Myrica.| CXXIV. MYRICACHAS (Hutchinson). 307 
Orpen CXXIV. MYRICACEZ&. 
(By J. Hurcurnson.) 
Flowers unisexual, arranged in short bracteate spikes. Perianth 
0; the female with a few perianth-like whorled bracteoles. Male 
flower subtended by a solitary bract: stamens 2-0, usually 4-8; 
filaments short, free or more or less connate ; anthers erect, ovoid or 
oblong, with 2 parallel longitudinally dehiscing cells, rarely accom- 
panied by a small subulate rudimentary ovary. Female flower 
subtended by a solitary variously shaped bract and with a whorl 
of small perianth-like fleshy bracteoles around the base of the ovary. 
Ovary sessile, 1-celled ; style short, with two spreading or ascending 
branches. Ovule 1, erect from the base of the cell, orthotropous. 
Drupe small, globose or ovoid, usually strongly warted, the warts 
often at length covered with a white waxy substance; endocarp 
hard. Seed erect ; testa membranous ; albumen0 ; embryo straight, 
With plano-convex fleshy cotyledons and a short radicle.—Trees 
or shritbs, frequently aromatic. Leaves alternate, penninerved, 
entire, ,Serrate, dentate or pinnately lobed; stipules 0. Flowers 
moncecious or more usually dicecious. Male spikes axillary, usually 
dense-flowered, in the African species usually solitary, in some 
extra-Aifrican fasciculate or paniculate ; when bisexual then the male 
flowers elow the female. Female spikes sometimes longer or shorter 
than the male, often axillary. 
A single genus with about 50 species, distributed throughout the Northern 
Hemisphere, 6 in the Mascarene Islands, 16 in South Africa. 
In a thonograph of Myricacee, published in 1901, A. Chevalier recognises 
3 genera, GALE, Tournef., ComproniA, Banks, and Myrica, Linn. ; but for the 
present Work it seems preferable to follow Bentham and Hooker and Engler in 
treating |them as sections or subgenera, although it is not disputed that there 
are good reasons for their segregation. It should be noted, however, in refer- 
ence to the use of these names, that Linnzus in his Systema (1735) placed 
the name Gale of Tournefort and the older authors as a synonym of his Myricu, 
and that Myrica Gale, Linn., would therefore represent the type species of his 
genus. Af this pre-Linnezan name, Gale, were adopted, Myrica, Linn., would 
be synon ymous, and, admitting Comptonia, an American plant, to be distinct, 
all the s\pecies of Myrica as understood by Chevalier would be referred to the 
genus Morella, Lour. (1790). 
1, MYRICA, Linn.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. iii. 400. 
Characters of the Order. 
Fruits with two pointed lateral shoulders, resinous- 
glandular between the angles but not warted, in- 
serted on deciduous shoots ; leaves deciduous ... 1. M. Guile. 
Fruits without shoulders, densely warted, arranged 
on persistent shoots ; leaves persistent. 
Flowers monecious. 
Leaves truncate and unequal-:ided at the base ; 
