to various soils and situations, 
 thriving as far north as the Shetland Isles : the climate of America is also very 
 favourable to it. The various uses to which apples are applied render them of 
 much importance. Cider is made from the fermented juice of the sharp and 
 strong -flavoured kinds, chiefly in the counties bordering the Bristol Channel. 
 P. communis, the Pear, is frequent in Sussex and other parts of England. The 
 wild fruit is of no value ; but all the delicious pears of gardens have been pro- 
 duced from it by grafting and cultivation. Some kinds in France and the north 
 of Italy are of very superior quality : they also thrive in still hotter climates, for 
 
 1. Pynis Malitx, Appli' or Crah-Trce. Britain. 
 
 Ha Pistils and Stamens. 
 
 
 lA Fruit. 
 
 Sp, Frnil. 
 
 
 1b Section. 
 2. Crataegus Oxycantha, Common Howlhoni. 
 2a Stamens and Pistils. England. 
 
 ■I. Cwlnnin vhli/aris, Common Quince. 
 
 Cydoi) 
 5. Cydonia Japonica, Japan Quince. 
 
 , Crete 
 .Japan 
 
 2n Stamens. 2c Srt;d. 
 
 f). Eiiobotrya Japonica, Loquat. 
 
 Jnpiin 
 
 ^lespilus Gcrmanir/i. Entotilr Medlar. 
 
 Germany. 
 
 7. Cotoneaster ;H(>ro;)/iy//((, Smnll-hnrc 
 neastcr. 
 
 (/ Coto- 
 
 Nepal 
 
P0MACE.15. 
 
 !Marco Polo relates, that he found in the market of Ningpo " uncommonly large 
 pears, weighing each ten pounds, white in the inside, and very fragrant." The 
 pears of Poshawur, in India, are also celebrated. Perry, made of the juice of 
 pears, is considered a very delicate kind of wine. The orchards are principally 
 in \\ orcostershire, and the arms of the city of Worcester are three ])ear8. 
 P. tonniiiah's, the uild Service-tree, is fre(|uent in parks and hedges in Sussex ; 
 the clusters of small oval fruit are sometimes ,<';athered, and sold in village shops : 
 after having been slightly touched by frost, they have an agreeable acid flavour. 
 P. domestica is found occasionally in the hilly woods of Cornwall, and is the only 
 native species in Iceland; it is of slow growth, bearing no fruit till it arrives at a 
 considerable age. P. aucuparia, ]\Iountain-ash, or Ivowau-tree, is supposed to 
 have been one of the sacred trees of the Druids, and was long afterwards an object 
 ot superstitious veneration in Scotland. In many parts of Germany it takes the 
 place of Plum-trees by the roadside ; and as there are no hedge boundaries to the 
 extensive fields, it adds considerably to the beauty of the scene, especially when the 
 abundant scarlet berries adorn the trees. The bark is useful in tanning, and a 
 strong spirit is distilled from the fruit. P. aria, the white Beam-tree, named from 
 the use made of the wood, is a native of chalk and limestone hills in Scotland and 
 Ireland ; it may be easily recognised by the white cottony down of the under 
 surface of the leaves. The wood of nearly all the species of Pyrus is hard, and 
 line-grained. Cratajgus is the genus of the tribe to which we are most indebted 
 for the embellishment of our fields, parks, and gardens. C. Oxycantha (2) merits 
 its general admiration from the picturesque form of growth, as well as beautiful 
 spring flowers, and red haws in autumn, which in mild seasons sometimes remain 
 on the branches throughout the winter. The fruit of C. a~arolus, and C, odoratis- 
 simus, is eaten in the Crimea. C. crus-galli, the coc-kspur thorn, shows very 
 clearly the transformation of leaves and undeveloped branches into spines ; those 
 on the young branches are only soft and leafy, on the branches of the previous 
 year they are become hard spines. Mespilus (o) affords a remarkable instance 
 of a fruit not being eatable until in a state of incipient decay : the cells of the fruit 
 are of a singular bony consistency, and the leafy calyx remains unclosed at the 
 top. M. puruccadha is a favourite evergreen shrub from the south of Europe. 
 Cydonia vulgaris (4) bears a fruit of peculiar flavour ; the mucilaginous seeds 
 are used medicinally. Cydonia (formerly called Pyrus) Japoidca (o) has fruit 
 about the size of a walnut in Japan. Eriobotrya (G) is do\\'ny on the flower 
 branches ; the fruit is said to resemble the Mango in taste, and is esteemed in its 
 native country. Cotoneaster (<) is a gemis belonging to Europe and Nepal ; the 
 stallvs are usually clothed with cottony down. Phothiia diihia yields a red dye 
 for cotton, in Kepal. 
 
 This Tribe is found plentifully in Europe, Northern Asia, the mountains of 
 Nepal, and North America ; it is rare in Mexico, exists in Africa only on the 
 northern shore, is unknown in Madeira, as well as in the whole southern hemi- 
 sphere ; a solitary species belongs to the Sandwich Isles. 
 
-Or IHt 
 ri^SlTV Of ^^"^ 
 
T.d^ 
 
 Thi- 'JibrioruL Tribe' 
 
 Da^ ScSort^.L VTvUea 
 
53 
 
 AMYCtDALACE.5^]. 
 
 THE ALMOND TRIBE. 
 
 Trees and shrubs ; tlie leaves are simple, alternate, iisually having small glands 
 towards the base ; the stipules are simple, mostly glandular. The flowers are 
 either single or in umbels; the calyx is fiTO-toothed, lined with a disk, deciduous, 
 the fifth lobe next the stem or axis, as in the Rose tribe : the petals are five, placed 
 on the calyx. The stamens are about twenty, arising from the throat of the calyx, 
 curved inwards in the bud ; the anthers are two-celled, bursting longitudinally. 
 The ovary is above the base of the flower, simple, one-celled ; the style is terminal, 
 with a furrow on one side, terminating in a kidney-shaped stigma. In Chryso- 
 balanus and its allies the style proceeds from the base of the ovary. The fruit is 
 a drupe, the pulpy substance sometimes separating spontaneously from the shell ; 
 the seed is generally solitary, suspended in the shell, contains no albumen. 
 
 This Tribe is distinguished froiii the Rose and Apple tribes by the fruit being 
 a simple drupe, by the secretion of prussic acid, and by the bark exuding gum ; 
 the latter property shows affinity with Mimosa amongst the Leguminous plants. 
 
 Amygdalus was so named by the Greeks, the fruit being cultivated and 
 esteemed in ancient times throughout the Levant. During the last three centuries, 
 the Almond-tree (1) has been constantly planted in English shrubberies, it is 
 abundant in all the southern countries of Europe. The best sweet almonds are 
 produced in the neighbourhood of Malaga, the kernels contain a fixed oil, which 
 renders them pleasant to the taste, as well as useful for some medicinal purposes. 
 A. amara, the bitter almond, has less oil, and possesses narcotic and poisonous 
 qualities, owing to a considerable portion of prussic acid ; the bitter principle is not 
 in the oil, but in the substance left after the oil has been expressed. A. microphijUa 
 is found on the hot dry plains of IMexico ; a species named A. cnchinchinensis is 
 said to be a native of woods in China. Persica vulgaris (2) was brought to 
 Europe from Persia, and about 1562 was first cultivated in England; in Lom- 
 bardy. Peach-trees are planted in the vineyards, and serve as supports to the vines, 
 which hang in festoons between them ; the large juicy fruit is one of the most 
 
 4. Prnnus spimtsa, Sloe, or Blnclclhorn. 
 
 England. 
 
 5. Corasus avium. Wild Chernj. England. 
 5a Stone. ftii Section. 
 
 (i. I'rnnus donuxlivn. Golden Drop, ciillhated. 
 
 .->/-< r i' II I 7 Pninns doniesticn, Orleans Plum. c'lUivnted. 
 
 8. Cerasns Lauroeerasus, Common Lmirel \ "'""^ nuint.'.tiKi, 
 
 LfViint. I M. Slone o/ChryHohfi\aim<. Traro. 
 
 Q 
 
 1. Amygdalus comma n is, Sireel Almond. 
 
 ]a Shell. Barbary. 
 
 1b Kernel. Ic Section. 
 
 2. Persica vuli/aris. Common Peach. TVrsia. 
 
 2a Stone. 
 
AMYGDALACE.E. 
 
 (.lelicious both in flavour and substance, althougli, even when ripe, it contains a 
 less proportion of sugar then most of the stone fruits. P. hivis, tlie Nectarine, 
 ranks next to, and belongs to the same countries as the Peach, and is chiefly 
 ilistinguished by having a smooth instead of a downy skin ; both flourish re- 
 markably in a small island in the Persian Gulf, together with Almonds and 
 several other fruits not belonging to this tribe. Cerasus Laaroccrasus (3) is 
 amongst the most beautiful of evergreen shrubs ; it was introduced from Constan- 
 tinople, and has now become very hardy in our climate : all parts contain poison ; 
 the oil obtained is extremely virulent, and is said to be still more so in Brazil than 
 in Temperate regions ; the vapour is sufficient to destroy insect life. C. avium (5) 
 is supposed to be the origin of our cultivated Cherries, several vorieties now abound 
 here, and on the Continent, and are of much value ; a large-fruited kind in the 
 Black Forest, and in the Vosges, yields the German Kirscheuwasser. The leaves 
 of the Cherry-tree are folded simply flat when young ; those of the Plum are rolled 
 inwards. C. Padus, the British Bird-cherry, bears flowers in long sjiikes ; the 
 fruit is nauseous to man, though eaten by birds. C. Pudditm, of the Himalayas, 
 bears ])ink flowers, the fruit is small but delicious, and is eniploj'ed for making 
 cherry -brandy, the wood is used in Nepal for walking-sticks by the Fakeers. 
 (A undulata and C. cornuta grow on mountains in India ; the leaves of C. capricida 
 are poisonous to goats. Prunus spinosa (4) is a rigid shrub with branches ending 
 in a spine, the astringent fruit is not eatable until wrinkled by frost, then only 
 cooked with sugar ; the juice is used to adulterate Port wine, and the leaves for 
 the same purpose with Tea. P. domestica affords several varieties of cultivated 
 Plum, some of which are of excellent quality and extensively used ; when dried, 
 they are usually called by the French name of Prunes ; an immense number are 
 prepared annually in France and Portugal ; in some parts of Saxony the highways 
 are bordered by Plum-trees, supplying Sweden with the favourite winter fruit. 
 P. armeniaca, the Apricot, has an extensive range over the East, especially on the 
 high lands ; it exists also between the Niger and the Atlas mountains in Africa, 
 and abounds on the mountains of Caucasus ; along the banks of the Sutledge and 
 other rivers of Bokhara it flourishes, with many other stone fruits ; on the 
 Hindoo-koosh the traveller may pass many miles through orchards of Apricot- 
 trees, where the fniit attains the greatest perfection. The chemical changes which 
 operate in the ripening process of fruits is singularly shown in apricots ; in a green 
 state, scarcely a trace of sugar is found, but when ripe, there is a considerable 
 quantity, wliile the malic acid is diminished one-third. Chrysobalanus differs 
 from the usual type of this Order in having irregular petals and stamens ; a style 
 from the base of the ovary, and a stone with five angles. The fruit of C. Icaco, 
 the Cocoa-plum (S j is eaten in the West Indies ; that of C. luteus in Sierra Leone, 
 where the Gray-plum Parinarium excelsum also affords food to the natives. 
 
 This Tribe belongs to the cold and Temperate regions of the northern hemi- 
 sphere, with very few exceptions ; Chrysobalanus and its allies are natives of the 
 tropics of Africa and America. 
 
UL,.r>RV 
 
 OF THE 
 
 !'f.'.!VFRS!TV OF III" 
 
ZTM. 
 
 i,i^^..:>oroj.. 
 
 Tte.Loc'3estn/&Trib& 
 
54 
 
 LYTHRACE.E 
 
 THE LOOSESTRIFE TRIBE. 
 
 Almost all herbaceous plants, a few only shrubs. The branches are frequently 
 quadrangular. Leaves opposite, seldom alternate, entire, without either stipules 
 or glands, sometimes with glandular dots. Flowers solitary, or in clusters, regular, 
 or irregular, growing from the base of the leaf-stalk, or in terminal spikes or 
 racemes as the upper leaves diminish. The calyx is tubular, ribbed and plaited, 
 often oblique ; some of the lobes are in many cases longer than the rest. The 
 petals are inserted between the outer lobes of the calyx, very soon falling off, some- 
 times wanting. The stamens are fixed in the tube of the calyx, below the petals, 
 to which they are either equal in number, or twice, or even four times as many ; 
 the anthers are two-celled opening longitudinally. The style is slender; the 
 stigma usually capitate. The capsule is membranous, covered by the calyx, 
 gaping when ripe, containing numerous small seeds. 
 
 This Order has most affinity with the Saxifrage tribe. 
 
 Lythrum Salicaria (1) is esteemed one of the most elegant of British plants; 
 it grows frequently on the banks of rivers and streams, the tall spikes of bright 
 purple flowers rising to the height of four or five feet ; in dry situations, the plant 
 becomes more downy and of shorter stature. The whole plant has astringent 
 properties, which have rendered it useful in medicine and in tanning. Lythrum 
 hijssopi folium is not so common a species, being found only in a few places m 
 England, and is of smaller growth and less beautiful aspect. 
 
 Peplis Portula (2) grows generally in watery places, on heaths, on sandy soils, 
 with a prostrate stem, creeping or floating ; the minute petals of the solitary 
 flowers are generally concealed within the bell-shaped plaited calyx. 
 
 Lagerstroemia (3) was so named by Linnaeus, after Lagerstroem of Gotten- 
 burg, who obtained many rare plants from the East. It forms, with a few other 
 plants, a division of this tribe distinguished by having the seeds winged. All the 
 species are fine shrubs of the East Indies, China, and South America. Lagerstroemia 
 regince is a very beautiful evergreen shrub, beai'ing long panicles of rose-coloured 
 
 1 . Lythrum iSnlicaria, Purple Loosestrife. 
 
 River banks, England. 
 • 1a Calyx and Pistil. 
 1b Calyx and Stavtens. 
 Ic Pistil. 
 Id Section of Seed-vessel. 
 
 2. Peplis Portula, Water Purslane. Jinghunl. 
 
 'ix Flower. 
 
 'ih Flower, vutynijied. 
 
 2c Section of Seed-vessel. 
 
 3. Lagerstroemia indica, Indian La(jers>trwnu(i. 
 
 East Indies. 
 
 4. Ciiphea tuhijln-a, Tuhnhirjlowvred Cuphrn. 
 
 South America. 
 
LYTHRACE.l::. • ' 
 
 fliiwers, which tlecpen in hue during the day till they l)ecome jiurple by evening ; 
 the hark and leaves are considered medicinal, and the seeds are narcotic. 
 
 Cuphea (4) is a genus of South America ; several species are now cultivated 
 in English gardens as oraamental flowers. Cuphea Bahumona^ia found to be a 
 valuable remedy in the intermittent fevers of Brazil. Heiniia salicifulia, a Mexican 
 jilant, is remarkable for having yellow flowers in the midst of this usually purple- 
 flowered tribe. Lawsonia ineiinis, the Hinna of Egypt, yields an orange dye, 
 employed by the women of Oriental countries to stain their fingers and feet ; it is 
 also used for dyeing morocco leather, and various other purposes. In India, it is 
 much cidtivated north of the Jumna river. The bright red flowers of Grislea 
 tomcntosa yield a dye to the natives of India. The wood of Physocalymma 
 Jloribunda is of a fine rose colour, and forms the favourite Rosewood of Germany 
 and Portugal. The leaves of Ammannia vesicatoria are so extremely acrid as^o 
 be used for blisters in India. Pemphis acidida inhabits exclusively the coasts of 
 tropical Asia, where the leaves are said to be cooked and eaten by the inhabitants. 
 
 This Tribe is disj^ersed in various countries. Lythrum, like many other jjlants 
 which grow in watery situations, extends over a wide range of the globe, being 
 found in Europe, America, Asia, and Australia. L. Cashmeriamtm inhabits the 
 shores of the Lake of Cashmere. L, Salicaria is found in New Holland, although 
 at present no other species of this tribe has been discovered there. G rislea belongs 
 to India, China, and South America ; Ammannia to the hot coiuitries of both 
 hemispheres. Rotala, Pem])his, and Ameletia are spread over the peninsula of 
 India and the islands of the Indian Ocean. Lagerstroemia and its allies are 
 all natives of India or South America. 
 
Li..:../ 
 
 OF THE 
 
 :-/ OF !LL!^;OlS 
 
^* ■: fl 2a. 2h. Zo 2 J. 
 
 Ic 
 
 
 Th&- TajruirishTnh& 
 
55 
 
 TAMARICACE.E 
 
 THE TAMARISK TRIBE. 
 
 Shrubs or herbs, XA-ith slender branches ; leaves alternate, minute, entire, scale-like, 
 usually having hollows on the surface. Flowers in close spikes, or racemes. The 
 calyx is four or five-parted, persistent, imbricated in the bud. Petals inserted into 
 the base of the calyx, withering and remaining whilst the seed ripens. Stamens 
 either equal in number to the petals, or twice as many, distinct or united : the 
 anthers are turned inwards, two-celled, opening longitudinally. The ovary is free, 
 surmounted by three styles. The fruit is a capsule, three-valved, three-cornered, 
 one-celled, containing many seeds attached to three plates, either at the base of the 
 cavity, or along the middle of the valves ; the seeds have no albumen, and are 
 surmounted by down. 
 
 Bitter and astringent properties exist in the plants of this innocuous tribe ; 
 sulphate of soda is contained in the ashes. 
 
 Tamarisk is supposed to have received its name from the Tamarisci, who in 
 ancient times inhabited the Spanish side of the Pyrenees, where it grows plentifully 
 on the banks of the Tanaris. Saline air or soil is essential to the growth of the 
 different species. T. gallica (1) is now become naturalized in England, and may 
 frequently be seen on the south coast, being almost the only shrub that grows well 
 in gardens exposed to the spray of the sea ; when protected by a wall or house it 
 attains the height of twenty or thirty feet, and has a stem upwards of twelve 
 inches in circumference. The flowers are abundant in warm situations, coming 
 forth in June and September ; in mild parts of the Hampshire, Sussex, and 
 Cornish coast, it flourishes as luxuriantly as in its native coimtry of Normandy, 
 where it is particularly beautiful along the road from Pontorson to ISIont St. 
 Michel, forming high hedges with its elegant branches adorned with pink flowers, 
 to the extreme edge of the sands. In former ages it would not have been found 
 there, but it sprang up in its appointed time and place, when the salt waves had 
 taken possession of the wide tract of meadow and forest, and the poor monk on 
 returning from a pilgrimage beheld in amazement a vast barren sand intervening 
 
 I. Tamarix GnUica, French Tamnrisk. 
 
 2b Stiimens and Pislil. 
 
 South Coast, England. 
 
 2o Seed-vessel. 
 
 1a Flower. 
 
 2d Seed. 
 
 1b Ovary and Pistil . 
 
 2e Brunch and Leaves. 
 
 Ic Brunch and Leaves. 
 
 !). Myricaria hracleala, Bructealed Tamnrish. 
 
 2 Myricaria Germanica, Gcrmnn Ttnnnrisk. 
 
 3a Flower. HimalavHS. 
 
 2a Flower. (Jirniany. 
 
 3b Stamens. 
 
TAMAKICACE^. 
 
 lietweeu him ami liis uionasttTV on the rocky luouut. The twigs of T. f/allica and 
 T. Afrkana are considered shghtly tonic, the aslies of both yield a remarkable 
 quantity of sulphate of soda. The celebrated IManna of IMouut Sinai was dis- 
 covered by Ehrenberg to be an exudation from T. mannt'fera, caused by a small 
 insect of the Coccus tribe, which sometimes covers the larger branches ; the sub- 
 stance contains no crystallisable Mannite, but consists entirely of pure mucilaginous 
 sugar — a singular fact in plants which grow only in saline situations. Persian 
 INIanna is derived from another sjiecies. The steep water-courses of Pesheen in 
 Beloochistan are as favourable localities for Tamarisk as the shores of Europe : in 
 Delhi and other parts of India T. iudira, T. dioica, T. Faras, and T. orientalis 
 are all valued for their astringent qualities both in medicine and in dyeing. 
 T. articulata is a native of Egypt. 
 
 ^lyricaria is so called after the Greek name of the Tamarisk, from which it 
 differs only in a few points ; it is dispersed in Europe and Asia. M. Germanica (2) 
 is a small shrub growing on the banks of Alpine rivers and streams in Silesia and 
 Mora\'ia, and among the Hartz mountains ; it is well adapted to E'' glish gardens, 
 making a })leasing contrast with larger and brighter foliage ; it was formerly 
 employed medicinally on account of its astringent balsamic bark. I\I. hracteata (3) 
 belongs to the salt districts of Kunawur in the Himalaya ; the bracts at the base 
 of the flower-stalks fall off when the flowers expand. M. elegans is also a native 
 of that country. M. Jierhacea affords a kind of tea to the Mongols, as well as 
 tonic medicine. 
 
 The plants of this small Tribe are limited exclusively to the eastern portion of 
 the northern hemisphere, extending from China to the Cape de Verd Islands and 
 Senegambia ; apparently not reaching southwards beyond S° or 9° of N, latitude, 
 or northwards beyond 55° in Siberia. They occur in various localities, on the 
 sea-coasts and river-shores of Europe, on the banks of the Gauges and the Nile, 
 on the arid sandy tracts of Northern India and the Punjaub, and on the lofty 
 saline plains of Thibet and Siberia. They exist in the greatest variety and 
 abundance in the resrion of the 3Iediterranean Sea. 
 
OF [HE 
 "■RSiTY OF IL! 
 
r.&z. 
 
 Th& MelaLstom(vTnh&' 
 
 !'ay &. Sony,£umted 
 
MELASTOMACE.E. 
 
 THE MELASTOMA TRIBE. 
 
 Tress, shrubs, and herbaceous plants. Leaves opposite, undivided, usually entire 
 at the edges, without dots, and with several strong ribs running from the base to 
 the point. The flowers have a calyx of four, five, or six lobes, cohering more or 
 less with the angles of the ovary. The petals are equal in number to the segments 
 of the calyx, rising from the base, or from the edge of a disk that lines the calyx ; 
 in the bud state they are twisted. The stamens are generally twice as many as 
 the petals, sometimes of the same number ; the filaments are curved downwards in 
 the bud ; the anthers are long, two-celled, iisually bursting by two pores at the 
 point, and lengthened in various ways beyond the insertio ^f the filaments ; some- 
 times they open longitudinally ; before the flowers expau ■ +hey lie in cavities 
 between the ovary and the sides of the calyx. The ovary i partly united with 
 the calyx, and contains several cells ; the style is single with a simple stigma ; a 
 cup is often present at the top of the ovary, surrounding the style. The seed- 
 vessel is either dry and distinct from the calyx, or succulent and combined with 
 it; it has 'many cells, in which are numerous minute seeds, usually having 
 appendages of some kind. 
 
 Melastomacese have most affinity with the INIyrtle tribe, from which they differ 
 in the petals being twisted in the bud, and in the leaves having no dots. 
 
 A slight astriugency is the prevailing character of this extensive tribe, which 
 throughout its whole range contains no unwholesome plant. Nevertheless, there 
 are none of much importance to man, either as food or medicine, or for domestic 
 uses ; yet several of their genera were, on their first discovery, named after dis- 
 tinguished naturalists of various countries. The succulent fruit of many species 
 is eatable, that of some is filled with a juicy pulp, which stains the mouth black in 
 eating ; whence the name of Melastoma is derived. In some plants this juice is of 
 80 intense a black as to be used for ink in Guiana. The leaves of INIelastoma 
 malahathrica (1) are used to dye cottons black in India, and are also considered 
 medicinal. In Brazil, both wine and vinegar are prejjared from the fermented 
 
 1. Melastoma malahathrica, BUtch Strawberry - 
 
 4. 
 
 Soneiila tcnera, Delicate Sonerila. 
 
 Tree. East Indies. 
 1a Stamen. 
 
 
 Himalaya 
 4a Seed- vessel. 
 
 2. BUikea trinervia, Thrcc-ribhed Blaki-a. 
 
 5. 
 
 Osbeckia sinensis, Chinese Osheckia. China 
 
 2a Calyx and Pistil. .fiimiica. 
 
 fi. 
 
 Stenodon suberosns. Seclicn «f Fruit. 
 
 :>. Pleroma viminea, Twii/i/y I'h-rotna. Brazil. 
 
 7. 
 
 Stamen o/Medinilla radicans. 
 
 ■(a Stamen. 
 
 
 7 a S(ctiiin of Seed. 
 
MELASTOMACE.f'. 
 
 berries of several species. From the down of the leaves of M. hohscriceum a 
 kind of tintlor is made in Panama, large quantities of wliich are sent to llavannah. 
 The aromatic loaves of M. Thewzans are employed for tea in Poj)ayan, and are 
 preferred to Chinese tea. Blakea trinervia (2), so named after Blake, the great 
 naturalist of Antigua in the last century, is one of the most beautiful ])lants of the 
 West Indies. At first it is slender, and supports itself by some neighbouring tree ; 
 afterwards becomes robust, and sends forth numerous branches and delicate rose- 
 coloured flowers. The stamens are united at their base, forming a ring around the 
 pistil. The fruit is a yellow berry, about the size of a gooseberry, • of pleasant 
 flavour, and eaten by the natives of Guiana. 
 
 Osbeckia was named by Linnaius in honour of his countryman, Osbeck, a 
 celebrated author of scientific works, and traveller in China and the East Indies. 
 O. sinensis (5) is a pretty little species brought from China in 181 8 ; its leaves 
 have emollient properties. The fruit of 0. Principis is used for a black dye in 
 Brazil. Sonerila tenera (4) is one of the five genera peculiar to Asia ; it extends 
 beyond the general Tropical limits of this tribe, being found on the Deyra Doon, 
 and in other districts of the Himalaya, during the rainy season ; but of diminished 
 size in those northern localities. Sonerila difters from other genera in this order, in 
 having all its parts of fructification arranged in a ternary manner. The pulpy 
 fruit of Memecylon editle is eaten by the natives of Coromandel, although it is too 
 astringent to be agreeable food ; the leaves afford a yellow dye, as well as those of 
 Miconia tinctoria, Cremanium tinctoriiim, and, other species. Blakea ^arasiVtca 
 yields a red dye. The fruit of Lasiandra argentea, Tococa guianensis, and others, 
 give a deep black hue to cotton. The bark of oMedinilla yields an emollient juice ; 
 some species produce numerous bright purple flowers on the stem, and are highly 
 ornamental. The acid leaves of Astronia jyajietaria are cooked as sauce for fish 
 in the islands of the Malay Archipelago ; the wood is hard and used for posts. 
 The berries of Tristemma virusanum are employed medicinally in the Mauritius ; 
 those of Myrrhinium atrojmrjyureum are of agreeable flavour. Macaco wood is 
 obtained from Tococo guianensis, the fruit of w'hich is eaten by man, but is 
 particularly relished by monkeys. 
 
 This Tribe is, with few exceptions, limited to the equinoctial regions of the 
 globe, and chiefly to the tropics of South America, where about 650 species have 
 been found ; on the Andes they ascend to 11,000 feet. Nearly an eighth portion 
 of the genera occur in Asia ; Sonerila and four others have not -yet been discovered 
 in any other quarter of the world ; the various species inhabit principally the 
 southern parts of India, a few only extend into the northern provinces. Some 
 species are found in China ; a very few are at present known in New Holland. 
 None have been discovered in Africa north of the Desert of Sahara, nor beyond 
 the Tropic of Capricorn on the south. Melastoraa and Osbeckia are natives of 
 Asia, Africa, and America : none belong to Europe. 
 
OF IH£ 
 UNIVERSITY OF lLi-!^''=- 
 
AVJJ. 
 
 ■\,VM!W?,Tt!tM;H: 
 
 A^^ 
 
 li 
 
 ETd^L 
 
 iKe/ My rtl& Tribe 
 
 Dav &, SorvX urate' 
 
MYRTACE^ 
 
 THE MYRTLE TRIBE. 
 
 Trees and shnilis, no herbaceous plants. Leaves opposite, entire, usually having 
 transparent dots, and a vein running parallel with the margin. The flowers are 
 various in form, but grow usually from the base of the leafstalk ; they are red, 
 white, occasionally yellow, never blue. The calyx is adherent, four or five cleft at 
 the top, sometimes cohering together at the points, and falling off like a cap, as in 
 Eucalyptus. The petals are equal in number to the di\asions of the calyx. 
 Stamens either twice as many as the petals, or numerous, rarely of the same num- 
 ber ; the filaments are distinct, or connected in several sets, curved inwards before 
 flowering ; the anthers are ovate, two-celled, opening lengthwise. The ovary is 
 from one to six celled, the style simple. The fruit is either dry or fleshy, entire or 
 gaping ; the seeds are usually of indefinite number, and variable in form. 
 
 This is one of the most clearly defined of the natural orders of plants, and very 
 easily recognised. The opposite leaves ^athout stipules, with a smooth edge and 
 a marginal vein being sure indications of it. It is closely connected with Rosaceae, 
 jMelastomacefe, and others, but is obviously distinguishable from all. Nearly all 
 are highly aromatic, from an oil contained in the pores of the leaves. Some curious 
 transfomiations of petals and sepals occur in this tribe. 
 
 Myrtus (1) was known to and named by the ancient Greeks, and retains the 
 same derivation in all European languages. It was a celebrated plant in Athens, 
 employed as a symbol of honour in victory, and of justice forjudges, and dedicated 
 to Venus ou account of its beauty and aromatic fragrance. The berries Avere added 
 to wine, used in cookery, and in medicine for their astringent properties. The 
 buds are still eaten as pepper in Tuscany, and the bark is used for tanning. It ■ 
 was long ago brought to England, and now flourishes in the southern coiinties in 
 great luxuriance, particularly on the coast, the air of the sea being remarkal)ly 
 favourable to it, as was observed anciently in Greece. M. tomenfosa yields eatable 
 berries on the Neilgherries. M. nummularia is the smallest plant of this tribe, 
 spreading over the ground in the Falkland Isles. 
 
 !Myrtus communis, Common Myrtle. 
 
 Persia and S. Europe. 
 
 1a Section of Ovary. 1b Seed. 
 
 Eucalyptus pulvcrulevta, Powdery Gum-tree. 
 
 New Holland. 
 
 Eucalj'ptus macrocnrpa. Swan River. 
 
 3a Seed-vessel. 
 
 i. Psidium Caltleyanum, Purple Gunva. 
 
 South America. 
 "). Vwmcsi Granntum, Pomegranate. S.Europe. 
 C. Eugenia Malaccensis, Malay Rose-apple. 
 
 East Indies. 
 7. Leptospernmm scnparium, New Zealand Tea 
 Plant. New Zealand. 
 
 R 
 
.MYllTACEiE. 
 
 Enc:xlyi>tus ptilrcruhutn (2) and E. macrocarpa ('■^) are examples of tlio Hum 
 trees of Australia, where they rank amongst the loftiest timher trees; the stems of 
 some speeies rising in a straight column to the height of loO feet before branching; 
 the foliage is of a singular grey hue, the same on both surfaces, forming a striking 
 contrast with the bright glossy leaves of the European Myrtle. The flowers have 
 no jietals ; the united calyx, being se])arated from the top of the cup by the force 
 of the expanding stamens, falls off like a cap. A valuable kind of Tannin is pre- 
 pared from the bark of several species, and is said to be much more powerful than 
 that of Oak. E. resinifera of New South Wales yields an efficacious gum resin. 
 E. mannifera exudes a sweet substance resembling Manna, in the dry season. 
 E. rohusta has cavities in the stem containing a fine red gum. Another species 
 furnishes a copious juice which ferments like beer, and is considered a refreshing 
 beverage by the inhabitants of Tasmania. The different kinds of Psidium, or 
 Guaid, afford a ])leasant fruit in the West Indies, that of P. Catthijaimm (4) is 
 esteemed the best flavoured. The dark curled-grained wood of P. monfaimm is 
 much valued for ornamental uses. Punica is said by Pliny to have been so named 
 from having been foxmd growing abundantly on the shores of Carthage. It was 
 early celebrated for the medicinal properties of the fruit in Persia, where it forms 
 extensive woods. In Europe it is still employed medically ; the fruit is considered 
 delicious in the East. Eugenia was named after Prince Eugene of Savoy, a great 
 patron of botany. E. Malaccensis (G) is much cultivated in the Malay Isles for 
 the sake of its agreeable fruit, which has the fragrance of a rose ; several species 
 bearing eatable fruit grow in South America ; Allspice is the dried fruit of E. 
 Pimento. Leptospermum scoparium abounds on the shores of many parts of 
 Australia and New Zealand, where it was found by Captain Cook ; the leaves, 
 having a jileasant bitter flavour, were used by his crew as tea. The seed-vessel is 
 of a remarkable vase shape (7). Nearly all the species of Metrosideros are ever- 
 green shrubs of Australia, where the hard wood is of much value. M. huxifolia, 
 the aki of New Zealand, is a rambling shrub climbing by means of its side rootlets 
 to the to}) of the highest forest trees in the Bay of Islands. C'ajeput oil, valued for 
 its stimulant properties, is distilled from the leaves of Melaleuca Cajapiiti of the 
 Moluccas. The dried flower-buds of Caryophyllus aromaticus are the spice 
 Cloves. 
 
 The plants of this Tribe are dispersed in Tropical and other hot countries ; a 
 great number are natives of the East Indies and South America ; in Chile, they 
 grow to the height of 2000 feet on the Andes ; at the Equator, the region of 
 Myrtaceaj ascends to upwards of 5000 feet ; many genera are peculiar to x\.ustralia 
 and the South Sea Isles. Sonneratia and Careya belong exclusively to India and 
 its islands. Psidium and Eugenia are natives equally of Asia and America. 
 Metrosideros augustlfolia and a very few others are found in Africa ; M. lucida 
 extends as far south as Lord Auckland's Isles. Myrtus is a widely dispersed 
 genus, found at the Straits of Magellan, in Peru, and on the mountains of India. 
 ]\I. communis is the most northern species, having become naturalized in South 
 Europe, 
 
OF THE 
 U?^!VERS1TY Of ILLiNOlS 
 
E.T.M 
 
 I)oy & Sorv.IvTU/ecL. 
 
 The^Leqythis Trih& 
 
 9 
 
58 
 
 LECYTHIDACE.E. 
 
 THE LECYTHIS TRIBE. 
 
 Large trees, \\-ith alternate leaves, either entire or toothed at the edges, without 
 pellucid dots, having minute stipules, which soon fall off. The flowers are solitary, 
 or grow on the ends of the leaf- branches, or on separate branches. The calyx is 
 from two to six -leaved, or united in a tube below, having a divided limb ; it is 
 either valvate or imbricated in the bud state. The corolla has six petals, sometimes 
 cohering at the base, imbricated in the bud. The stamens are of indefinite number, 
 placed upon a disk which surmounts the ovary ; a portion of the filaments is 
 united into a tough substance, which is prolonged into a hooded petal-Hke body, 
 bending over and concealing the pistil and surrounding stamens ; the inner surface 
 is sometimes lined with filaments ^vithout anthers. The ovary is below the disk, 
 from two to six-celled; the ovules are few or many, attached- to the central axis; 
 the stigma is simple.' The seed-vessel is a woody capsule, of a round or long 
 shape, either opening spontaneously with a Ud when the seeds are ripe, or remaining 
 closed. The seeds are covered by a thick integument \vithout albumen. 
 
 These trees have affinity vrith the ^Myrtle tribe, but the alternate and often 
 notched leaves without pellucid dots distinguish them clearly. 
 
 The very remarkable hooded plate of additional stamens is the striking 
 character of this tribe. 
 
 Lecythis was so named from the Greek Lekythos, an oil-jar, owing to the 
 resemblance of the form of the seed-vessel. The lid separates at the upper ridge of 
 the vase where the petals were attached ; the lower ridge is the circle of the sepals 
 of the calyx. There is considerable strength and toughness through every part of 
 these trees, the midrib of the leaf is composed of very strong fibres, the flowers are 
 placed on thick woody stalks which enlarge at the top, the seed-vessels are of such 
 solid woody substance that they serve as drinking vessels to the natives. Lecythis 
 grandiflora (1) is a noble tree in the ancient forests of Brazil; the flowers are the 
 finest in size and colour of the whole genus ; the large seeds are of pleasant flavour, 
 and much esteemed ; they yield also a milky juice, which is considered a remedy 
 
 1 . Lecjthis yrandiflvra, Large-Jlowered Lecythis. 
 
 Brazil. 
 1a Ovury. 1b Stamen. 
 
 Ic Filament of (he Hood. 
 
 2. Seed-vtssel of 'Lecythia Olliaria. 
 
 Guiana and Brazil. 
 
 3. Bertholletia exceha, Brazil-nut Tree. 
 
 3a Seed. 3b Kernel. Brazil. 
 
 4a. Lecythis ovata . Section of the Flower. 
 
 Guiana. 
 4b. Section of the Ovuiy. 
 Oa Conratari Guianensis. Cross section of tlie 
 
 2a Seed. , Ovary. 
 
TiECYTHIDACE^. 
 
 for coughs. L. OUlaria (2) ia an extremely majestic tree, growing to the height 
 of a hundred feet, spreading into an enormous vaulted crown ; in s])ring, when the 
 young leaves come forth of a red hue, it has a singularly beautiful appearance ; 
 the blossoms of this species are white. The large seed-vessels have been long 
 known in this country, being of a nature to bear transport safely ; the almond- 
 shaped seeds are, like those of nearly all the tribe, eatable, either in a raw or cooked 
 state ; by some persons they are preferred to the European almond, but in general 
 they leave a disagreeable bitter taste in the mouth, peculiar to many tropical fruits. 
 Monkeys and birds make their favourite repasts on them. The l)ark of L. Olliaria 
 is composed of more than a hundred fine layers, resembling thin, smooth paper ; 
 the Indians find it very useful for wrapping tobacco for their cigars. L. amara 
 bears a seed-vessel three inches in diameter, called by the colonists petite marmite 
 de singe. L. parvi flora and L. hracteata are species which abound in Brazil and 
 Guiana. The Portuguese in Brazil are very ingenious in making boxes of the 
 great capsules. 
 
 Bertholletia was so named after Berthollet, a celebrated chemist and botanist. 
 B. exceha (3) is a lofty tree, of the greatest longevity in Guiana, being known to 
 live a thousand years. The seeds are contained in a large round woody capsule, 
 and are well known in England as Brazil nuts. 
 
 The fruit of Couroupita Guianensis, the ahricot salvage of Cayenne, and the 
 cannon-ball tree of English colonists, has a pleasant flavour of wine when fresh, 
 but whilst decaying, acquires a most disagreeable odour. The petals, if torn and 
 exposed to the air, become blue at the edges. The shell of the fruit is employed 
 for domestic uses like the calabash. Couratari Guianensis is a tree sixty feet in 
 height, the wood is white in the outer circumference, red in the centre ; the native 
 Indians make a strong cord of the bark, with which they encircle the stem of the 
 Palm, and thus, with their feet against the tree, and leaning back on the girdle of 
 rope, are enabled dexterously to climb to the summit to gather the fruit or to 
 extract the toddy. The ovary of this genus is three-celled, and contains many 
 ovules ; but when the fruit enlarges and ripens, it becomes one -celled, of a slender 
 shape, four inches or more in length, having a central column, to which the seeds 
 are attached in three rows ; the capsule remains closed. 
 
 The trees of this Tribe are all natives of the hottest countries of South America, 
 more especially of Guiana and Brazil. 
 
La ....■'{ 
 
 Or iHH 
 
 "RSiTY Of IL! 
 
1. 1, del: 
 
 The^ Lornhr aUinuIribe,' 
 
 L'ljy A-.SoruLunvlal: 
 
COMBRETACEiE. 
 
 THE COMBRETU:\I TIUBE. 
 
 Trees and shrubs ; the leaves are alternate or opposite, without stipules, entire at 
 the edges ; the leafstalk has sometimes two glands at the end. The spikes of 
 flowers grow at the ends of the branches, or proceed from the base of the leafstalks. 
 The calyx is adherent in the lower part, -u^ith a four or five lobed limb, which falls 
 off. The petals arise from the orifice of the calyx, and are alternate witli its lobes, 
 often wanting, as in Terminalia (2). The stamens grow from the upper part of the 
 calyx, and are twice as many as its segments ; very rarely equal to them in num- 
 ber. The filaments are distinct, awl-shaped. The anthers are two-celled, bursting 
 lengthwise, or by recurved valves, as in Gj^rocarpus. The ovary is one-celled, 
 with from two to four ovules suspended by cords from the top of the cavity ; the 
 style is single, the stigma simple. The fruit is a drupe, a berry, or a nut, one- 
 celled ; usually one-seeded, closed, often winged. The seed is i:)endulous, withox;t 
 albumen. 
 
 These plants have considerable affinity -oath the Myrtle tribe, especially with 
 the Pomegranate. 
 
 Astringent properties prevail in the bark and fruit. 
 
 Combretum (or Poivrea, as it has lately been called) is a geniis of elegant 
 plants, differing entirely from that described by Pliny under the same name. 
 C. piirpiirenm (1) is a remarkably graceful species, flowering abundantly in a 
 conservatory ; the small bracts soon fall off after the flower expands. C. grandi- 
 ftorum of Sierra Leone bears a short spike of drooping flowers with scarlet petals 
 and a long green calyx ; the bracts are larger than those of other species, and 
 stand erect. C. micropetalum, -with yellow flowers, grows in the primreval forests 
 of Minas Geraes and other provinces of Brazil. A gum resembling gum arable is 
 jaelded from the bark of C. alternifolium ; this appears to be a solitary instance 
 of useful pi'oduct in the genus. Terminalia the Myrobalan includes several im- 
 portant and valuable species existing in the tropics of both heraisiiheres in low, 
 damp localities, rarely in dry situations exposed to wind ; they afford timber, bark 
 
 1 . Combretum purpurenm. 
 
 Madagascar. 
 
 3. Terminalia Catapjm. 
 
 East Indies. 
 
 lA Flower. 1b Stamen. 
 
 
 3a Stone of Fruit. 
 
 
 1 c Phlil and Ovary. 
 
 
 :3b a Valve removed. 
 
 
 Id Section of Ovary. 
 
 
 :3c Kernel. 
 
 
 2. Terminalia Australis. 
 
 Brazil. 
 
 i.\. TevminaMa faf/ifolia^ 
 
 Brazil. 
 
 2a Flower, mai/nified. 
 
 
 Winged Fruit. 
 
 
 2e Fruit, mmjnijied. 
 
 
 4b Seed. 
 
 
COMBUETACE^. 
 
 fur taiiuin,<;, food, aiul medicine. T. Caiappa (3) is a fine tree witli broad leaves ; 
 tlie kernels of the fruit are eaten by the natives, and arc said to have the 
 flavour of almonds. T. fayifoUa is a native of Brazil, growing to the height of 
 thirty feet ; the stem has an extremely thick bark, the leaves are in clusters at the 
 ends of the branches, and are densely hairy. The fruit (4) is destitute of a fleshy 
 exterior, and is covered only with a fibrous fungus-Hke substance ; the margin of 
 the wings is clothed with a silky down. The milky juice of T. Benzoin is so 
 fragrant when dried as to serve as incense in the churches of ^lauritius. T. ar- 
 (/cutca yields a powerful resin. T. Chehula has glands on the leafstalk ; the 
 astringent fruit is very valuable in dyeing ; combined with alum, it produces 
 yellow, or mixed with the ferrugineous mud of the country, it forms a good black. 
 Several species are employed medicinally; the root of T. latifolia is esteemed in 
 Jamaica; the bark of T. alata is a remedy in fever; the astringent fruit of 
 T. helerica is used as a tonic ; from the bark exudes a gum which dissolves in 
 water and consumes in flame. The kernels of T. cltrina are among the native 
 medicines of the Hindoos. Some species of Terminalia as well as of Conocarpus 
 and Pentaptera are of considerable dimensions, and yield excellent timber. The 
 bark of Conocarpus is of use in tanning, in Rio Janeiro. Chuucoa has a leathery 
 fruit, with five membranous wings of unequal size, the two larger semi -orbicular 
 and downy. Laguncularia is a shrub bearing spikes of flowers, the calyx of 
 which is covered with a white dowTi ; it is frequent in the marshes near the coast 
 in liio Janeiro ; the fruit was found ripe in the month of April by Von IMartius. 
 The fruit of iJucida Buceras is the shape of the horn of an ox ; the tree abounds 
 in the swamps of Jamaica, and affords timber and bark for tanning. Alangium 
 and a few other genera differ in a few points from the regular type of this Order, 
 the limb of the calyx having from five to ten teeth, the petals usually reflexed, 
 sometimes ten in number, and the seeds containing albumen; the roots of Alangium 
 are aromatic, and the fruit eatable though insipid. Nyssa capitata bears a small 
 fruit the size of an olive ; the fibres of the wood are much interwoven, which 
 renders it difficult to split. 
 
 The chief trees and shrubs of this Tribe belong exclusively to the Tropical 
 regions of Asia, Africa, and America, and do not extend beyond them. Nyssa 
 belongs to the United States of America. . 
 
OF [HE 
 ■^RSITY OF ILUi:OiS 
 
 ► 
 

 ^^.. 
 
 
 2b 
 
 " 3h ■3'- J^i 
 
 iT.t^ 
 
 ThdoascuTrihe'. 
 
 J)ay &■ Sorvlimitet^ 
 
GO 
 
 LOASACE.E 
 
 THE LOASA TRIBE. 
 
 Herraceous plants, often climbing, for the most part clothed with stinging or 
 pricking hairs, secreting an acrid jnice at their base. The leaves are opposite or 
 alternate, without stipules, usually more or less divided at their edges ; the flower- 
 stalks are terminal, or on side branches, or grow from the base of the leaf-stalks, 
 each bearing one flower. The tube of the calyx is adherent to the ovary, four or 
 five-parted at the top, and persistent. The petals are five or ten, in two rows, 
 often scale-like, sometimes twisted in the bud, the inner row, when present, much 
 smaller than the outer. The stamens are numerous, in several rows, arising from 
 Avithin the petals, either distinct or adhering in bundles before each petal, within 
 the hollow^ part of which they lie when the flower first expands. The filaments 
 are awl-shaped, unequal, the outer ones frequently destitute of anthers. The ovary 
 is one-celled, included in the tube of the calyx. The style is single, stigma one or 
 several, united or free at the top. The fruit is a capsule, succulent or dry, 
 crowned with the persistent calyx, one-celled, three, five, or seven-valved, wath 
 projections to which the seeds are attached : the seeds contain fleshy albumen, and 
 are many, as in Loasa, or few, as in Klaprothia and Mentzelia. 
 
 The stinging hairs of these plants form a solitary link with the Nettle tribe, 
 although their construction is in some points different : in habit there exists an 
 affinity with the Gourd tribe. 
 
 The chief property is an acrid fluid, which is instilled into wounds by the 
 singular mechanism of the stinging hairs. 
 
 The different species of Loasa bear bright yellow flowers, of very curious 
 structure, but the extreme pungency of the stings renders them disagreeable plants 
 in a garden or green-house. Loasa grandiflora (1) is the most beautiful at pre- 
 sent introduced here ; the leaves of aU are more or less covered wdth stinging 
 hairs, those of L. Placet are extremely beset with them on each surface. L. volu- 
 hilis is a twining species from Chile, not sufficiently hardy to bear the open air of 
 this climate. The Pumaysanca of Brazil is a medicine prepared from L. jmnicea. 
 
 1. 'Loaiiii ffruiulijlora, Laryejloic.ered Loasa. 
 
 2a Seed magnified. 
 
 
 Caraccas. 
 1a Hooded Petal and Filaments. 
 1b Section of Seed-vessel. 
 Ic Stiiiginff hairs magnified. 
 
 2b Section of Seed-vessel. 
 3. Microsperma barlonoides. 
 
 3a Long section of Seed-vessel. 
 3b Cross section. 
 
 Mexico 
 
 a. Baitonia aurea, Golden flowered Bartonia. 
 
 3c Seed magnified. 3d Ilnirs 
 
 magnified 
 
 California. 
 
 4. .Magnified hairs c/ Loasa nitida. 
 
 
LOASACE^.. 
 
 The Spaniarfls in Sonth America call Loasa ortirja. from its stinging like the 
 Nettle. 
 
 Bartonia, so named after Dr. Barton, a 1)otani.st of Philadelphia, was first 
 brought to England, from the shores of the IMissouri ; the two s])ecies from thence 
 bear white 'flowers, and are sweet-scented, expanding chiefly towards night. 
 Bartonia aurea (2) has been since introduced from California, and is now become 
 a hardy annual plant in English gardens, and is much admired for the brilliant 
 golden flowers, although the foliage is rough. B. albescens of Chile has small, 
 pale flowers, and a white, shining stem. 
 
 Microspemia hartonoides (3) bears abundant elegant flowers, of ex:cecdingly 
 pure, pale yellow, the numerous slender stamens giving it a very graceful appear- 
 ance ; after the fall of the petals, the flower-stalks elongate. 
 
 Mentzelia, a genus of which the capsules contain only a few seeds, was named 
 after IMentzel, a Prussian botanist and physician to the Elector of Brandenburg ; 
 they are curious plants, with yellow flowers, like others of this tribe. 
 
 All the plants of this Tribe are natives of the Tropical or Temperate regions 
 of Xorth and South America. 
 
OF THE 
 
 yi^iYERsiTY Of axmji^ 
 
ei 
 
 8 a.. 71 
 
 
 E T.djd, 
 
 ^'^./a. 
 
 Th": Ooard'Trihe' 
 
 Day i. Snr;.,ZinU4 
 
61 
 
 CUCURBITACE^. 
 
 THE GOURD TRIBE. 
 
 Herbaceous plants, with annual or perennial roots, fibrous or tuberous. The 
 stem is generally brittle or succulent, trailing and climbing by the aid of tendrils. 
 The leaves are usually five-parted, or have five distinct ribs ; sometimes they are 
 triple or heart-shaped, rough, with small warts or hairs. The flowers are white, 
 yellow, or red ; occasionally small and green. The stamens and pistils are in 
 different flowers ; the calyx is five-toothed ; the corolla is five-parted ; sometimes 
 scarcely distinguishable from the calyx, having well -developed cells, and strongly- 
 marked veins ; sometimes fringed at the edges, as in Tricosauthes (5). The stamens 
 are five, either distinct, or in two pairs, with one single, inserted on the corolla, 
 alternate with its divisions : the anthers are two-celled, very long and waving. 
 The style is short, stigmas thick, downy, lobed, or fringed. The fruit is more 
 or less succulent, crowned by the remains of the flower. The seeds are ovate, flat, 
 or rounded, enveloped in a skin, which is either juicy or dry and membranous, 
 often thickened at the margin, as in the vegetable marrow (8) ; sometimes winged ; 
 they contain no albumen. 
 
 These plants have affinity with the Loasa and Evening Primrose tribe. 
 
 Acrimonious juicy pulp and oily seeds are the chief characteristics of the fruits. 
 
 Several specimens of this Tribe abound in the East, and were known to the 
 ancients. Their use may be traced to remote antiquity. Cucurbita claciformis is 
 supposed to be the gourd of Jonas. Cucurbita Lagenaria (1) has a remarkable 
 fruit, in shape hke a bottle, often attaining three or four feet in length, and eighteen 
 inches in circumference ; in some countries it is called Calabash, after the Portuguese 
 name. It is very common in Egypt and Arabia, and serves many purposes. The 
 pulp is white, and unfit for food ; but the shell, when emptied and dried, becomes 
 so hard and tough, that it ^\^ll contain hquids, for which use it is constantly 
 employed, as well as for dishes. In the East Indies, it is usually planted under 
 Mango trees. The larger gourds are made into travelling trunks, which, according 
 
 1. Cncurhlta Lagenaria, Bottle Goiirrl, India. 
 
 2. Cucumis sntiva. Cucumber. India. 
 
 3. Momordica bulsamuia. Balsam Apple. India. 
 
 4. Momordica Elaterium, Squirtiiuj Cucumber. 
 
 South Europe. 
 4a Stamens. 
 4b Seed. 
 4c Section of Ovary . 
 
 5. Tricosanthes amjuina. Snake Gourd. Cliiua. 
 
 6. Bryonia dioica, Bed-berried Bryoiiif. Britmn. 
 
 6a Seed. 
 7a. Cucumis Melo, Melon. Stamens. 
 
 7 b Seed. 
 8a. Seed of Vegetable Marrow. 
 Oa. Pistil of Coccinia indica. 
 
 9b Stamens. 
 
 S 
 
CUCURBITACE^. 
 
 to Riimpliius, au old Dutch author, are strong and excellent; they would, no 
 doubt, be well adapted for modern railway journeys, if introduced to Europe. 
 0. Citrullus, the Water-melon, is one of the most valuable fruits of the East, 
 affording an agreeable, cooling food, the general refreshment of all classes. In the 
 soil deposited by the inundation of the Nile, it is cultivated with great produce. 
 C. Melo is known under several varieties of Melon in Europe, but is of very 
 superior quality in the floating islets of the rivers of Cashmere, composed of masses 
 of decayed roots of Water-lilies and other vegetable remains, which accumulate, 
 and form the most fertile Melon gardens in the world, the fruit being of large size 
 and exquisite flavour. C. Pejio is the celebrated Pompion or Pumpkin. In 
 favourable situations, the fruit reaches four feet in circumference, and is known to 
 readers of fiiiry tales as having been transformed into a coach for Cinderella. On 
 the Continent, it forms a constant article of food in soups and stews, and is cheap 
 and wholesome. C. ovifera is the useful Vegetable Marrow ; a variety of this, the 
 Sucoade gourd, is also much esteemed. The large rough fruit of C. Melopepo is 
 the favourite species in North America. The fleshy pulp of C. maxima, the red 
 gourd, when boiled, resembles the Carrot in appearance and flavour. Cucumis 
 sativus (2) is the most important in this country, and has been brought to a great 
 size by skill and cultivation. In all northern lands it is grown, and in Russia 
 forms a -daily meal for all classes during the summer months; its value as food 
 consists in being kept from acquiring its natural bitterness. C. angibina is eatable 
 when young, the bitter juices being extracted by boiling ; it is three or four feet 
 long, and of a red colour when ripe, curling about stems like a snake. Momordica 
 halsamina (3) is said to impart healing qualities to oil, and is thus used for wounds 
 in India. The fruit of M. operculata open with a lid, after the manner of Lecythis, 
 which forms a connecting link with the IMyrtle tribe. M. Elaterium (4) was 
 known to Pliny, having attracted the notice of the ancients for its singular power 
 of expelling the seeds from the fruit as soon as it becomes ripe. The cause of this 
 was discovered by Dutrochet to be the expansion of the fluid within ; when that 
 occurs, the force is so great as to break away the fruit from the stalk, and to shoot 
 forth the seeds like shot from an air-gun. The juice was used as a medicine in 
 ancient times, and a poisonous drug is still prepared from it. The fruit of 
 Tricosanthes (5) is remarkable for its extreme length and snake-like form : in a 
 conservatory at Syon, it has been seen upwards of six feet long. Here it is not 
 used, but in India the natives make it one of the various materials for curries. 
 Bryonia ((J) is very ornamental in our hedges, when the berries are red in autumn ; 
 goats are said to be the only animals that feed on it. Coccinia indica (9) is very 
 common in Indian hedges, furnishing favourite food to small birds, and a curry to 
 the natives. Sicyos is the single-seeded Cucumber of North America ; a trailing 
 plant with small fruit. Zanonia indica, the Bandolier fruit, has the taste and 
 smell of a cucumber. In America, the oil from the seeds of Feuillrea is burnt in 
 lamps. The large oily seeds of Telfairia pedata are eaten by Negroes in Africa. 
 The seeds of several species are used medicinally in Brazil. 
 
 This Tribe inhabits hot countries in both hemispheres, chiefly within the 
 Tropics ; a few species belong to Europe and North America, and several are 
 natives of the Cape of Good Hope ; the greatest number are found in India ; many 
 occur in Brazil and Peru ; some are already known in Australia — one in Norfolk 
 Island. Bryonia is the only British example. 
 
[HE 
 
'■'' . iMi 
 
 
 
 m 
 
 V 
 
 4h 
 
 I.TSLel 
 
 'j-na.ao^€S^^^ 
 
 The' 1-verang FrvmroserTrihR . 
 
 jjay & San^.ZifnJ^UA 
 
C-i 
 
 ONAGRACE^.. 
 
 THE EVENING PRIMROSE TRIBE. 
 
 Shrubs" and herbaceous plants, the leaves are alternate or opposite, simple, entire 
 or toothed at the edge. The flowers are either on terminal or side branches, of 
 various forms and colours ; the calyx is above the ovary, tubular, the upper part 
 divided into four segments, or two, as in Circea (o), closed in a valvular form in 
 the bud, cohering to the points, clinging together in two pair after the flower is 
 expanded. The petals are generally equal in number to the lobes of the calyx, 
 into the throat of which they are inserted, of a regular shape, twisted in the bud ; 
 in Skinnera the petals are wanting. The stamens are four or eight, in Circasa two, 
 in Lopezia (Ij) one stamen only is perfect with an anther, the other is in the form of 
 a spoon-shaped petal. The style is long and slender, the stigma either four-lobed 
 or round -topped. The fruit is a capsule or a berry, with four or two cells, con- 
 taining numerous seeds without albumen, sometimes bearded ; Circaia has only one 
 seed in each cell. 
 
 The succulent fruit of Fuchsia connects these plants with the Myrtle tribe, but 
 the want of pellucid dots and their definite stamens clearly distingiiish them. 
 
 Slight mucilaginous properties prevail throughout the Tribe, and some species 
 are astringent. 
 
 OEnothera opens its flowers only towards sunset, and has therefore been called 
 the Evening Primrose, and given • the name to the whole tribe ; Onagra is a 
 synonym of French botanists. 0. biennis (1) grows on the sandy coast of Lan- 
 cashire, where it is supposed to have been originally transported across the Atlantic; 
 it is also found in Suffolk, and on the banks of the Arrow, in Warwickshire. The 
 stem grows to two or three feet in height, often branched and leafy, rough, with 
 very miniUe tubercles, and sometimes hairy ; it is commonly cultivated in gardens, 
 the beautiful though short-lived yellow flowers continuing to come forth in succes- 
 sion every evening during the summer, and being delicately fragrant. The method 
 of expansion of the petals is extremely curioiis. The calyx parting at the sides, 
 
 1. 
 
 CEnothera biennis, Evening Primrose. 
 
 
 •Sa Capsule. 
 
 
 1a Capsule. 1b Seed, England. 
 
 
 8b Feathered Seed. 
 
 2. 
 
 CEnothera macrocarpa, Lartje fruited CEno- 
 
 4. 
 
 Fuchsia coccinea. Scarlet Fuchsia. Chile. 
 
 
 thera. Missouri. 
 
 
 4a Flower opened. 
 
 
 2a Pistil and Stamens. 
 
 
 4b Berry. 4c Section. 
 
 
 2b Section of Ovary. 
 
 5. 
 
 Circea luletiana. Enchanter's Nightshade. 
 
 0. 
 
 Epiloliium angustifolinm, Rose-hay, or Wil- 
 
 
 5a Section of Seed-vrssil. England. 
 
 
 low herh. England. 
 
 C. 
 
 Lopezia coronato. 
 
ONAGRACE^. 
 
 shows them twisted within ; when they have acquired sufficient vigour to force 
 asunder tlie points of the calyx hooked together, it fiills downwards in two pairs, 
 and the petals gradually expand and spread out flat; in the course of the next 
 morning they wither. The ta])ering root serves as food to the peasants in some 
 poor countries. This is the only British species, but many others are natives of 
 America and the Cape of Good Hope. 0. macrocarpa (2) has large and brilliant 
 flowers, and a remarkable seed-vessel, with four \M'de wings at the angles ; the 
 stems are recumbent, and will cover a large space of ground ; in the extreme length 
 of the slender pistil we are reminded of some of the Cactus flowers. Epilobium is 
 a genus common in England, adorning our meadows and river banks in various 
 parts, existing here in its greatest perfection ; one species alone is a native of the 
 Andes, of no beauty of growth or colour. E. villosum belongs to the Cape, and 
 E. coloratum to North America. E. aitf/usti/oliitm (3) is our most elegant species, 
 found frequently in the north of England and south of Scotland, as well as in other 
 localities near the Thames and elsewhere. It is generally to be seen in gardens 
 near London, where it flourishes extremely well. E. alpinum grows on Ben 
 Lomond and other Scotch mountains, as well as E. aJdnfoUam, whicli forms ex- 
 tensive tufts with its creeping roots. To the genus Fuchsia, named after a famous 
 German botanist, Fuchs, we are highly indebted for the ornament of gardens of 
 all classes ; the humblest cottage in the remotest village may possess plants of the 
 once rare but now abundant Fuchsia coccinea (4) flowering abundantly throughout 
 the summer. It was first brought from Chile in 1788 ; since that time several 
 other species have been discovered, and varieties raised. The wooded ravines and 
 moist banks of rivers amongst the Andes are the chief situations where they 
 flourish, being suited to those shady damp regions, whilst the Cactus plants 
 abound in the dry districts of the Cordillera. On the wooded slopes of the 
 Pichincha, at 13,000 feet elevation, where the air is usually filled with mist, 
 Fuchsia tripliylla displays its numerous large scarlet flowers of remarkable 
 brilliancy. The berry of some species attains a moderate size, and is eatable ; that 
 of F./nlgens, ftom ^lexico, has rather a pleasant sub-acid flavour when made into 
 tarts. Clarkia^ju^r/te/'/a is a favourite in gardens, introduced of late years from 
 North America. Isnardia is a small plant growing in marshes from Holstein to 
 Geneva. Jussiaea is scarcely worthy of recording the name of three celebrated 
 brothers who rendered essential service to botany ; some species belong to South 
 America ; one appears with its yellow flowers in the rice-fields of the Khasya 
 mountains of India, at an elevation of 2800 feet. Circa^a is said to have been 
 named by the Greeks after the enchantress Circe ; it grows usually in moist shady 
 places, and the different species have minute delicate flowers. C. lutetiana (5) has 
 been found also in Nepal. 
 
 This Tribe inhabits chiefly the Temperate parts of the world, especially of 
 America ; a large number of species belong to Europe, some to India ; in Africa, 
 they are less abundant, being nearly confined to the Cape, except Jussisea, which 
 inhabits other parts of that continent. 
 
..y 
 
 Or fHE 
 
 :Y Of iiiM'-m 
 
^:? 
 
 TTu- Rg -Mark) old' Trib^. 
 
 j\y2.::n>r' hwiih 
 
G3 
 
 M E S E M B R Y A C E yE. 
 
 THE FIG-MAEIGOLD TRIBE. 
 
 Shrubs and herbaceous succulent plants, with leaves opposite or alternate, simple, 
 fleshy, often of grotesque forms, sometimes covered with watery protuberances, 
 without stipules. The flowers are complete with stamens and pistil, almost always 
 on terminal branches, sometimes from the base of the leaf-stalk ; they are chiefly of 
 brilliant coloiir, generally opening only in sunshine, and closing in its absence. 
 Tetragonia and a few other genera have small flowers, sometimes wanting in petals. 
 The sepals of the calyx are usually five, more or less combined at the base, either 
 cohering to the ovary or distinct from it, equal or unequal ; the petals are slender, 
 numerous, in many rows ; the stamens arise from the calyx, and are of indefinite 
 or definite number ; the anthers are oblong. The ovary is partly below the calyx, 
 one or many-celled ; the styles are of the number of the cells, the stigmas numerous, 
 distinct : the ovules are attached by cords to a central plate, which is either wholly 
 free or united to the edges of the carpels, or spread over the cavity of each cell. 
 The capsule is surrounded by the fleshy calyx, opening in a stellate manner at the 
 top, or when free from the calyx, splitting at the base, or a tough-shelled nut not 
 gaping when ripe. The seeds are attached to the inner angle of the cells, and 
 contain merely albumen. 
 
 This order has affinity with Portulaceaj. Tetragonia connects it with 
 Chenopodeaceae. 
 
 SHghtly saline properties render these plants in some instances wholesome food ; 
 the ashes afford alkali. 
 
 The species of Mesembryanthemum, or mid-day flowers, are of exceeding 
 brightness and beauty ; they continue to expand every morning for many weeks, 
 and display their petals in the sunshine, of every tint of red, and yellow, and white. 
 The succulent leaves assiime a great variety of form ; the fruit having sometimes 
 
 1. 
 
 Mesembryanthemum minutum, Tiny F'uj- 
 
 5. Tetiagonia e.vpansa. New Zealand Spinaye. 
 
 
 Mariijold. Cape of Good Hope. 
 
 Now Zealand 
 
 2. 
 
 Mesembryanthemum depressum. Depressed- 
 
 G. Lewisia rediviva. North America 
 
 
 leaved Fig-Mar'tijold. 
 
 6a Stamen. Cm Pistil. 
 
 
 Cape of Good Hope, 
 
 6c Capsule split. 
 
 .3. 
 
 Mesemliryanthemum micans, Shiniinj Fiy- 
 
 6d Section. 
 
 
 Mariijold. Cape of Good Hope. 
 
 Oe Seed, maynijied. 
 
 
 3a Section of Flower. JJb Pistils. 
 
 7a. Capsule (</■ Mesembryanthemum. 
 
 J. 
 
 Mesembryanthemum sinclahile, Sluncy Fig- 
 
 7b Section of Capsule. 
 
 
 Muriyold. Cape of Good Hope. 
 
 7o Section of Scid. 
 
iMESEMBKYACE.E. 
 
 the sliape of a fig has given the name of Fig- Mangold to the tribe. Mesembry- 
 antli. nnini eduh affords food to tlie Hottentots in its Husliy fruit and leaves, whence 
 it has been called Hottentot's fig. These plants belong essentially to the Cape of 
 Good Hope, a very few being scattered in Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere. 
 M. nodifiorum belongs to Egypt, where it is burnt for the sake of the excellent 
 potash it produces. The best known of the species formerly, is M. cri/stalliniim, 
 the Toe-]>laiit, introduced from Greece early in this century; the flowers are small 
 and wliite, the leaves and stalks entirely covered with warts, containing a clear 
 insipid liquid, having the appearance of bits of ice ; in this country it is esteemed 
 only as curious and omaniental ; in Greece and in the Canaries it is eaten, and 
 large quantities of the ashes are sent to Spain as Barilla. M, minutum (1) is 
 remarkable for its singular globular leaves, resembling the form of some of the 
 fungus tribe. IM. depressuvi {-) and IVI. micans (3), besides several other si)ecie8, 
 are generally cultivated in conservatories. M. spectahile (4) is one of the most 
 showy, and is of extreme brilliancy in the sunshine. JM. umbellatnm is one of the 
 largest species known, having a stout stem three feet high, bearing sweet-scented 
 white flowers at the top. M. emarcidum, when bruised and fermented, acquires a 
 narcotic property, and is used as tobacco by the Hottentots. M. cequUaterale 
 affords an eatable fruit to the natives of Australia ; it is above an inch in length ; 
 the pulp has a mixed flavour of sweet and saline. Tetragonia was named from 
 the four-angled horny fruit : it partakes of the nature and habit of Chenopodeaceaj, 
 and, like some of those plants, furnishes wholesome food. T. ejpansa (5) was 
 found by Captain Cook in New Zealand, and used as an excellent vegetable. In 
 Brazil it grows abundantly on the shores of the Rio Grande, and is very generally 
 eaten by the Brazilians ; on the continent of Europe it is now commonly preferred 
 to any other kind of spinage, as it affords a constant supply of its succulent leaves 
 throughout the summer. Lewisia (G), so called after Captain Lewis, who dis- 
 covered it on the Rocky Mountains of North America, and introduced it to 
 British gardens, where it is occasionally to be seen ; the petals are sometimes very 
 pale or white. Aizoon derives its name from the Greek, always alive ; the plants 
 have a strong power of growth, and vegetate very readily. A. canariense and 
 A. hispanicwni, contain an abundant supply of soda. Sesuvium has no particular 
 beauty ; the species inhabit chiefly the West Indies and South America, and bear 
 much resemblance to Purslane. S. pjorhdacastrum is called in the East, Pepper 
 Myrobalans, and is used as food either with milk, butter, or rice ; it is also thought 
 to have medicinal properties. 
 
 The ])rincipal portion of this Tribe inhabit the hot sandy plains of the Cape of 
 Good Hope ; a few species only exist in North Africa, in the countries of Europe 
 bordering the Mediterranean, in China,, in Chili, Peru, and the South Sea Isles. 
 
OF I HE 
 
I.ti^L. 
 
 Day Sc. SemyLirm-. 
 
 The' Fiirslan&Tr{b& 
 
 i 
 
64 
 
 PORTULxlCE/E. 
 
 THE PURSLANE TRIBE. 
 
 Shrubs or herbs of a succulent, fleshy nature, the leaves of which are alternate, 
 seldom opposite, entire at the edges, without stipules, often having tufts of hairs at 
 their base. The flowers are either terminal, or grow from the base of the leaves, 
 generally expanding in sunshine, and of short duration. The calyx is composed 
 of two sepals, united at their base ; the petals are generally five, either distinct, or 
 cohering in a short tube ; the stamens are inserted with the petals irregularly into 
 the base of the calyx, or attached to the base of the ovary ; they vary in number, 
 all contain pollen, the filaments are distinct, the anthers have two cells opening 
 length\^•ise. The ovary is composed of three carpels, forming oue cell, eitlier free 
 or partially adherent ; the style is single or absent ; the stigmas are several, much 
 divided ; the capsi;le is one-celled, opening either transversely, or by valves, occa- 
 sionally one-seeded and closed. The seeds are numerous if the fruit opens, attached 
 to a central plate, wvth farinaceous albumen. 
 
 This Order has most affinity with Mesembryacai in appearance and habit. 
 
 Insipidity of taste and want of smell are the general characteristics of these 
 harmless plants. 
 
 Portulaca was known to the ancient Greeks, and valued by them for its cooling 
 and wholesome qualities. P. oleracea is a native of the southern countries of 
 Europe, where it is still cultivated, and employed for salads and other cuhnary 
 purposes ; it is but little used now in England, and, according to an old author, 
 was never in great estimation, " for being of a very cold nature, it is unfit to be 
 eaten except in the heat of summer." P. sativa is a nearly similar species, intro- 
 duced from South America ; both are extremely succulent in the leaves and stalks ; 
 the flowers are small and yellow, placed in the midst of a tuft of leaves. P. 
 Gilliesii (1) was brought to England from Mendoza in 1827, and is one of the 
 bright-coloured flowers of the tribe. P. hirsutissima (2) is an exception to the 
 usual smooth character of these plants, being clothed with long yellowish hairs ; it 
 is a native of meadows in the province of Minas Novas, in Brazil. P. grandijiora 
 
 1. Portulaca Gilliesii, Gillies's Portulaca. 
 
 3. 
 
 Claytonia pcrjhliala, Small-flowered Clay. 
 
 Mendoza. 
 
 
 Ionia. North America. 
 
 1a Seed-vessel. 
 1b Section. 
 
 4. 
 
 Montia/ontaiia. Blinks. England. 
 4;A Flower. 4b Calyx. 
 
 2. Portulaca hirsiitissiiiia, Hairy Portulaca. 
 
 5. 
 
 Calandrinia yrandiflora, Great -flowered 
 
 Brazil. 
 
 
 Culandrinia. Chile. 
 
POllTULACEiE. 
 
 adorns the sandy valleys of the province of San Paulo with ite hrilliant ])urple 
 flowers. V. paniculuta grows on the maritime rocks of St. Domingo and Mar- 
 tinique, and is thought to possess medicinal properties. 
 
 Clavtonia perfoliata (3) is a hardy little jilant, spreading widely in a garden 
 where it is once cultivated, flourishing in a jioor soil, and appearing early in spring. 
 In some places it is boiled and eaten like sjnnage. C. tuherosa affords food in its 
 tuberous roots to the poor peasants of Siberia. C. virginka is a jiretty little 
 species, occasionally seen in flower-gardens, the petals delicately streaked with 
 red, withering before they fall off. 
 
 ]\Iontia was so named after a professor of botany, at Bologna, in the beginning 
 of the last century ; the species are all small, inconsi)icuous plants. M. fontanel (4) 
 is the only British species, growing usually in a gravelly soil by the side of 
 streamlets ; it seldom rises above three inches in height, but is much branched and 
 spreading : of the succulent nature of this tribe it partakes only slightly : tlie seed- 
 vessel is of one cell, with three valves folded in at the margins, and not opening 
 transversely, as in Portulaca. This little plant forms part of the scanty flora of 
 Iceland. M. riiulai-is is a native of Germany and of Labrador, generally found 
 on the banks of streams. Calandrinia was so called after a Genoese botanist ; 
 C. grandijlora (o), and other species, belong to South America : all have beautiful 
 flowers, very ornamental, though of short duration, flourishing best in hot dry 
 situations. C. arenaria expands its bright rose-coloured blossoms on the sandy 
 plains of Valparaiso. Talinum is a genus of the same succulent nature and 
 appearance. T. patens is used as an esculent herb by the Brazilians, in the same 
 manner as Purslane. 
 
 South America and South Africa are the chief countries of this Tribe ; a very 
 few have at present been discovered in New Holland; one species belongs to 
 Guinea; Montia is the only British species. 
 
OF THE 
 
7h Vt" 
 
 £ T leL 
 
 Tm^ Cactus Tribt- 
 
 I'jy & Sen^im^'. 
 
65 
 
 C A C T A C E ^. 
 
 THE CACTUS TRIBE. 
 
 Succulent shrubs, very different in form. The stems are nsually angular, or 
 two-edged, or leafy ; the wood is arranged either in a ring of wedges, separated 
 by pith, or it consists of fibres loosely interlacing, only forming into compact zones 
 when old. Leaves are almost always absent ; if present, they are smooth, fleshy, 
 entire ; they most frequently exist only in the undeveloped form of spines. The 
 flowers are of very short duration, the sepals numerous, gradually transformed into 
 petals, either crowning or covering the ovary ; the petals are usually numerous, 
 rising in two series from the orifice of the calyx. The stamens are of indefinite 
 numbers, more or less cohering with the petals and sepals ; the filaments are long 
 and thread-like. The ovary is below, fleshy, one-celled, containing numerous 
 ovules arranged on projections from the outer jiortion, equal in number to the 
 lobes of the stigma ; the style is long and slender, the stigmas many, collected into 
 a cluster. The fruit is succulent, one -celled, many-seeded, either smooth, or 
 covered with scales, scars, or tubercles. The seeds have no albumen ; when ripen- 
 ing, they beciome detached and embedded in pulp, which is invariably wholesome. 
 
 These plants have but little affinity with any others ; they approach some 
 Euphorbiaceaj in appearance, but are distinguished from them by their stellate instead 
 of single spines, and by their vessels not giving out their fluid when cut. 
 
 The extreme distension of the cellular tissue is the striking character of the 
 Tribe. It contains a vast store of moisture, which is not lost by evaporation, the 
 cuticle being very thick, and destitute of perfect pores. Opuntia contains in its 
 cells flat and star-like crystals. The hairs are difficult of extraction if they enter 
 the flesh, being barbed downwards. 
 
 The Cactus, or Nopal Plants, were until lately scarcely seen in Europe ; 
 Linnajus knew but few of them. They are so abundant in America as to furnish 
 a national emblem, one of the Mexican banners being an eagle on a Nopal ]ilant. 
 They exist in great variety of curious forms : some species are not larger than a 
 walnut, others are many feet in circumference. Echinocactus visnaga is of 
 
 1. Cereus speciushsbntis. Beautiful Cactus. 
 
 South America. 
 
 2. Echinocactus Ei/riesii, Sea-urchin Cactus. 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 0. Opuntia tuna, Indian Fi<j. South America. 
 
 4. Pilocereus senilis, Old Alan Cactus. 
 
 South America. 
 
 5. Cereus Jla</ellijii)mis, Creepiu;/ Cereus, 
 
 South America. 
 
 C. Kliipsalis /»('/((//(?«, Droopimj Rhij^salis. 
 
 West Indies. 
 
 7a. Section of Fruit q/ Opuntia Dillemi. 
 7 b Section of Seed. 
 
 T 
 
enormons round shape. One plant brought in a cart (lra\\ni b}' several oxen, from 
 the interior of ^lexico, weighed upwards of 7(.)Ulbs., and was beset with SoOO 
 Bpines. In the parched soil, amid the ruins of the Azteck cities on the plains of 
 IMexico, Pilocereus senilis rises in angular columns twenty or thirty feet in height, 
 clothed with long grey hairs or spines, bearing no leaves, resembling the forms of 
 architecture rather than those of the vegetable creation : long creeping stems of 
 Cereus nijctirtdJus wind amongst the stones. The round spiny Melon-cactus abounds 
 in the hollows of rocks on the glowing pampas of Venezuela. INIanimillaria and 
 others ascend the lofty ranges of the. Andes. A fleshy-leaved Pereskia, with its 
 dark red-brown flowers, adorns the shores of Lake Titicaca, 12,700 feet above the 
 sea. Vast patches of woolly Echinocactus, looking like sheep at a distance, 
 inhabit the table-lands of Peru, at an elevation of 14,000 feet, on the verge of 
 vegetable life. The larger si>ecies have solid wood in the interior ; the door-posts 
 of the loftiest habitation in the world, 12,000 feet high, at Antisana, on the Cor- 
 dilleras, are made of columns of Cereus. Cereus speciosissimus (1) is one of the 
 most beautiful species, the flowers in the full light of the sun having a peculiarly 
 brilliant appearance ; the stamens and pistil are of very delicate construction, the 
 minute grains of the pollen of the anthers descend the tube of the style a distance 
 1100 times greater than their own diameter, shooting out a thread slenderer than 
 the finest cobweb, reaching the 30,000 ovules which line the ovary, and enabling 
 them to become seeds. C. graiidijforus expands its large white and yellow flowera 
 onh' in the evening ; they are of extreme beauty and fragrance. Opuntia was 
 early carried to Greece, and received its name from a tribe of the people ; twia is 
 Arabic for fig, which the fruit resembles in shape. Opuntia tuna (;3) is planted 
 for hedges in Spain, and in crevices of lava round the base of -lEtna ; the roots, in 
 grownng, cause the lava to crack, and thus the barren ground is brought to 
 fertility. The Sicilians esteem the fruit for its refreshing quality. In the West 
 Indies and in Mexico, it is cultivated for the sake of the red dye obtained in a 
 singular manner by the cochineal insect feeding on it ; when the fruit is ripe it 
 bursts open, and is found to be full of these little insects, which are then exposed 
 to the sun to dry. 0. cochinellifera yields a superior crimson, and is extensively 
 grown in Brazil. It has been lately ascertained that the red colour can be extracted 
 from the fruit, without the intervention of the little Coccus cacti. Rhipsalis 
 penchda (G) is a remarkable plant, with flexible, leafless branches, bearing very 
 delicate flowers and fruits at the joints. Epiphyllum has a combination of flat leaf 
 and stalk, at the edge of which the flowers grow. Pereskia has flat, fleshy oval 
 leaves, with spines at their base, the leafy sepals remain on the globose fruit. 
 P. acideata, the Barbadoes gooseberry , bears numerous green and white flowers ; 
 the colourless pulp of the fruit has an agreeable flavour. When transplanted to 
 Temperate climates, the fruit of this tribe is insipid, but in the troj)ics it is of con- 
 siderable value to men and animals ; some fleshy species are eaten by cattle in 
 Mexico, others afford the ])rincipal food of tortoises in the Gallapagos Isles. 
 
 America is the native region of this tribe, two species only being found in the 
 East Indies. The chief station must be considered to be the torrid and subtropical 
 zones of America, between 40*^ of lat. north and south of the equator. The 
 Columbia River is the northern limit on the western coast of North America. 
 
LIBRARY 
 OF THE 
 
3a, 
 
 ETdjd 
 
 Hu, Currant ojid L-ooseherryTrihn-. 
 
 Dny X- Son^Jiijrh 
 
(!6 
 
 GROSSULARIACEzE. 
 
 THE CURRANT AND GOOSEBERRY TRIBE. 
 
 Shrubs, some of whicli are prickly : the leaves are alternate, lobed, plaited in the 
 bud, often having a membranous fringed edge at the base of the leaf-stalks. The 
 flowers grow in bunches, proceeding from the base of the leaf-stalks with bracts at 
 the base ; each flower-stalk has also a small bract. In some instances the flowers 
 have an imperfect set of stamens and pistils : the calyx is above the ovary, four or 
 five-lobed, often coloured, imbricated or somewhat valvate in the bud, remaining 
 on the fnait. The petals are four, or five, or wanting, minute, inserted on the 
 throat of the calyx between the lobes. The stamens are four, or five, very short, 
 placed between the petals ; the anthers are small, two-celled, and in general burst 
 internally and lengthwise by clefts. The ovary is one -celled, with two plates pro- 
 jecting from the edge ; on these numerous ovules are placed on short stalks. The 
 style is two, three, or four-cleft ; the fruit is a berry cro^\Tied with the wnthered 
 flower, one-celled, filled with pulp, in which the seeds are suspended by long 
 threads. The seeds have a gelatinous covering adhering closely to the albumen, 
 which is hgrny. 
 
 These shrubs have affinity with the Cactus tribe in the structure of the fruit ; 
 they have also some points of resemblance to the Saxifrage tribe. 
 
 Malic acid exists in a very large proportion of these fruits, but, blended vnth. 
 saccharine matter in the currant and gooseberry, produces refreshing and cooKng 
 properties ; vegetable jelly abounds in the fruit. 
 
 Eibes is a genus of hardy shrubs, yielding useftil fruit abimdantly in the tem- 
 perate climate of Britain ; our native species have been much improved by cultivation, 
 and are brought to the greatest perfection in this country, succeeding less well in 
 the more northern or southern states of Europe ; in the latter they are superseded 
 by more luscious fruits. E. Grossularia (1) is found in woods and hedges in some 
 parts of Yorkshire and the south of Scotland ; the branches are smooth between 
 the leaves, but beneath each leaf-bud there are three strong prickles. The fruit is 
 
 1. Pubes Grossularia, Common Goosch 
 
 rry. 
 
 3. 
 
 Ribes nigrum. Black Currant. Britain 
 
 1a Flower, open. 
 
 Britain. 
 
 ■k. 
 
 Ribcs aureum, Tcllow-fioicered Ribes. 
 
 1b Stamen. Ic Ovary. 
 
 
 
 Missouri 
 
 Id Section of Fruit. 
 
 
 5. 
 
 Ribes sanguineum, Rcd-fiowercd Currant. 
 
 2. Eibes ruhrum. Red Currant. 
 
 Britain. 
 
 
 N. America 
 
 2a Section of Ovary. 
 
 
 
 5a Section of Flower. 
 
 2b Seed, magnified. 
 
 
 6. 
 
 Ribes speciosum. Showy-fiowered Ribes. 
 
 2c Section, m. 
 
 
 
 C lifornia 
 
GROSS ULARIACEJi. 
 
 of two Idnds — smooth and rough, — of various colours when cultivated; in the 
 wild state it is yellowish green. Gooseberries are employed for many culinary 
 purposes in an unripe state, being sufficiently palatable before the whole chemical 
 process of perfecting the saccharine juice is completed ; an excellent wine is made 
 of them, rivalling the famed champagne of France ; vinegar is also obtained from 
 the juice, and a well-flavuured spirit may be distilled from the skins. R. ruhrum 
 (2) is occasionally met with in mountain woods, on the banks of rivers, in the 
 north of England and south of Scotland ; it grows also in the north of Germany, 
 on the Jura and Lower Alps. The leaves have long stalks, and are fringed at 
 the base ; the fruit is in drooping clusters, always smooth, red when ripe, extremely 
 grateful and wholesome, and can be preserved with sugar for winter use. R. 
 nigrum (3) grows in several counties of England in moist shady places; it is dis- 
 tinguished from other species by the aromatic glands of the leaves, flower, and 
 fruit, and by the solitary berry on a separate stalk at the base of the cluster ; the 
 petals change occasionally into stamens. The fruit has a peculiar subacid pro- 
 perty, which renders it valuable as a remedy in sore throats ; in Siberia, wine is 
 made from it, and a kind of tea is made with the leaves. R. sangumeum (5) was 
 discovered, in 1787, in Nootka Sound, by Archibald Menzies, and afterwards 
 found by him on his voyage with Vancouver, in 1792, on several parts of the 
 mountain tracts of the north-west coast of North America, between lat. 38*^ and 
 52^\ The natural situations appear to be confined to rocky places within the 
 influence of the sea-breeze ; sometimes it grows in shady parts of a shingly shore. 
 It has of late years become acclimatized in our gardens ; at first one or two berries 
 only ripened on a cluster, now several come to perfection, although they are of a 
 slenderer, more oval shape than they were described to be by the first discoverers. 
 R. diiaricatum bears a pleasant fruit as large as a gooseberry, in the vicinity of 
 Indian villages on the coast. R. sctosum is a very bristly species on the Missouri 
 river. R. aureum (1) is smooth, with a tubular and coloured calyx. }x, jnmctatiim 
 grows near Valparaiso in Chili. R. speciosmn (6) is remarkable for the highly 
 developed calyx. The elevated range of the Himalaya affords favourable localities 
 for these shrubs ; R. glacialis, nearly allied to our R. petrceum, has been found on 
 Gossainthan, Choor, and Manma, at elevations of 8000 and 10,000 feet : R. acu- 
 minatum is also seen there, as well as eastwards in Nepal : the red and black 
 currants were found amongst the highest shrubs on the Choor mountain, at 11,800 
 feet. R. Himalensis flourishes near the almost inaccessible sources of the Ganges ; 
 these Asiatic species secrete acid and jelly, but less saccharine matter than those of 
 European growth. Polyosma is a genus closely allied to Ribes, belonging to the 
 South Sea Islands, having an enlarged calyx and extremely fragrant flowers. 
 
 This Tribe inhabits the woods and mountains of the Temperate countries of 
 Europe, Asia, and America ; the greatest number of species exist in North 
 America. In the Tropics of Asia and in the South Sea Isles the Tribe is 
 represented by Polyosma. 
 
i 
 
 OF IHE 
 L DIVERSITY Of rnjmi^ 
 
^ 
 
 J; 
 
 El\ieL 
 
 The Ep-iLsderk TrJbe 
 
 Ihiv lie \orv, LiTT'itaL 
 
67 
 
 CRASSULACE^ 
 
 THE HOUSELEEK TRIBE. 
 
 Succulent herbs and shrubs ; the leaves are entire or pinnatifid, having no 
 stipules-; the flowers are usually collected on the top of the stem, sometimes on 
 branching flower-stalks, on which they occasionally grow on one side only. The 
 sepals of the calyx vary from three to tw^enty, and are more or less united at their 
 base ; the petals are inserted into the calyx, and are either distinct or united into 
 one petal at the base ; the stamens are inserted with the petals, and are equal to 
 them in number, and alternate with them, or twice as many, those opposite the 
 petals being usually shorter and later in arriving at perfection ; the filaments are 
 distinct, awl-sha]3ed ; the anthers have two cells, bursting lengthwise. The carpels 
 are of the same number as the petals, and are placed opposite to them ; one-celled, 
 and tapering into stigmas, sometimes consolidated ; sometimes there is a honey- 
 scale at the base of each carpel. The fruit consists of several carpels opening down 
 the seam, or the carpels are collected into one capsule of several cells opening at 
 the back. The seeds are attached to the seam, are variable in number, and contain 
 fleshy albumen. 
 
 The succulent nature of this tribe connects it with several others. 
 
 Acrid, stimulating, cooling, and astringent properties exist in these plants. 
 
 The usual situation of these extremely succulent plants is not in moist rich 
 soil, but, as some of the names import, on rocks, stone walls, sandy shores, and 
 house-tops. They require in many instances very little aid from earth, moisture 
 of atmosphere sufficing to nourish them by means of the coimtless invisible pores 
 which cover the surface of the leaves. They are frequently found to possess an 
 extraordinary power of vegetating even after being uprooted from their place of 
 growth ; Sedum Telcplilum, the finest of tt e British species in this tribe, will 
 continue to piit forth pale shoots even after being laid between paper to dry for the 
 herbarium. Sedum acre (3), formerly esteemed in medicine for its acrid qualities, 
 is usually found in a stony localit)^ or on a wall, adorning it with its tufts of 
 golden flowers. S. linearifolia appears on the mossy stems of trees in peculiar 
 parts of the Himalaya during the rainy season : other species are dispersed 
 throughout the whole mountain range. Sempervivum tectorum (2) inhabits spots 
 
 1. Crassula coccinea, Scarlet Crassiila. 
 
 3. Sedum acre, Biting Stone-crop. liritaii^. 
 
 Cape of Good Hope. 
 
 ^A Floiver. 
 
 ]a Flower, open, 1b Carpel. 
 
 3b Section of Seed. 
 
 Ic Fringe of Leaf, magnified. 
 
 
 8. Sempervivum tectorum, Common Homeleck. 
 
 ■4. Bryopliyllum calyciniim, Large-ciippcd Bnjo- 
 
 2a Carpel. England. 
 
 plnjllum. East Indies. 
 
CRASSULACE^. 
 
 apparently the most incapable of affording nourishment, rocky ground, brick wall, 
 or roof of a house. It is not uncommon in this country, but does not flower so 
 freely here as on the Continent ; in rocky caves on the Lake Thun, in Switzerland, 
 it acquires considerable size and beauty in the flowering stem. The leaves were 
 once much valued by the poor for their supposed cooling j»roperties. Semjwrvivum 
 f/hdinosum is used by the fishermen of jNIadeira to render their nets tough and durable. 
 The various species of Crassula are remarkable for the fleshy nature of the leaves, 
 fringed with colourless thick hairs; C. coccinea (1) and others have brilliant red 
 flowers, which, being of long duration, are great favourites in conservatories. 
 Lryojihyllum cali/cinmn (4) possesses in a striking degree the power of growth 
 within itself; the large leaves of thick cellular substance, after being gathered from 
 the plant and laid on the ground, will produce young plants from the notched 
 margin. The calyx of this species is of unusual size, and tubi;lar shape. Rhodiola 
 rosea is a British species, but rare ; the leaves occasionally serve as food to the 
 poor Greenlanders. Kalanchoe Brasiliensis is devoid of acridity, and is esteemed 
 by the Brazilians. 
 
 The chief luass of the plants of this Tribe is at the Cape of Good Hope, about 
 half the known species being found there : the rest are scattered in scanty numbers 
 over the mountains of India, in China, and Japan ; a few extend northwards to 
 Siberia and Greenland; some grow in the Canaries, some in Mexico, and in the 
 United States ; a very few in Barbary, several in the Levant, fifty-two in Europe ; 
 two have been discovered in New Holland ; none in the Mauritius, or in the 
 "West Indies. 
 
OF THE 
 
 ■'"-■^SITV CF ia=''^'^ 
 
6S 
 
 
 i) a. 
 
 \r ^J \j ^-J \«W ", oi, 2^ 2i 2e 
 
 ET.deL. 
 
 Th& Sasa/r'aQe' Tnh& 
 
 Pa^ i: Sony, Limited 
 
<)8 
 
 SAXIFRAGACE.E 
 
 THE SAXIFRAGE TRIBE. 
 
 Herbaceous plants, nearly all of which ai'e perennial, having fibrous or granular 
 roots, often growing in spreading patches ; the leaves are either whole at the 
 edges or divided, alternate, with or without stipules. The flower-stems are simple, 
 usually without leaves ; the calyx is either above or below the ovary, and has four 
 or five sepals, which are united more or less at their base. The petals are five, or 
 wanting as in Chrysosplenium (G), inserted between the lobes of the calyx, or 
 beneath the ovary. The stamens are either five in number and alternate with the 
 petals, or they are ten, five usually of smaller size and later in arriving at perfec- 
 tion, being opposite the petals ; the filaments are awl-shaped, fixed into the calyx, 
 or beneath the ovary ; the anthers are two-celled, bursting either by pores or 
 chinks lengthwise. The disk is sometimes obsolete, sometimes annular or notched, 
 rarely composed of five scales. The ovary is composed usually of two carpels, 
 cohering more or less, diverging at the top ; sometimes two-celled, with a central 
 column, sometimes one-celled, having a projection on which the seeds are placech, 
 at each seam of the carpels. The styles are in some cases nearly obsolete, the 
 stigmas being on the tips of the carpels. The fruit is a membranous capsule, the 
 cells separating when ripe ; the seeds are numerous, very minute, containing fleshy 
 albumen, usually with long hexagonal reticulations on the transparent covering. 
 
 These plants have close affinity with the Rose tribe, but are distinguished by 
 the partially united carpels, and the seeds containing albumen. 
 
 Slightly astringent properties exist in some of the plants of this tribe. 
 
 Saxifraga is an extensive genus, widely dispersed over the temperate or cold 
 regions of the globe, growing chiefly on mountains, and there frequently spreading 
 over the ground to a considerable extent, many of the species having runners from 
 which fresh plants proceed. When it is found in lower situations, it is usually 
 along the rivers which descend from mountains or hills ; in the most northern 
 countries it exists on the level plains, finding there a temperature and soil as 
 
 1. 
 
 Saxifraga umbrosa, London Pride. England. 
 
 ■i. Heucbera cylindrica. North America. 
 
 
 1a Capsule. 
 
 ;3a Section of Flower, m. 
 
 
 ]b Section may nified. 
 
 •3b Section of Ovary, m. 
 
 
 Ic Seed, m. 
 
 4. Tiarella cordifolia. North America. 
 
 2. 
 
 Saxifraga aizoides, Yellotv nwinUain Saxi- 
 
 r)A Section of the Flower of Saxifraga tridac- 
 
 
 Jrage. England. 
 
 tylite.s, m. 
 
 
 2a Flower. 2b Petal, m. 
 
 5b Section of Capsule, m. 
 
 
 2c Pistil. 2d Stamen, m. 
 
 5c Section of Seed, m. 
 
 
 !l" T.eill\ m. 
 
 0. Flower (f Chrysosplenium, m. 
 
SAXIFRAGACE/E. 
 
 favouralde as on the lofty ]iarts of warmer regions. The Polar re,Q:ion has heen 
 denominated that of Saxifrages and IMosses, those plants being the most nnnierons 
 representatives of the two great classes of tlie vegetable kingdom, in that portion of 
 the "World. Saxifraga ojypos if (folia, ccrnua and riruhiris of Britain and Switzer- 
 land, grow on the plains of Melville Isle, as well as in Iceland. S. bri/oides, 
 aspcra, ca'S2)ttosa, sedoidcs, and others, are found amongst the small plants which 
 ascend to the region of snow on the Swiss Alps, between 7000 and 9000 feet. 
 S. imhricata, ramidosa, and species of similar Ali)ine character, grow on tlie 
 Himalayas, above 11,000 feet, in situations where the climate very nearly resemble* 
 tliat of the Polar regions. Some kinds of Saxifrage have been observed at an 
 elevation of 13,000 feet on the Andes. S. umhrosa (1) is the most beautiful of 
 our English species, found only rarely in a wild state, but a general favourite in 
 gardens, thriving even in the smoky air of cities, whence the popular name of 
 London Pride : it is, however, of superior brilliancy and beauty when seen in its 
 native place, amidst the rocks of the stream which flows through Ileselden Glen, 
 in the Craven district of Yorkshire. S. aizoides (2) is very frequent on the 
 margins of mountain rills, or in a peat soil, in Wales, Scothmd, and Ireland : 
 several other species abound in mountainous localities. S. gramduta is remarkable 
 for the large granules of the roots. S. tridactijlites (5), very common on old walls, 
 wherever there is sufficient moisture, and on untrodden gravel walks, is one of the 
 earliest plants of the year to attract the notice of a botanical student : the whole 
 ])lant is covered with red glandular hairs, worthy of microscopical examination. 
 On descending the Simplon Pass into the valley of Ossola, one of the most striking 
 objects on the rocks is S. pi/ raviidalis ; this graceful species is seen also in the far 
 north, on the rocks which bound the Fiords of Norway, in lat. 63°. S. crassifoUa 
 of Siberia is a weU-known plant in spring, adorning gardens with its large oval 
 leaves and fine branches of purple flowers. There is occasionally one plant in a 
 natural order which forms an exception to the general character ; in this instance 
 S. sarmentosa of China furnishes an example of an irregular flower, two of the 
 petals being much longer than the rest. Heuchera cijlindrica (3) is one of a few 
 species, all natives of North America ; it is destitute of petals, and of less beauty 
 than many of the tribe. Tiarella (4) is said to have been named from the shape 
 of the seed-vessel being like a tiara or mitre ; Mitella has the same derivation of 
 name : both belong to North America. Chrysosplenium (6) is scattered over 
 Europe, and forms part of the scanty Flora of Melville Isle, consisting only of 
 thirty species ; the flowers are without petals, the calyx having a yellow hue ; 
 in the Vosges it is eaten as salad. 
 
 This Trilte inhabits the mountainous tracts in Europe, the northern countries 
 of Asia and North America ; some species exist on the Andes of South America, 
 and at the Straits of Magellan : none are natives of the Tropics. 
 
OF THE 
 
 ''^RSiTY OF ILL 
 
< A 
 
 Th& Cloven-Fink Trihe^. 
 
60 
 
 CARYOPHYLLACEiE 
 
 THE CLOVE-PINK TRIBE. 
 
 Herbadeous plants, occasionally beconiing partly shrubby at the base; the stems 
 are enlarged at the joints. The leaves are always opposite, often united at their 
 base, entire at the edges. The calyx has four or five sepals continuous with the 
 flower-stalk, persistent, distinct, or cohering in a tube. The petals are four or 
 five inserted upon the short stalk of the ovary, frequently deeply cleft, often having 
 scales, which form a crown at the top of the tube : occasionally the petals are 
 wanting, as in Mollugo (10). The stamens are usually twice as many as the 
 petals ; the filaments are sometimes united in a set, awl-shaped, the anthers fixed 
 on the point, two-celled, opening longitudinally. The ovary is composed of from 
 two to five carpels, and is placed on a small stalk ; the stigmas are from two to 
 five, thread-like, rough on the inner edge, the o^ades few or many. The capsule 
 is from two to five-celled, with a central plate either free in the one-celled capsule, 
 or adhering slightly to the edges of the valves in the five-celled capsules. The 
 seeds are indefinite, rarely- few, kidney-shaped, having a crustaceotis exterior, 
 and mealy albumen within. 
 
 These plants have some affinity with the Saxifrage tribe, and resemble the 
 Portulaceje in many points. 
 
 Insipidity is their chief character ; a few are saponaceous. 
 
 Although it is to this Tribe that we are indebted for the clove-pink with all 
 its varieties of Carnation arid Picotee, ajid other flowers which have long been 
 prized as ornaments of gardens, yet the principal portion of the plants are of small 
 size and insignificant aspect. Dianthus was so named by the Greeks on account 
 of its extreme fragrance and beaiity. D. armeria (1) is the most common of our 
 pinks, found in various places in England, chiefly on a gravel soil ; it is supposed 
 to be the origin of many kinds of garden Pinks, the cultivation of which affords 
 
 1. 
 
 Dianthus arnuria, Deptford Pink. England. 
 
 C. 
 
 Lychnis Bvngeana. Asiatic Piussia. 
 
 
 J A Slami-ns. 1b Pistil. 
 
 7. 
 
 Agrostemma roronaria. Italy. 
 
 2. 
 
 Lychnis diurna. Red Campion. Enghind. 
 2a Petal. 2b Stamen. 
 
 8. 
 
 Silene acaulis, Moss Campion. Britain. 
 
 
 2c Section of Ovary. 
 
 9a 
 
 . Stellaria media, Common Chichnecd. 
 
 3. 
 
 Cerastium ai-vcnse, Field Chick-weed. 
 
 
 Cluster of Seeds. 
 
 
 3a Seed. England. 
 
 
 9b Section of Seed. 
 
 4. 
 
 Arenai-ia marina, Sea Sand-wort. England. 
 
 10 
 
 A. Mollugo glinoides. Floinr inaijHified. 
 
 5. 
 
 Dianthus caryophyllux, Clove-Pink. 
 
 
 10b Section of Ovary. 
 
 
 England. 
 
 
 10c Seed-vessels. 
 
CAKYOruyLLACEit:. 
 
 peculiar interest to botuc classes of persons who are deprived of much sjiacc of 
 ground ; the manufacturers of Paisley and other towns delight in raising the 
 diftl-rent varieties. D. cari/ophijllus (5) is occasionally seen on old walls, as on 
 those of Norwnch, Rocliester Castle, and elsewhere. In the wild state, the petals 
 are small and of a pale pink ; throughout Europe it is much esteemed for its 
 delicious fragrance, and is a general favourite in the formal flower-heds of the 
 Dutch, and the more luxuriant gardens of the Italians. The leaf has been found 
 to contain on each surface 38,500 pores in a sipiare inch. D. dcltoidcs is found in 
 grassy pastures about Blair Athol and other jiarts of Scotland. D. cirsins is the 
 rare Mountain-Pink, confined to the Cheddar cliffs in this country, but dispersed 
 in favourable localities in Switzerland and Germany. D. harhatus, the Sweet 
 William, is one of the oldest inhabitants of our flower-gardens, brought from the 
 South of Germany. D. snjjcrhiis is an elegant species, having the ])etals numer- 
 ously and finely divided, a native of the South of France and the wide valleys of 
 the Pyrenees. Lychnis affords a few bright-coloured flowers from Russia and 
 other countries : several species also adorn our fields and hedges, one of the most 
 abundant is L. diurna (2), which continues to blossom late into the autumn. Some 
 kinds of Lychnis and Silene have glutinous hairs, which entangle flies and small 
 insects, whence their common name of Catch-fly. Silene acaulis (8) belongs to 
 that portion of the tribe which thrives best in Alpine situations, on the Scotch and 
 Swiss mountains it grows in close tufts, the bright rosy flowers shining amidst the 
 slender leaves. S. inflata and S. viscosa, of England and Siberia, are found also 
 on the Himalayas. S. cisplatensis grows on the sands of the sea-shore near INlonte 
 Video, Brazil, the calyx clothed with long hairs. Agrostemma, " the crown of 
 the field," deserves its appellation ; our common corn-cockle is hardly surpassed 
 by A. coronaria (7) of Italy. Cerastium (3) is common in Europe and other 
 parts of the world, bearing small white, star-shaped flowers. C. rividare is a 
 native of river-shores of Brazil. Arenaria marina (4) is freqiient on our sandy 
 coasts ; the fleshy leaves have membranous stijjules sheathing their base. 
 A. lyeploides, of Britain, belongs also to Iceland, and is valued by the poor pea- 
 sants as wholesome food, after being steeped in sour whey till it ferments. A. verna 
 is found also in Madeira. Stellaria media, Chickweed (9), is well known as the 
 common food of small birds, who find a suitable provision in the mealy albumen 
 of the seeds. This humble little plant is widely scattered over the earth, being 
 very general in Europe, springing up on the plains of India during the cold season, 
 and seen by the wayside near cities in Brazil. Sjjergula arvensis yields nourishing 
 food to sheep. Saponaria officinalis contains Saponine, as does Gysophila 
 Struthium, the Soap-root of Egypt, and a few other species. MoUugo glinoides 
 (10) flourishes on the sandy banks of the river Uruguay, in Rio Janeiro. 
 
 This Tribe is found in the Temperate and cold regions of the globe, in various 
 localities ; in the Troj)ics, on lofty mountains ; on the Alps, ascending to the limits 
 of perj:)etual snow ; on the plains of Lai)land, forming a considerable jiortion of the 
 vegetation. MoUugo is the most tropical genus. 
 
or THE 
 
 !"'ivERSiTY Of aumis 
 
A 
 
 
 Bay Sc' Siinjjjimxtjfd/ 
 
70 
 
 U M B E L L A C E .E. 
 
 THE UMBEL-FLOWERED TRIBE. 
 
 ITerbaxjeous plants, and a few underslirnbs, with solid or hollow furrowed knotted 
 stems, containing occasionally a milky juice. The leaves are usnall}- divided, 
 sometimes simple, with parallel veins, the leaf-stalk usually expanded into a wide 
 sheath at the base. The flowers grow in umbels, generally surrounded by an 
 involucre at the base : the calyx is above the ovary, either whole at the edge or 
 having five teeth. The petals are five, inserted on the outer rim of a fleshy 
 nectariferous disk, often bent inwards at the point, the outer petals sometiiiies the 
 largest ('J). The stamens are five, alternate with the petals, curved in whilst in 
 the bud. The ovary is below, crowned by the disk ; it contains two cells, with a 
 solitary pendulous ovule in each ; the styles are two, distinct, persistent, with 
 simple stigmas. The fruit is composed of two carpels, separable from a slender 
 central axis, sometimes having a long bristly beak (8) ; each carpel has elevated 
 ridges, between vphich are linear receptacles of essential oil ; the seed usually 
 adheres to the covering, and contains abundant horny albumen. 
 
 This order is most nearly allied to Arahaceaj, but is distinguished by the fruit 
 separating into two parts, and by the seed adhering to its covering. 
 
 A watery acrid and poisonous liquid, a gum resinous milky juice, of stimu- 
 lating properties, and an aromatic oil, are secreted by these plants. When the 
 two first exist only in a slight degree, and mucilage and sugar predominate, 
 several species are wholesome as food, and are cultivated in all European countries 
 for the sake of the herbage or the roots. One of the most useful is Caucus Carota, 
 frequent on a chalk soil in this country, easily recognised by the one dark flower 
 in the centre of the white umbel; when cultivated, the root becomes enlarged, 
 succulent, and sweet, and is known and esteemed as the Carrot ; in some countries 
 a strong spirit is distilled from it. Pastinaca (2) affords also a supply of nutritive 
 food in the large white root. Apium Petrosellnum is the common Parsley ; 
 A. graveolens, Celery, loses its acridity, and acquires size and crispness from the 
 
 i. Carum carui. Caraway. Britain. 
 
 1a Seed. 
 '2. Pastinaca sativa, Parsnip. England. 
 
 2a Flower. 2b Fruit. 
 
 3. Crithmum niaritirniini, Sampkire. 
 
 Kocky Sea-shores, England. 
 
 4. Ilydrocotyle vulgaris, Marsh Penny-wort. 
 
 Marshes, England. 
 
 5. Leucolena rotundifolia. Port Jackson. 
 
 0. Astrantia maxima. Caucasus. 
 
 Ga Flower. 
 7. Prangos pabularia, Huy-phmt. Thibet. 
 
 7a Section of Seed, 
 8a. Scandix Pecten-Veneri:i, Beaked Fruit. 
 Oa. Daucus Carota. Flower. 
 
UMBELLACEyE. 
 
 manner in which it is grown. ( 'ritlimnm maritinium {?>), Samphire, found always 
 near the sea, but beyond the reach of the waves, is one of tlie best jtlanta for 
 pickle. The hollow stalks of Angelica are made into an excellent preserve with 
 sugar ; in Iceland, Norway, and Lapland, it forms an article of food to the 
 peasants. Heracleum apondi/Unm is not valued in England, but in Kamtschatka 
 and Russia tlic young shoots are boiled and eaten. The Eryngitim of our coasts 
 is a variation from the general aspect of this tribe, being extremely stiff and 
 ]>rickly ; when candied, it is of delicious flavour. The roots of Arracacha are a 
 winter food in South America. Of the aromatic kind, the principal is Carum (1), 
 known in the time of Pliny as one of the native plants of Caria ; the seeds are 
 used for several purposes, the roots also are eatable. Anethum includes Fennel 
 and Dill ; both have finely divided leaves ; the latter is cultivated in the south of 
 France for the sake of its medicinal seeds. The root of a variety of Fennel, called 
 Finochio, is eaten at Naples. Pim])inella anisum yields tlie anise-seeds, employed 
 to a considerable extent by French doctors and confectioners. The round seeds of 
 Coriaudrum have an agreeable aromatic taste, and are much used on the Continent 
 as well as in Peru ; the rest of the plant is of disagreeable odour. The chief 
 species, yielding gum-resin from the root or stem, are Opopanax, supposed in the 
 East to be an universal remedy ; Galbanura of Ethiopia, and Ferula of Persia and 
 the Levant, affording powerful medicine, and a stimulating condiment, highly 
 relished by the Persians. The Hottentots prepare a strong beverage from the 
 roots of Lichtensteinia. Some, especially of tlie aquatic species, contain extremely 
 deleterious juices : Conium maculatum, Hemlock, is one of the most poisonous, 
 known in remote ages, spoken of by the Jewish prophets, described by Hippocrates, 
 and selected as a certain means of death to Phocion and Socrates. Although a 
 native of England, its injurious qualities are not so fully developed as in warmer 
 parts of Euroi)e. Qilnanthe crocata and Cicuta virosa are both dangerous to men 
 and cattle. Of those pelding fodder, Prangos pahularia (7) is supposed to be 
 the most valuable for sheep ; from the large fleshy root proceed thick tufts of long 
 and finely exit leaves, abundant and nutritious. Heracleum giganteum, of Siberia, 
 is said also to afford excellent provender, in height rivalling Ferula communis of 
 South Europe, thought to be the tallest of herbs, recorded by Grerard to have 
 attained fifteen feet in his garden in Holbom ; it covers the isles in the Sea of 
 Marmora, and was known and used by the ancient Greeks : in Sicily, the pith is 
 used for tinder. Hydrocotyle (4) varies from the regular form of umbel ; it is of 
 interest as a genus widely dispersed over the earth ; the leaves of H. Aslatica serve 
 to heal slight wounds in India ; H. umhellata is a native of Brazil ; H. villosa 
 belongs to the Cape. Leucolena (.5) is an elegant exception to the general type of 
 involucre. Bolax ghharia, of Chile, grows in close tufts, like some of the Alpine 
 Saxifrages. Bupleurura is a genus with simple leaves; V>. spinosissimxim is seen 
 on the shores of the Mediterranean. The poisonous species grow generally in low, 
 shady, watery places, seldom on mountains ; Phellandrium mute/limmi contributes 
 to the excellent pastures on the Alps, at GoOO feet. Several species, only an inch 
 high, with heath-like leaves and large fruit, grow at the limits of perpetual snow, 
 near Santiago, on the Andes. 
 
 In the northern regions of the world, this Tribe inhabits various localities, 
 from the low marsh to the highest hills. It is rare in the Tropics, except on 
 mountains, scarcely seen on the j)lains of India, abundant on the Himalayas. A 
 few genera are frequent in South America ; a very few belong to Africa or 
 Austraha. 
 
OF THE 
 
y^, .?<£■ >^<^ 31- 
 
 3 au 
 
 JiT.bl 
 
 &yZy?,^a/cd 
 
 The-Ar'aJxa^ Tribe'. 
 
 J)(vy C; Sarv, Lunitedy 
 
A R A 1. 1 A C E M 
 
 TIIK AllALIA TUIIM-:. 
 
 Trees, shrubs, and herbaceous pbints ; the Leaves am alternate, u-inally divichMl or 
 compound, soinctiuics U^bed or simple ; the leat'-stalks are widened at tlusir base. 
 The flowers grow in uud)els at the ends of the branches, usually surrounded by a 
 few small leaflets in an involucre, or from the base of the leaf-stalk. The petals 
 are two, Ave, or ten, occasionally wanting. The stamens are either cipial in num- 
 ber to the petals, or twice as many, growing between the border of the calyx and 
 the disk. The ovary is below the calyx, having more than two cells ; tlio styles 
 are of the same number as the coUs, sonietinios united together ; the stigmas are 
 simple. The fruit is succulent, or dry, consisting of several cells, cacli with a 
 solitary seed, which contains albumen. 
 
 The plants have considerable tifihiity with Umbellacoa^., but are readily dis- 
 tinguished by the fruit having more than two cells. Iledera forms a link with 
 Viburnum, in the Honeysuckle tribe. 
 
 The properties are generally aromatic and stimidant : gum-resin occasionally 
 exists in the root. Aralia was first brought from Virginia in 1(J88 ; several species 
 have been since found in North America and in New Zealand. Aralia polarh was 
 discovered by Dr. Joseph Hooker, in Lord Auckland's Isles in the Southern 
 Ocean. Some of the species have remarkably neat foliage, the leaves of others 
 resemble those of the common Umbelliferous plants, to which in habit and manner 
 of growth they are so closely allied. A. his/nda (I) is a low shrub found by 
 Michaux, on steep rocky mountains, between Canada and Hudson's Jjay ; the lower 
 part of the stem is clothed with rigid hairs; when bruised, the plant is bitter and 
 nauseous, but it yields an aromatic gum-resin from its root, similar to that obtained 
 from A. racemosa and A. spinosd. The young shoots of A. nibdlcauUs are used 
 medicinally in North America. The i)etals oi A., pcdniatiim and a few other sj)ecies 
 cohere at their points ; some of these [ilants are of a climbing nature; a few are 
 parasitic in their manner of growth. 
 
 I'anax (iiumnhcfollam, the famous (jHuticiuj, or " woiuhir of the carlh," oi' 
 China and Tartary, was anciently sui)posed to contain in its aromatic root a remedy 
 
 1. Ariilin khjiidu, Jlristlij Andhi. 
 
 !t. llcderu Helix, Common Ivy. 
 
 Britain. 
 
 Norlli Auiei'ica. 
 
 ;Ja Floiver. ;iii Stamen. 
 
 
 'i, I'uiiax pscuUo-ijinxciKj, Indinn Giiisciitj. 
 
 2\ Fruit. Iliiuuluyus. 
 
 lie Pistil and Ovary. 
 
 JJd Section. IJio Cross section. 
 
 
 2u Cross section. 
 
 1. Adoxii moscliulellinii, Tnlienuis Mo 
 
 leliatetl. 
 
 2C Seed. 2d Srction. 
 
 •1a Flower, mayiiijied. 
 
 iMIgilUlll. 
 
AliA[,IACK.i:. 
 
 for nil diseases ; in more niodevn times, the (.'liincse seem to have used it also as a 
 ]>reservative of health ; tor Osbeck, the traveller, relates that they take it daily in 
 tea and in sonp. Owing to its imaiijined medicinal valnc, and the difficulty of 
 obtaining it from the almost inaccessible places where it grows, it has Leen said to 
 have cost its weight in gold. This extraordinary plant is also a native of North 
 America, and is employed by the Canadians as a cure for asthma. Fanaxpseiido- 
 f/inseng (2) resembles it in a))})earance, but the aromatic properties of the root are 
 inconfciderable, the mucilaginous substance being very nearly scentless. It is found 
 on the mountains of Sheoporo, in Nejial, at an elevation of 'JOOO feet above the 
 plains, in the shade of Oaks and Rhododendrons. Several other species belong to 
 the mountain ranges of India, generally between 2000 and 3000 feet ; some grow 
 on wet mossy banks in the valleys at 6000 feet. A few are shrubs with strong 
 spines, others are smooth ; the flowers are usually small, pale yellow or white. 
 One species in Bootau is a low tree, having the habit of a Palm, the simple straight 
 stem rising to about twenty feet, the leaf-stalks beset with strong straight s])ines. 
 P. pusiUa is a native of Pennsylvania, bearing its little umbel of greenish white 
 flowers on a stalk only eight inches high. On the Campos of Brazil, a species of 
 considerable size is frequent. Iledera Helix (o) was highly esteemed by the 
 Romans, and adopted as a suitable plant for a poet's crown. The name is 
 supposed to have been derived from the Celtic word hedra, cord, w-hich the rough 
 stems wound round other trees exactly resemble. No other ])lant contributes so 
 much to the ornament of bare walls or old ruins, and the climate of Britain is 
 peculiarly favourable to its luxuriant growth. The flowers appear in October, 
 when they aftbrd acceptable food to bees and flies ; the fruit is not mature until 
 the following spring. A variety, called Irish Ivy, although a native of Madeira, 
 grows with great rapidity, and is of more brilliant foliage. In the countries 
 bordering the ^Mediterranean, a kind of resin exudes from old stems of Ivy, and is 
 used as gum, having an agreeable odour when burned. H. pol/jcardha of Nepal 
 is spiny on the stems and branches ; the palmate leaves are ten inches long, giving 
 it more the aspect of Panax than of common Ivy. II. rotundifolia grows in 
 Japan ; H. ternata, in Brazil ; H. arhorea, in Jamaica. In Hong Kong are 
 found H. j^a/'i'/yZoj-a and H. protea. Adoxa moschatelluia (i) is a delicate little 
 plant of a low'ly growth, rare in England, but occasionally seen on sheltered banks 
 and in copses, about the end of April, before a thicker vegetation conceals it ; the 
 fruit becomes a pulpy berry in ripening. 
 
 These plants are dispersed in the Tropics and neighl^ouring regions, as well as 
 in cold countries : some exist in the United States, in Canada, on the north-west 
 coast of America, and in Japan. Aralia polar is is fouml in Lord Auckland's 
 Isles, in o0° of south latitude. 
 
OF THE 
 
 '"'mu Of- iL 
 
Za. Zh 
 
 
 
 iJay SbSonJ^matetJy 
 
CAPRirOLIACE^E 
 
 THE HONEYSUCKLE TRIBE. 
 
 Shrubs and herbaceous plants, tlie leaves of wliicli are opposite, entire at the edges 
 or toothed, without stipules. The flowers are of various forms, sometimes having 
 an involucre at the base of the cluster. The calyx is above the ovary, four or five- 
 cleft, usually having two or more bracts at the base ; the corolla is com])osed 
 either of one petal or many, flat or tubular, regular or irregular. The stamens are 
 attached to the petals, equal in number to the lobes of the corolla, and alternate 
 with them. The ovary has from one to five cells, one of which is often one-seeded, 
 the others many-seeded ; the single style is crowned by one, or three, or five 
 stigmas. The fruit is dry, fleshy, or succulent, crowned by the persistent lobes of 
 the calyx. The seeds solitary and ])endulous, or numerous and attached to the 
 axis, the covering often bony ; they contain fleshy albumen. 
 
 This order has nmch affinity with Saxifragacete. Sambucus forms a link with 
 Umbellacese. 
 
 Astringent and tonic properties, and a fragrant scent, exist in these plants. 
 
 Caprifolium, from which this tribe is named, is an old favourite with all classes. 
 C. Pericli/menum (1) is the most fragrant of British flowers, particularly in the 
 evening ; flourishing luxuriantly, in many parts of England, in the hedges. At 
 the base of the tube of the flower there is a store of honey, wdiich the Hawk Moth 
 extracts with its long tongue. The strong stems climb over bushes to a con- 
 siderable height, bearing numerous flowers ; the fibrous covering of the stalks is 
 very tough, and has been woven for use. C. Douglassii is one of the finest species 
 of North America, having leaves seven inches long. Lonicera is a name given to 
 some of these plants, in memory of a German botanist. L. japonica is very 
 elegant, and has been called the " gold and silver flower," from the lower row of 
 flowers becoming yellow as they begin to wither, whilst the upper ones are a pure 
 white ; a habit which prevails more or less in all the species. L. Jiexuosum, from 
 China, is delightfuUy odoriferous, and very general now in gardens. The fruit is 
 generally red when rii)e ; but that of L. ccerulea, of Switzerland, is blue ; in 
 
 1. 
 
 Caprilblium Pvriclijmenum, Hoiiey.siicklc or 
 
 i 
 
 Alic'lia /loribiindii, Mmnj-Jloicercd Abeliii. 
 
 
 Woodbine. England. 
 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 2. 
 
 Viburnum Opiilus, Guelder Rose. England. 
 
 5. 
 
 Symphoria mcemosa, Siioir-bcrrij. Canada. 
 
 
 2a Ctilijx and Pistil. 2b Fruit, 
 
 0. 
 
 Weigela rosea. Northern China. 
 
 3. 
 
 Linna-a borealis, Twu-Jlowered Linnuu. 
 
 7. 
 
 13enthamiay'rrt(y//(.'/vt. East Indies. 
 
 
 ;}a Flower. 3b Fruit. England. 
 
 8a 
 
 Sambucus nifjra. Elder. Mexico. 
 
 
 3c Section of Seed. 
 
 
 Section of Fruit. 
 
CAl'lUFOLIACEiE. 
 
 Kamtscliatlca these berries are a favourite fuod oi' the natives. Viburnum 
 Ojiitliis (2) is very coiumon in hedges. In a wiM state tlie outer Howers of the 
 duster are imperfect productions, having neither jnstil nor stamens, but they are 
 much enlarged in size ; those of tlie interior are small and complete. In the garden 
 variety all the flowers are irregularly developed, and so cause it to be well named 
 the iinow-ball tree. The fruit is oval, bright red, very juicy, but bitter and 
 nauseous. V. Ti'mis is the cheerful Laurustinus, one of the hardiest and most 
 ornamental of ■\\'inter shrubs, introduced long ago from the south of Europe. 
 Sambucus, the Elder, is one of the most iiseful of small British trees in all its ]iarts, 
 and is remarkable for the hardness of the wood, for which it was esteemed by the 
 Latins for musical instruments ; in old trees it is of a yellow colour, and takes a 
 bright polish. The pith of the young shoots is exceedingly light, and sei'ves for 
 several jnirposes. It is very common in hedges and cottage gardens ; the sweet- 
 scented flowers are used in various ways, and the clusters of small black berries (8) 
 are made into excellent wine ; in Germany a strong spirit is also distilled from 
 them : both flowers and fruit are poisonous to poultry. S. Ehvlus is a dwarf 
 kind, more frequent in Germany than England. This genus is widely dispersed, 
 one species belonging to China, others to North America ; one has been discovered 
 in Tasmania, with a sweetish, wholesome, white fruit. Linnaia (3) is the humble 
 little plant modestly selected by the great naturalist to record his name. In the 
 fir-forests of northern Europe it is frequently seen trailing over the ground, the 
 slender flower-stalks bearing the delicate blossoms in a very graceful manner ; 
 the Swedes consider the leaves to have useful medicinal properties. Abella (4) is 
 one of the lately imported plants fi'om Mexico, a land contributing much to 
 European gardens. Symphoria (5) is chiefly ornamental in autumn, when the 
 berries are ripe ; in their tissue the microscope reveals the existence of spiral 
 vessels. \Yeigela (6), brought over by Eobert Fortune, has added another de- 
 siral)le plant to our collection of this Tribe. Benthamia (7) was found by Dr. 
 Wallich in various parts of the Himalayas, from G500 to 8000 feet, with Sorbus, 
 Cratajgus, and other European shrubs ; the cream-coloured involucre resembles 
 that of Cornus florida. The fruit consists of many carpels grown together, and is 
 of agreeable flavour ; in the genial climate of Cornwall it flourishes in the open air. 
 Leycesteria is from Nepal ; the flowers have large purple bracts, which give a 
 singular appearance. Cornus sanguinea of our woods makes the best chai'coal for 
 gunpowder ; the l)itter fruit yields oil to the Tyrolese. C. siiecica grows on the 
 Che\dot Hills, and in Scotland. 
 
 These plants are natives of the northern coiiutries of Europe, Asia, and 
 America, a few extending into the Tropics ; rare in North Africa, and very 
 seldom seen in the Southern hemisphere. 
 
OF THE 
 ^"^?1W!TY Of (I 
 
73 
 
 ^m 'Pi u^^ /A\ IBM. 
 
 ZTdjeL 
 
 
 T'ciy & SoTvlimiied- 
 
73 
 
 LORANTHACEiE 
 
 THE MISTLETOE TRIBE. 
 
 Shrubby plants, almost all of which are true ijarasites, growing into the tissue of 
 other plants ; the leaves are opposite, or sometimes alternate, Heshy, without 
 stijiules, generally veinless. The calyx rises from within the brim of the flower- 
 stalk, and is usually surrounded with bracts at the base ; the sepals are three, four, 
 or eight, often united in a tiibe, sometimes enlarged and coloured, having the 
 appearance of petals ; true petals are wanting. The stamens are equal in number 
 to the sepals, and opposite to them ; in Viscum, they He upon the inner surface of 
 the sepals ; the anthers are one or two-celled, or broken up into numerous cavities. 
 The ovary is one-celled, sunk within the cup-like expansion of the flower-stalk, and 
 adhering to it. The style is single, the stigma simple, sometimes invisible. The 
 fruit is succulent or dry, one-celled ; the seed is solitary, with fleshy albumen. 
 
 This Order has most affinity with the Sandal-wood tribe, but it differs from it 
 and all others in some pecixliar points of structure, and in manner of growth. 
 
 The astringent bark and viscid berries insoluble in water or alcohol are the 
 chief properties of these plants ; they possess also the singular quality of rooting 
 and vegetating on other plants. 
 
 Viscum album (o) is remarkable for being the only true parasitical plant of 
 Britain, not commencing its growth in the ground, as the Dodder, nor deriving 
 any direct portion of nourishment from it afterwards, like Orobanche. The seed 
 enveloped in its glutinous substance, falls on some favourable part of a tree, and 
 remains fixed, whilst the roots insinuate themselves between the bark and the wood ; 
 as soon as the albumen of the seeds is exhausted, the roots extract nourishment 
 from the wood of tlie supporting tree. The young wood of Viscum is divided into 
 eight portions around the central pith ; outside these are smaller bundles of fibres. 
 Other parasites seem to attach themselves to peculiar plants, but the IMistletoe is 
 found upon various trees besides the traditional Oak; it may be seen on the 
 JNIaple, Poplar, Lime, Ash, and in Germany sometimes on the Pinus syhcstris. 
 The ancient Druids considered it a sacred plant, or at least employed it as a 
 symbol of some religious meaning; perhaps as a sign of abstraction from earth and 
 
 1. 
 
 Loranthus Eveinus. 
 
 Java. 
 
 8d Stamen, vwf/iiified. 3e Seed. 
 
 2. 
 
 Loranthus furmusiis. 
 
 Java. 
 
 3l'' Section of Fruit. 
 
 3. 
 
 Viscum album. Common Misllduc, 
 
 liritain. 
 
 3g Section if Stent. 
 
 
 3a Cluster of Fruitful Flowers. 
 
 
 ■L. Flower «/ Loranthus jjeutnuidi us. 
 
 
 3b Sini/le Pistil Flower. 
 
 
 4a Flower, open. 
 
 
 3c Slamin ilcicer. 
 
 
 5. Section oj Fruit <;_/' Loranthus chr;/.^<iitthus. 
 
LORANTHACE^. 
 
 contomi>lation of heaven, it being the only specimen of the vegetable kingdom with 
 which they could have been acquainted, growing and flourishing without any 
 actual derivation of support from the earth. It was customary with them to carry 
 about branches of it to proclaim the celebration of the new year ; useful information 
 in those times, when even such common knowledge was scantily diffused, and 
 welcome tidings to the poor peasant, whose dreary life was in need of the cheering 
 influence of their periodical festivals. The white berries ripen on the branches of 
 the preceding year, and the plant appears in greatest perfection in winter. Loran- 
 thus (1) has an enlarged, tubular, and often brightly coloured calyx, having the 
 aspect of a true corolla. The glutinous seed aflfixes itself to a branch or stem, 
 occasionally to a leaf, stretching out the sucker-like fibres of the root over it in 
 the same manner as ^"iscunl ; the shoots extend to a considerable distance, the 
 growth from one seed sometimes covering a wliole plant. Cliemical experiments 
 have proved that these parasites have a peculiar eliminating power; Loranthus, 
 although not of a milky nature, can establish itself on a species of the Bread-fruit, 
 which is full of a milky juice. Viscum w^as found to contain twice as much potash, 
 and five times as much phosphoric acid, as the wood of the Apple-tree on which it 
 was growing. Some species of Loranthus are said to be used as medicine in 
 Brazil ; some in Java have large leaves, of a dull, pale, grey colour beneath. 
 L. t('tran<his yields a black dye in Chile. Nuytsia Jlorilmnda is an excejition to 
 the usual habits of this tribe, being a shrub growing on the ground ; the flame- 
 coloured flowers come forth in great abundance, and caused it to be named the 
 Fire-tree by the colonists of King George's Sound. N. ligustrina grows in the 
 arid parts of the Blue Mountains, west of Port Jackson, in Australia. Misodendron 
 belongs to the Antarctic regions, and was discovered amongst the few shrubs and 
 trees on Hermite Island, west of Cape Horn, at the southern limits of arborescent 
 vegetation on the globe. 
 
 This Tribe is nearly equally dispersed through the Tropics of Asia and 
 America ; it is much more rare in Africa, two species only known in the 
 equinoctial countries, and six at the Cape of Good Hope. A few have been 
 discovered in the islands of the South Seas, and in Australia. Loranthus abounds 
 in Java ; L. europaiis of south Europe connects the tropical portion of these jjlants 
 with the solitary British species Viscum. 
 
OF THE 
 ■^S!TY OF iLU^'OI3 
 
74- 
 
 c^m ^w 
 
 Ja. 3h 
 
 y m * I fp m 
 
 la. lb 
 
 4a. ^y ,^. ea, 6 b 
 
 Ic 
 
 E.T.deL 
 
 The- McbdAer Tribe' 
 
 Day <i> ■Soro. Limdedy 
 
KUBIACEiE 
 
 THE MADDER TRIBE. 
 
 Trees, shrubs, and herbs : the leaves are simple, entire, opposite, and having 
 stipnles between the leaf-stalks, or in whorls around the stem and without stipules. 
 The flowers are variously arranged, t7.snally in clusters. The calyx is adherent, 
 ■whole or divided at the top ; the petals are flat, or tubular at the base, regular, 
 A^ith a definite nxmiber of divisions, equal to those of the calyx. The stamens rise 
 from the corolla, and are alternate with its segments. The ovary is below the 
 corolla, usually two-celled, sometimes many-celled ; the style single or double ; the 
 stigma simple or divided. The fruit is whole or splitting into two parts, dry or 
 succulent, two or many-celled. Seeds two or many, with horny albumen. 
 
 The characters of this order are clearly marked, but there exists considerable 
 affinity with the Honeysuckle and the Composite tribes, 
 
 PoisonoiTs, tonic, stimulating, and dyeing properties are contained in the varied 
 plants of this extensive tribe. 
 
 Eubia and its immediate allies form a herbaceous section of the Order, with 
 angular stems and whorled leaves, possessing very little beauty of form or colour. 
 R. peregrina (1) is the only British species, growing in sandy places in the west of 
 England and Scotland ; the creeping fleshy roots yield a red colouring matter, 
 useful in dyeing. But the valuable Madder or Turkey Eed is obtained from 
 R. tinctoria, the chief culture of which is in Holland and Turkey, affording a 
 large supply of red dye for wool and cotton. R. iorcUfolla is the madder of 
 Bengal ; another species is used in Chile. Asperula odorata (2) is a sweet-scented 
 plant, frequent in moist, shady places, particularly in Scotland ; retaining its 
 fragrance when dried, for a long time. The different species of Galium are 
 common in various localities throughoiit England ; none are of value. In the 
 larger section of the order are some very important plants ; the several kinds of 
 Cinchona, in Peru, yielding medicinal bark ; the small creeiiing-rooted Cephoilis 
 IjiecacucmJia, in the damp forests of Brazil, esteemed for its emetic qualities ; and 
 
 1. 
 
 Rnhia. peregrina. Wild Madder. Britain. 
 
 4 a Flmrer. 4b Pislii. 
 
 
 
 lA Flou-er. In Pistil. Ic Fruit. 
 
 4c Section of Ovary. 
 
 
 3. 
 
 Asperula <)rf')?Y(<rt, Sweet Woodruff. Britain. 
 
 5. Ixora coccinca. Scarlet Ixora. 
 
 East Indies. 
 
 3. 
 
 Co^e& Arnhica, Aruhian Coffee-tree. Yemen. 
 
 (). Coccooypseliim Tonlarea. 
 
 Guiana 
 
 
 3a Seeds. 3b Section of Fruit. 
 
 (>A Fruit, open. 
 
 
 4. 
 
 Mussoenda macrojihijlla, Ltmic. leaved Mus- 
 
 Cb Cross section. 
 
 
 
 swnda. South America. 
 
 7. Fruit o/ Galium. 
 
 
UUmACF..K. 
 
 nnmproTis otiier ppociei? of medical value. But the most extensively nspfiil of the 
 wljiile tribe is Coffea (;3), first discovered in the mounUins of Yemen, in Arabia, in 
 the thirteenth century ; two centuries later it was imported into Egypt, thence 
 to Constantinople, and afterwards gradually into all the countries of Europe. 
 Originally exceedingly limited in its placa of growth, it has become widely diffused 
 in cultivation, and still more widely dispersed by commerce. Arabia, however, 
 still produces the best Coffee, in its dry climate, and on the arid soil of the 
 mountain slopes. The hard, homy albumen of the seed, when roasted and ground, 
 produces the stimulating and refreshing beverage. Mussojnda macrophjUa (4:) 
 has the singular property of enlarging one of the sepals of the calyx, on each of 
 the three branches of the flower-stalks, after the flower has fallen, one lobe acquires 
 the size of a loaf, but is of a pale colour. Calycophyllum, also, has this peculiarity. 
 Ixora (o) is one of the flowers employed by the Hindoos for the ornament of their 
 temples ; all the species belong to the East Indies and China. Vangueria edulis 
 produces a fine eatable fruit in India and ]\Iadagascar. Genipa Americana is a 
 large fruit of South America, of pale green exterior, containing a dark purple 
 juice of agreeable flavour. G. Brasiliensis has a fruit which is also eatable when 
 preserved with sugar. The fruit of Sarcocephalus csculentus, the Guinea peach, is 
 eaten in Sierra Leone. Copi'osma extends to the most soiithern land of the globe ; 
 in Tasmania it yields a fruit called native currants. Nerteria depresaa grows 
 about the Straits of jNIagalhaens. Fever bark is obtained from several species : 
 from \x<)\i^Q\Qt\A fehrlfaga, in Sierra Leone ; from Pinclmeya ^;u'>e??s, in Carolina; 
 from llymenodictj^on excehum, in East India. Cinchona has an extensive range 
 on the Andes, occupying a space of ten degrees of latitude on either side the 
 equator, and spreading over the mountains between 3000 and 9000 feet of 
 elevation ; the different varieties of bark are red, yellow, and pale. The attempt 
 to transport some of these trees to Europe, first made by Condamine, failed, by 
 the wreck of the boat at the mouth of the Amazons, after a prosperous voyage of 
 1200 leagues down the river. Several of the herbaceous plants of this tribe appear 
 during the rainy season on the mountains of India, at 6000 and 7000 feet. 
 Hymenopogon is a parasite on other trees ; Oldenlandia is used for a red dye ; 
 Kohautia grows in the hot valleys between the hills — this is also a native of 
 Africa. Some species of Morinda are cultivated in the plains of India for their 
 red dye. Of the poisonous species, Evosmia cor/jmbosa seems to be one of the 
 most powerful, Indians having been poisoned b}'^ using the wood as spits for 
 roasting meat in South America. 
 
 True Piubiaceaj are natives of the northern countries of the northern hemisphere, 
 of elevated regions on th.e Andes, and of Australia. Cinchona, and its allies, are 
 natives of the Tropics, and other hot regions of the world. Pinckneya extends 
 furthest north in North America, inhabitinor the southern States. 
 
or IH£ 
 
IS 
 
 la Zh Za 
 
 IT.dLel 
 
 The- Valen^m. Inhe.. 
 
 DcQt Sc'Sori,J.'/mZM 
 
YALEEIANACEyT:. 
 
 THE VALERIAN TRIBE. 
 
 Annual or perennial herbs, occasionally of a climbing nature ; tlie leaves are 
 opposite, entire at the edges, or variously divided, generally crowded at the base 
 of the stem near the root. The flowers are sometimes imperfect in stamens and 
 pistil. The calyx is above the ovary ; the lobes membranous, or converted into a 
 feathery down as the seed ripens. The corolla is composed of one petal, of a 
 tubiilar form, inserted into the top of the ovary, having from three to six divisions, 
 either regular or irregular, sometimes spurred at the base. The stamens are from 
 one to five, inserted into the tube of the corolla, alternate with its lobes. Tlie 
 ovary is below the calyx, with one or three cells ; the style is simple, temiinated 
 by one or three stigmas, according to the number of the cells. The fruit is dry, 
 not gaping when ripe, one cell bearing a seed, the others empty ; the seed is 
 solitary, pendulous, without albumen. 
 
 These herbs have most connexion with the Teasel tribe ; but are distin- 
 guished by the absence of small leaflets at the base of each floret, and the want 
 of albumen in the seed. 
 
 Aromatic and medicinal properties, and a strong scent prevail in the Tribe. 
 
 Valeriana includes several European species, two of which ai'e fi'equent in 
 England, in moist, marshy localities. V. pjjrenaica is chiefly found in the south 
 of Scotland. V. dioica (1) grows generally in bogs or wet meadows ; it has a 
 creeping ]')erennial root, and flowers in June ; the stamens and pistil are sometimes 
 united in the same flowers, although usually in separate plants. The root is 
 thought to possess slightly medicinal properties, inferior to those of V. officinalis, 
 which is a larger plant, growing frequently about the borders of pools and rivers. 
 In France, it is also very common in woods, especially in the neighbourhood of 
 Paris, and the root is much employed in medicine. The species named Phu, from 
 the Arabic, is the true medicinal Valerian of Dioscorides, and was highly valued 
 by the ancients ; the scent of this and of V. officinalis^ is extremely repulsive, but 
 is so agreeable to cats, that the plants are with difficulty preserved from their 
 attacks. The oil of the root is, however, in some instances of pleasant odour, and 
 
 1 . Valeriana dioicn, Marsh Valerian. 
 
 Bogs, England. 
 
 2. Fedia olitoria, Corn-Salad. 
 
 Corn-fields, England. 
 2a Flower. 
 2b Fruit. 
 
 3. Centranthns ruber, Red Centrantkiis. 
 
 3a Flower. England. 
 
 3b Fruit and Calyx. 
 "I. Nardostachj's Jatamansi, Spikenard. 
 
 4a Flnwt'.r. Himalayas. 
 
 4b Fruil and Calyx. ic Section of Friiil. 
 
VALEKIANACEiE. 
 
 that of V. ccUtca is esteemed as a perfume ; the roots arc collected by the poor 
 peasants, at a considerable risk, from the jjrecipitous rocUs on the Alps of Styria 
 and Carinthia, and sold to the merchants, who pass them on from Trieste to 
 Turkey and Ejj:ypt, and to all the Eastern nations, for their aromatic baths. 
 V. Ilardwkkii is a native of the Himalayas, growing on the margins of fields and 
 in fissures of rocks ; it is about three feet in height ; the stalk, and leaves, like 
 most mountain plants, are hairy ; the root-leaves heart-shaped, on long stalks, and 
 decumbent on the ground ; the flowers are small and scentless, 
 
 Fedia olitoria (2) appears in early spring in cornfields, and is cultivated in 
 gardens as an useful salad-herb ; the French use it commonly for this purpose. 
 Centranthus ruhcr (3) prefers dry situations, old walls and chalk pits; on the 
 clifts of the Kentish coast it is not unfrcquent, and remains in flower throughout 
 the summer months. 
 
 Nardostachys Jatamansi (4) of the Hindoos was ascei'tained by Dr. Royle to 
 be the true Spikenard of antiquity, mentioned by Horace as of extreme rarity and 
 costliness, and by the Evangelists as " very precious," the price of the ointment 
 poured on the head of Christ being " more than three hundred pence," the value 
 of a whole year's earnings of a labourer in that time and country : it was not only 
 reserved for the most solemn jmrposes of anointing, but considered as highly 
 valuable in medicine. Dioscorides and Ptolemy describe the localities of the Indian 
 Nard, which agree with those where it still grows on the mountains bordering 
 Bootan. On the lofty ranges of the Himalaya H is found at an elevation of 9000 
 feet, amongst various alpine plants which can endure the rigour of a climate where 
 the snow rests on the ground for six months. The roots are clothed with dark 
 hairs, giving them the appearance of an ermine's tail ; they are gathered together 
 and brought down in large qiiantities, to be sold in the bazaars at Saharunpore 
 and elsewhere, for the sake of the agreeable scent, as well as for medicinal pur- 
 poses. Astrephia is esteemed in Peru for its healing qualities. Patrinia is a 
 Siberian genus with yellow flowers, found also in northern India and Japan. 
 Triplostegia of the Himalayas forms a connecting link with the Honeysuckle tribe, 
 the flowers being furnished with a small involucre show peculiar resemblance to the 
 Teasel tribe. 
 
 This Tribe exists in nearly all countries where the climate is temperate, but is 
 rare in Africa and North America. It abounds in Europe, and on the mountains 
 of South America and Northern India. Valeriana grows on the Andes at 
 13,000 feet. 
 
OF THE 
 U:v?vERSITY OF (ILI^aHS 
 
76 
 
 I.T.del. 
 
 The- Composite^ Tribes. 
 
 Defy A San^.l-ordted/. 
 
76 
 
 COMPOSITACEil^]. 
 
 THE COMPOSITE TRIBE. 
 
 Heuraceous plants, shnibs, and trees. The leaves are alternate or opposite, ^vit]l- 
 out stipules, usually simple, but generally much divided. The flowers are collected 
 in close heads on a common receptacle, surrounded by an involucre. Bracts are 
 sometimes present in the form of scales on the receptacle. The calyx is above the 
 ovary, and closely united to it. The upper portion either wanting or membranous, 
 divided into bristles, hairs, or feathery down. The corolla is of one petal, either 
 funnel or strap-shaped, four or five-toothed at the top, sometimes bilabiate (12). 
 The stamens are equal in number to the teeth of the corolla, and alternate 
 with them; the filaments are jointed. The anthers cohere in a cylinder. The 
 ovary is one-celled, with a single ovule; the style is simple, the stigmas two, downy 
 or bristly. The seed-vessel is small, closed, dry, crowned with the top of the calyx; 
 the seed is solitaiy, erect, with no albumen. 
 
 This order has close affinity with Dipsaceaj, Campanulacese, and Lobeliacea;. 
 
 Acrid, tonic, aromatic, and stimulating properties exist in these plants ; some 
 contain oil. 
 
 This is one of the most distinctly marked of the Natural Orders, more exten- 
 sively kno\^Ti now than was the whole vegetable world to Linnaeus ; comprising 
 upwards of 1000 genera, constituting about 1 - 10th of all described species, 
 affording numerous plants of great utility either as food or medicine, and contri- 
 buting large^ly to the embellishment of nature, from the lowly Daisy (1) to the 
 richly -coloured Dahlia. The prevailing colour of the commoner flowers, as of 
 Dandelion, is yellow, but the finer species include every hue in great brilliancy. 
 Among the plants yielding food, Scorzonera (1) has a slender Avhite eatable root, 
 of so mild a nature that it is probable the idea of its curing the bite of a viper is 
 erroneous. HeUanthus tuherosns is the Girasole, or Jerusalem artichoke, Cynara 
 Scol^mus, the artichoke introduced to English gardens from the south of Europe 
 more than three centuries ago ; like others of this class, it can endure much 
 drought, and in the extremely hot and dry summer of 1825, in France, it was 
 almost the only vegetable that survived to supply the markets of Paris. Cichorium 
 was described by Pliny, who knew that the Egyptians made it an important article 
 of food, as they do at the present time ; the Greeks received it from Egypt, and 
 adopted the same use of it. C. Intijhus, Succoiy or Chicory, is frequent on the 
 borders of our fields : the variety with larger roots is of more extensive iise, they 
 being dried and made into coffee. 0. endivia, Endive, imported from the East 
 Indies in 1548, is a common ingi-edient in salads. Lactuca sativa is the wholesome 
 
 1. 
 
 2. 
 3. 
 
 Bellis perciniis, Common Dais;/. Britain. 
 Agathea celestis. Cape of Good Hope. 
 Carthamus Unctorius, Officinal Cartluimus. 
 
 Eg>pt. 
 
 7a Ray Petal. 
 7b Disk Petal. 
 7c Crested Scale nf Disk. 
 8. Centanrea Cyanus, Corn Blne-Bottlc. 
 
 4. 
 
 5. 
 
 ScorzQnera hispanica, Viper's t/rass. Spain. 
 
 4 A Floret, 4b Seed. 
 Cataoanclie cceruha. South Europe. 
 
 H\ Stamens. Sii Seed. 
 '.). Ehchrysum spectahite. Cajje of Good llopc. 
 10. CiiIliopHis /^/'coZor. North America. 
 
 (i. 
 7. 
 
 Cosmea hipinnata. Mexico. 
 Ziiiula ileijans. Moxico. 
 
 1 1 . Floret of Ecliiuops. 
 
 12. Two-lipped Floret. 
 
COMI'OSITACE.E. 
 
 Lettuce, and a narcotic drug is obtained from it. Tlic leaves of llelminthia 
 tchlo'uhs arc boiled or pickled in Greece. Of the medicinal class, Artemisia 
 Alisinthhim ranks high as an aromatic bitter tonic : its powerful qualities were 
 known in the remotest antiquity, and the bitterness of Wormwood was jiroverbial, 
 A. Abrotanum, the strong-scented Southernwood, is employed in some countries in 
 making beer. A. Dracunculus Tarragon, of the south of Europe, is ^n addition 
 to vinegar and pickles. A. alha and others form part of the pasturage of the herds 
 of the Calmucks. Taraxacum, the Dandelion, has repute as a medicine, and 
 contains sweet IMannine in the milky juice. One of the most popular of our native 
 medical 2)lants formerly was Anthemis nohllls, ChauKnnile. The flowers of Santolina 
 fragrantissima are similarly used in Cairo. Tussilago, abounding in many parts of 
 our isle, is a remedy for coughs, knowm as Coltsfoot from the shape of the leaves. 
 IMikania is a powerful genus in Brazil. The oil contained in the fleshy root ot 
 Anacyclus Pijretlirmn, of Spain, is a powerful stimulant. Eupatorium fflutiiiosum 
 of the Andes, a shrub five feet high, called Matico by the inhabitants of Quito, has 
 excelleut healing qiialitics; other species cure the bite of snakes. Some valuable dyes 
 are extracted from several of these plants. Carthamus fincforius (t->), the Safflower of 
 Egypt, is of ancient renown, and is still in constant use in that country. Its flowers 
 yield a yellow dye, soluble in water, and a red dye, soluble in alkali, which affords 
 every shade of red or pink to the silk dyers of Egypt and China. Being perfectly 
 harmless when taken in small quantities, it is used in the East to colour bread and 
 cakes yellow. A fine carmine may be obtained from the petals of the Dahlia. 
 Centaurea Cijamis (8) is one of the plants of corn-fields throughout Europe; a pure 
 blue juice can be expressed from the florets, but it is exceedingly evanescent, which 
 agrees with the fact that these and other blue flowers are apt to change to white, 
 and seldom retain their blue in the herbal. It is a large genus, spreading into 
 Barbary, Egypt, and Persia. Various species furnish oil in their seeds. Guizotia 
 olei/era is cultivated extensively in India ; Madia in Chile and Europe yielding 
 a larger proportion of oil than either Linseed or Olives. In the barren tracts of 
 Africa grows the succulent Ceradia furcata, full of a fragrant resin. The Thistle 
 class is of peculiar character and aspect, the foliage beset with prickles, the flowers 
 of little beauty ; the plants serve as food to the humblest of animals. It was of old 
 considered a type of barrenness and neglect. The only exception to this degraded 
 position in the vegetable kingdom is Onopordum Acanthmtn, selected as the em- 
 blem of Scotland. Carlina acaulis is a singular-looking plant on our chalk downs, 
 the pale buff shining involucre placed like a star on the ground. C. gummi/era 
 was known to the ancients for the gum distilled from the flowers and root. 
 Echinops, the Globe Thistle, bears its blue florets in the midst of a many-leaved 
 involucre (11). The seeds of all are crowned with a feathery down, which trans- 
 ports them to a vast distance. The most remarkable instance of thistle growth is 
 on the Pampas of South America. From Buenos Ayres westwards for nearly 
 200 miles is a region of thistles ten feet high, all derived from seed accidentally 
 carried there from Europe. Elichrysum (D) is one of the everlasting Jlowers, the 
 dry petals resisting the usual withering process ; Gnaphalium affords the yellow 
 and white immortelles for memorial wreaths. The largest leaf of British plants is 
 that of Arctium Burdock. The hairs of the seeds of the common Groundsel are 
 curious objects of microscopical examination. 
 
 These plants are scattered all over the world, in various proportions. The 
 herbaceous genera abound most in cold regions ; those of a shrubby nature are 
 exclusively natives of hot countries. The trees belong entirely to the Tropics. 'In 
 St. Helena the shrubs and trees are of this Tribe. Britain possesses loO species, 
 more than of any other Tribe. 
 
!!!V!VrRS!TY OF ILUfTi? 
 
71 
 
 \ \l^^ 
 
 la. I}, 
 
 U 61 6c 
 
 4a. 4-h 
 
 2a, 2h Z o Z cL 3c 3 (t 
 
 f..T.dei. 
 
 The^ Tea/cie^Trihe'. 
 
77 
 
 DIPSACE^ 
 
 THE TEASEL TEIBE. 
 
 Herbaceous plants and under-shnibs. The leaves are opposite, or whorled : the 
 flowers are collected into a head at the top of the stalk, surrounded by a many- 
 headed involucre : the calyx is adherent, membranous, slender, surrounded by a 
 scarious involucel : the flower is of one petal, tubular, inserted in the calyx, parted 
 at the summit into four or five lobes : the stamens are foiar, alternate with the lobes 
 of the corolla : sometimes half of them are imperfect : the anthers are distinct : the 
 ovary is one-celled, with one ovule : the style is single : the stigma simple : the 
 fruit is dry, one-celled, closed, crowned by the star-like calyx : the seed contains 
 a small portion of fleshy albumen. 
 
 The distinct stamens of these flowers distinguish them from those of the Com- 
 posite tribe, with which they have much affinity. 
 
 The properties are unimportant. 
 
 Dipsacus is said to have been so named from the Greek word for thirsty, on 
 account of the water sometimes collected in the hollow space formed Ijy the united 
 base of the leaves around the stalk, and hence the common name of Venus's kettle 
 in some parts of England. D. s_>/hrstris (1) grows frequer.tly on waysides and 
 banks of streams, with a stiff, prickly, branching stem, about four feet high. 
 D. Fullonum, the Fuller's Teasel, is cultivated in the west of England for the 
 sake of the bristly heads of flowers, the scales of which are stronger and beset with 
 sharper hooked prickles than those of D. sylvestris : they are thus serviceable in 
 raising the nap of woollen cloth ; for this purpose they are fixed in rows on a 
 wheel, against which the cloth is held whilst it revolves. The flowers are pale, 
 and crowded closely together. The different species of Scabiosa are chiefly 
 European ; a small j^ortion only are of a shrubby nature. The outermost row of 
 flowers are generally the largest, which gives the appearance of the radiant flowers 
 
 1. Dipsacus sylvestris. Wild Teasel. England. 
 
 1a Flower, mdtjnified. 
 1b Bract. Ic Seed. 
 
 2. Scabiosa .iiiccisn, Devil'a-hil Scabioiis. 
 
 2a Flower. England. 
 
 2b Pistil and inner Calijx. 
 2c Outer Calyx and Scale. 
 2d Involucre. 
 
 3. Knautia arvennis. Field Scabious. England. 
 
 .3a Flower. 
 
 3b Stamen. 
 
 3c Seed and Calyx. 3d Calyx. 
 4. Scabiosa alro-pnrpurea, Sweet Scabious, 
 
 South Europe. 
 4a Seed and inner Calyx. 
 4b Tlie same ivilli outer Calyx. 
 
 ■J, Scabiosa oc/irtilenra, Yellow Scabious. 
 
 Germany. 
 
 C. Scabiosa columbaria. Fine-leaved Siubious. 
 
 England. 
 Y 
 
DIPSACE^. 
 
 of tlie composite plants ; in some species the petal is four-cleft, in others, five. 
 S. sitccisa (2) is one of the few examples of a bitten-ofif root ; the point of the root 
 Avithering and stojipiiig in its growth, small rootlets protrude from the sides. The 
 flowers are all of e(iual shape, and not radiated at the edge. S. columbaria (G) 
 grows on a limestone, chalk, or gravel soil, and together with the other species, 
 are freciueutly found on chalk-downs, where they assume the usual dwarf habit of 
 the plants which grow in such situations, the flower-stalk being diminished to an 
 inch in height — thus exhibiting in miniature what may be seen on the Alps and 
 other lofty mountains. S. ochrolenca (5) is very common by the road-side and in 
 Avaste places in most parts of Austria and Bohemia. S. atro-pnrpurea (4) is a 
 well-known favourite in gardens. Knautia (3), a name bestowed by Linnaius, in 
 honour of a Saxon botanist, was at first applied to some plants of the Levant ; it 
 is now given also to the British species formerly called Scabiosa arvensis (3). 
 S. speciosa grows in Cashmere and on the Himalayas. Some species of Dipsacus 
 are found in Nepal and on the Neelgherries. Morina Wallichiana is one of the 
 most beautiful examples of this tribe in India, bearing clusters of pink and white 
 flowers around the stem, enclosed by four prickly leaves. Cephalaria is a genus 
 belonging to Siberia, Germany, Switzerland, and the Cape of Good Hope. 
 
 The plants of this small Tribe are chiefly natives of the south of Europe, the 
 Levant, Barbary, and the Cape of Good llojie, not advancing into hot or cold 
 regions ; most abundant in the Temperate climates of the Old World ; unknown in 
 America. None belong to the plains of India, but several are natives of the 
 Himalaya at moderate elevations. 
 
OF THE 
 
 on'VFRSfry OF iiuj^m 
 
■■'.'■? 
 
 i^ 
 
 3a. 4a. 4h 
 
 9 # - 
 
 t::l.deb. 
 
 /^s- SfyU'-y/ort/ Tribe. 
 
 Dc^ &. Scrv. limited'- 
 
78 
 
 STYLIDIACE^. 
 
 THE STYLE- WORT TRIBE. 
 
 Under-shrubs and herbaceous plants; with watery, not milky juice. The hairs, 
 if present, either simple, acute, or bearing a gland at the top. The leaves are 
 scattered, sometimes in circles on the stalk, entire at the edges, smooth or hairy, 
 the root-leaves clustered at the base of the stalk in those species which have no 
 stem. There are no stipules. The flowers are in spikes, on branching stalks, or 
 solitary, usually terminal, rarely from the base of the leaf-stalks. The calyx is 
 adherent to the ovary, with from two to six divisions at the top, either regular or 
 two-lipped, persistent with the capsule. The corolla is composed of one petal, the 
 lobes irregular, rarely regular, with from five to seven divisions, imbricated in the 
 bud, late in falling off. The stamens are two, the filaments united with the style, 
 forming a long column ; the anthers are double or simple, lying over the stigma, 
 gaping by chinks. The ovary is two-celled, many-seeded, sometimes one-celled, 
 often crowned wdth one or two glands ; the style is single, the stigma simple or bifid, 
 enclosed by the anthers. The capsule has two valves and two cells, or one only 
 from the contraction of the partition. The seeds are indefinite in number, small, 
 erect, sometimes stalked, attached to the axis of the partition ; they contain fleshy, 
 oily albumen. 
 
 These few plants have close affinity with Campanulacese and Goodeniaceaj, but 
 the anthers affixed to the style clearly distinguish them. 
 
 No useful or remarkable properties are known to exist in these plants. 
 
 This small Tribe is interesting as forming a singular fink with the Orchis tribe, 
 otherwise of so very different a character ; the combination of the anthers and the 
 stigma is the one point of resemblance. Stylidium derives its name from the 
 manner in which the stamens and style are united into one column ; in this there 
 exists a strong irritabihty and elasticity, which causes it to start suddenly aside on 
 being touched. The stigma lies in a hollow cavity at the top of the column, 
 nearly concealed by the anthers on either side. S. glandidosurn (1) is of a half- 
 
 1. Stylidium (jlandulosum. 
 
 Australia. 
 
 
 2b Flower with plumose Stigma. 
 
 1a Flower. Ii3 Calyx 
 
 
 
 
 2c Flower with imperfect Stigma. 
 
 Ic Ovary and Glands. 
 
 
 
 
 2d Anther. 2e Ovary and Gland. 
 
 Id Pistil and Stamens. 
 
 
 
 
 2f Section of Ovary. 
 
 1e Section of Ovary. 
 
 
 
 3a, 
 
 Flower q/" Stylidium lauricifolium. 
 
 2. Forstera clavigera. 
 
 
 
 
 3b Seed, magnified. 3o Seed. 
 
 Lord Auckland's and 
 
 Campbell's 
 
 Isles. 
 
 4a. 
 
 Stylidium calcaratum. Stamens on Pistil. 
 
 2a Leaf, magnified. 
 
 
 
 
 4b Capsule, open. 
 
STYIJDIACE.i:. 
 
 shrubby nature ; the hairs of the calyx bear small ^laiuls on their summits. All 
 the known si)ecies of Stylidium are natives of Australia, either in New Holland or in 
 New South Wales. 
 
 Forstera clavtgera (2) grows in compact tufts in boggy and turfy places on 
 mountains, very commonly both in Lord Auckland's and Campbell's Isles; the 
 branches are leafy throughout their whole length, and send forth small roots from 
 the base of the leaves. The flower is minute, bell-shaped, uith a wide, short tube, 
 the upper portion being variously parted into five to seven lobes, sometimes of 
 unequal size. In some instances the corolla is undulated on the surface, and 
 furnished at the throat of the tube with linear appendages like nectaries, but 
 containing no honey. The column of the style and anthers is often encircled at the 
 base by two crescent-shaped glands. The anthers are usually kidney-shaped ; 
 when these are imperfectly formed, the stigma is nearly hidden in the cavity 
 between them. In the perfect flowers, the stigma becomes forked and feathery. 
 The capsule before being fully ripe is fleshy and leathery, containing in its single 
 cell from six to eight seeds. F. sedifoUa inhabits the turfy parts of the mountain 
 of Tongariro, in the northern island of New Zealand. Some species have been 
 found in the morasses bordering the Straits of Magellan. Levenhookia and 
 others are scarcely known beyond their native situations, where they were discovered 
 by exploring travellers. 
 
 Australia is the principal region of this small Tribe ; the greatest number of 
 species being natives of swamps in New Holland ; one belongs to Ceylon, another 
 to the coast of Malabar, and another to the district of Silhet, in Northern India. 
 Forstera inhabits the most southern isles of the Southern Hemisphere. 
 
U^'IVERS!^/ Of ILMf^'Off, 
 
iiaA,. 
 
 Ths- /}ooil£.ruXL Trill i 
 
 m^ 1 
 
 W I 
 
 Day ScSoro, limjXed'. 
 
79 
 
 GOODENIACE^ 
 
 THE GOODENIA TRIBE. 
 
 Herbaceous plants, rarely shrubs, witliout any milky juice, sometimes witli simple 
 glandular hairs. The leaves are scattered, rarely opposite, sometimes proceeding 
 from the base of the stem, often lobed, without stipules. The flowers usually at the 
 ends of the branches or stalks ; generally distinct, in Brunonia collected in heads, 
 surrounded by enlarged tracts. The calyx is usually above the ovary, rarely 
 below, equal or unequal, three or five-parted, in Brunonia clothed with long hairs. 
 The corolla is of one petal, more or less irregular, the tube sometimes split at the 
 back, five -parted, usually divided into two lips ; the edges of the three largest 
 petals sometimes thinner than the centre, and folded inwards in the bud. The 
 stamens are five, distinct, alternate -^ath the divisions of the corolla, the filament 
 jointed in Brunonia, as in some Compositacese ; the anthers distinct or cohering, 
 two-celled. The ovary is one or two-celled, rarely four-celled, A\ath few or many 
 ovules ; the style is single, very rarely divided, sometimes hairy, the stigma fleshy, 
 imdivided or two -lobed, surrounded by or inclosed in a two-valved membranous 
 cup. The seed-vessel is a capsule with solitary or numerous seeds attached to the 
 central partition. The seeds have sometimes a thickened covering ; they contain 
 fleshy albumen ; the solitary seed of Brunonia has no albumen. 
 
 This Order has some connexion with Compositacea?, but the pecuhar stigma 
 distinguishes it from all others. 
 
 Goodenia which gives the name to this Tribe, was so called by Sir James E. 
 Smith, in honour of his friend Dr. Goodenough, Bishop of Carlisle, a friend and 
 patron of botanists and of natural history. G. grandijiora (1) is the finest of the 
 species ; the flowers have an agreeable scent ; the two upper divisions of the corolla 
 bend over the stigma, forming a Idnd of hood. Before the flower-bud is imfolded 
 the style is of the same length as the stamens, the stigma is in an erect position, 
 and the anthers shed the pollen into its hollow cup. When the flower is expanded 
 the style lengthens, the stigma becomes two-valved rather than a cup, and the 
 
 1. Goodenia. grandijlura, Large-Jloioered Goud- 
 
 enia. New Holland. 
 
 2. Scsevola microcarpa, Small-fruited Sctevola. 
 
 New South Wales. 
 
 3. Brunonia Axistralis, Southern Brunonia. 
 
 3a Flower, magnified. New Holland. 
 
 4. Lechenaultia formosa. Beautiful Leche- 
 
 naultia. New Holland. 
 
 4a Corolla, opened, 
 
 4b Pistil and Stamens. 
 5a. Stamens and Pistil of Goodenia ovata. 
 
 5b Ovary and Calyx. 
 
 5c Section of Ovary. 
 
 5d Seed. 5e Section of Seed. 
 Oa. Pistil of li. sericca. 
 
 6b Seed. 
 
GOODENIACE.E. 
 
 stamens wither and bend outwards. G, ovata (tt) is a neavly similar species. 
 Scan'ola is the most extended genus of this tribe ; S. microcarpa (2) the species 
 best laiown in this country, was obtained from some specimens of the earths of 
 Botany Bay in 1703, and may be now occasionally seen in our conservatories. 
 S. LohcUa with white flowers is a native of the West Indies. S. Konigii and 
 S. Taccada grow on the coast of the Bay of Bengal, and also along the shores of 
 southern India ; the young leaves of the latter are cooked and eaten ; the Malays 
 fabricate little toys and artificial flowers from the soft pith. Other species belong 
 to the ]\Ioluccas. 
 
 Brunonia (3) was named in honour of Robert Brown, the learned botanist, 
 whose skill and science first arranged and classed the plants of Australia. B. sericea 
 (()) is the only other ]a■lo^^^l species ; in both plants the five-lobed calyx and the 
 four tracts at the base are covered with long hairs. 
 
 Lechenaultia was so named after M. Lechenault, botanist to the French expedi- 
 tion lander Capt. Baudin. It was introduced into England in 1824, and is an 
 elegant addition to greenhouses, the scarlet flowers coming forth nearly at all 
 seasons. The plant is of a shrubby nature, and the foliage gives it a heath-like 
 appearance ; the slender leaves are densely downy when young. The tube of the 
 corolla is hairy at the base within ; from the base nearly to the points of the two 
 upper lobes, the tube is split open ; whilst in the bud the side wings of the lower 
 lobes are folded over their central firmer portions. L. ohlaia has orange-coloured 
 flowers, and L. arcuata, yellow, and it was once supposed that the genus comprised 
 only these shades of colour. But this theory, like that which limited Tropseolum 
 to the red and yellow tints, has been annulled by the discovery of \j. grandijiora, a 
 very beautiful species, with a corolla of deep pure blue. 
 
 Dampiera stricta was found by Capt. Dampier in New South Wales in 1814, 
 and brought home amidst large collections which he made during his voyages; its 
 blue flowers are hairy on the exterior. Euthales and Velleia are genera containing 
 only a few species with yellow flowers. 
 
 The few plants of this Tribe are natives of Australia, and the Islands of the 
 Southern Ocean. Scjevola extends into India, Africa, and the West Indies. 
 Selliera inhabits South Africa, 
 
i- i 
 
 OF THE 
 T/ OF lir 
 
J t 
 
 1^ % s~% 
 
 I-T^A- 
 
 Th^. .; ' // Flow e)- Tribe. 
 
 ay If- .j/yr.^ i.'.'hiWjV 
 
80 
 
 CAMPANULACEiE 
 
 THE BELL-FLOWER TRIBE. 
 
 Herbaceous plants, and iinder-shrubs, containing a white milky jiiice. The 
 leaves are almost always alternate, simple or divided, without stipules. The 
 flowers are single, on branching stalks, in spikes o? panicles, or in close heads, 
 usually blue or white, rarely yellow. The calyx is above the ovary, usually 
 five-lobed, remaining over the seed-vessel. The corolla is of one petal, inserted into 
 the top of the calyx regular, generally five-lobed, withering on the seed-vessel. 
 The stamens are inserted into the calyx alternately with the lobes of the corolla, to 
 which they are equal in number. The anthers are two-celled, distinct. The ovary 
 is below the calyx, ^^ith two or more cells, containing many seeds. The style is 
 simple, clothed with hairs, which collect the pollen of the anthers ; the stigma is 
 simple, or vrith as many lobes as there are cells in the ovary. The seed-vessel is 
 dry, crowned by the withered calyx and corolla, gaping when ripe by apertures at 
 the base or side, or by valves at the top. The seeds are numerous, attached to a 
 plat^i the centre ; they contain fleshy albumen. 
 
 This Order is closely allied to Lobeliacese, differing chiefly in the regularity of 
 the parts of the flower : with Compositacefe also it has much affinity. 
 
 An acrid milky juice prevails in these plants, but the roots of some are whole- 
 some. Campanula, which gives the name to the tribe, was so called from the 
 resemblance of the flower to a little bell ; it contains several species gracefully 
 elegant in form, of pure transparent hue, and delicate texture. Our British portion 
 of the genus adds considerably to the floral beauty of the country, wherever the soil 
 and climate may be favourable ; in the month of July, the abundance of C. rotvndi- 
 folia (1) is a striking embellishment of the scene in the meadows of the valley, and 
 on the rocks of the mountain sthroughout the Lake district of Westmoreland and 
 Cumberland. It is very frequent in Scotland ; the leaves are round only at the 
 base, gradually becoming linear on the stem. C. latifolia, the giant bell-flower, is 
 
 1. Campanula rotundifolia, Roinid-lenvcd Blue- 
 
 bell. Britain. 
 
 1a Calyx and Pislil. 
 1b Stumons and Pislil. 
 Ic Stamen. Id Section of Ovary. 
 
 2. Campanula garganica, Mount St. Angelo 
 
 Campanula. M. St. Angelo. 
 
 3. Roella ciliala. Ciliated RoeVa. 
 
 m Cape r' Good Hope. 
 
 4. Michauxia campnnuloides, Rough - leaved 
 
 Michnuxia. Levant. 
 
 5. Canarina Campanula, Cauarij Bell-jlouer. 
 
 Canaries. 
 
 6a. Sec/ton o/ Oi;«r(/ o/Campanul a bononienis. 
 
 7a. Slamcn and Pistil o/ Campanula medium. 
 7b Section of Seed. 
 7c Calyx, with Appendages- 
 
CAMPANULACE.E. 
 
 almost limited to the northern counties. C. Rapunculus Rampiou was formerly 
 cultivated for the sake of its white, sweet, pungent roots. Another species, with an 
 eatable root, is C. h'li/olia, which affords food to the Chinese. The root of C. 
 gluuca is considered a valuable tonic by the Japanese. C. medium, of Germany, 
 was brought into English gardens about 2oO years ago, was named Canterbury 
 bells, and has remained a favourite ever since. , The calyx has appendages which 
 hang down bytween the lobes (7). C. p,//ra?«i(7a?<s, a native of Carniola, is a well- 
 known ornament for halls, and in the mild temperature of Devonshire it continues 
 to unfold- its flowers on the tall spike till late in autumn, in the open air. In Hol- 
 land, it is very generally trained to form a kind of screen before a window. 
 Although blue is the prevailing colour of this genus, indeed of the whole tribe, yet 
 there is one yellow-flowered species, C. aurea, in Madeira. Specularia is now made 
 a separate genus ; "S-'enus's looking-glass, with its v^ite or bright purple flower, is 
 commonly to be seen in old-fashioned gardens. Wahlenbergia is an example of 
 the capsules opening at the top : W. hederacea is ,a ve]f.y delicate, trailing little 
 plant, with pale flowers and ivy -shaped leaves, growing in boggy places in Wales 
 and elsewhere ; some larger species in hotter countries are used medicinally. Roella 
 ciliata (3), named, after a Dutch, botanist, is one of several species from the Cape of 
 Good Hope. Miehauxia (^) displays a, singular variety in 'the revolute petals, 
 giving almost the aspect of a passion-flower ;. it was introduced from the Levant in 
 1787, but is now seldom to be seen, although deserving of more favour with gar- 
 deners than it receives, for it is reCordecl to grow to the height of six feet with 
 many branches and abundant flowers. C&nav'ma ^Campanula (5) w^as an early 
 importation from the Canaries, and producing its six-lobed yellow and red flowers 
 late in the season is a pleasing addition to the conservatory ; the root is said to be 
 eatable. This is one of the 310 flowering plants peculiar to the Canaries ; the 
 remaining 223 belong likewise to Africa. Phyteuma, an ancient Greek name, 
 is now applied to a genus usually inhabiting lofty situations ; P. orhicit^-e is 
 found on our chalk downs ; several others belong to the Swiss Alps, forming part 
 of the close turf of the higher pastures. The roots of P. spicatum are eatable, and 
 frequently used as a vegetaljle in SAvitzerland. Jasione montana, shee])'s-scabious, 
 is very common on dry sandy ground, or heaths, as at Tunbridg.e Wells. Cyphia 
 is a native of the Cape of Good Hope ; one species is a climbing plant, another 
 yields an eatable tuberous root to the Hottentots. Glossocomia is a connecting link 
 with the Nightshade tribe. Codonopsis is a native of Cashmere and the Hima- 
 layas ; Codonopsis rotundifolia has a climbing stem, w hich is not common in this 
 tribe; the calyx and corolla are both occasionally sis#-lobed, which allies it to 
 Canarina. 
 
 This tribe is abundant in Europe, and in North America ; in the hot regions it 
 is rarely seen ; on the Alps and Appennines, on the Caucasus and Altai mountains 
 between 3»j° and 47" of N. latitude, the greater portion exists. At the Cajje of 
 Good Hope is another central locaUty for those genera chiefly whose capsules open 
 at the top. Some remarkable si)ecies belong to the Canaries, St. Helena, and Juan 
 Fernandez.