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HYPERICINEÆ. I. VISMIA. 
15 months to ripen its fruit, and hence both green and ripe fruit 
are together on the tree. In gathering for the table in this 
country, the fruit should be carefully cut off with a few leaves 
attached, and thus garnished sent to the dessert. By allowing 
the fruit to remain, the trees will at all times have green and yel- 
low fruit, which, with the shewy leaves and fragrant white blos- 
soms, form in spring a charming ornament. 
Order XL. HYPERICI'NEÆ. D. C. theor. elem. ed. 
1. p. 214. fl. fr. 4. p. 860. Chois. prod. hyp. 32. D.C. 
prod. 1. p. 541.—Hypérica, Juss. gen. p. 254. 
Calyx 4-5-parted or 4-5-sepalled, permanent, usually unequal, 
the 2 outer ones small, the 3 inner ones largest, usually dotted 
and glandularly-toothed. Petals 4-5 (f. 103. c.), hypogynous, 
alternating with the lobes of the calyx, twisted in the bud, 
commonly yellow and veined, sometimes full of black dots. 
Stamens numerous, usually indefinite, collected together at the 
base into small bundles (f. 102. e.), very rarely free, or mona- 
delphous, with long filaments and yellow, minute, oscillatory 
anthers. Ovary 1, free. Styles numerous (f. 102. a. f. 103. j.), 
but sometimes joined into one. Stigmas simple, rarely capitate. 
Capsules many-valved (f. 103. i. f. 102. a.), many-celled ; cells 
equalling the styles in number. Central placenta entire or many- 
parted, fixed to the inflexed margins of the valves. Seeds 
numerous, commonly terete, rarely flat. Integumeut double, 
both membranous. Embryo straight, with an inferior radicle, 
destitute of albumen. 
beset with glands, and abounding in a yellow resinous juice, 
which is usually purgative or anthelmutic, and so very analogous 
to gamboge, that the juice of Vismia Guianénsis and several other 
species have received the name of American gamboge. Most of 
the Hypericinee are bitter and slightly astringent, whence they 
have been used as febrifuges. Leaves exstipulate, opposite, very 
rarely alternate, crenated, sessile, or on very short petioles, full of 
pellucid and black dots, seldom without, feather-nerved. Flowers 
terminal or axillary, stalked or sessile, leafy or nakedly-panicled, 
but usually bracteate. This order may be easily distinguished 
from the preceding orders in abounding in resinous juice. It 
differs from Aurantidcee in having opposite, simple leaves, and 
from Guttiferee in the anthers being oscillatory, not adnate. 
Synopsis of the genera. 
Tribe I. 
Vismir\x. Fruit baccate (f. 102. a.). Seeds terete. Flowers 
in leaflets, racemose or corymbose, distinct, terminal panicles. 
Shrubs with stalked leaves. 
1 Vi'sm1a. Berry membranous. Styles 5 (f. 102. a.), 
crowned by 5 peltate stigmas. Stamens disposed in 5 bundles 
(f. 102. e.), each bundle alternating with a gland. Calyx 5- 
parted. Petals 5, usually villous within. 
Tribe II. 
Hyverrcex. Fruit capsular. Seeds terete. Flowers ter- 
minal and axillary, corymbose. Shrubs and herbs usually with 
sesstle leaves. 
2 Anpros#'mum. Capsule baccate, 1-celled. Calyx 5- 
parted. Petals 5. Styles 3. Stamens numerous, monadelphous 
at the base (D. C.) disposed in 3 sets (Smith). 
Herbs, shrubs, subshrubs and trees, ~ 
599 
ô Hypr’ricum. Capsule membranous. Styles 3-5, variable 
innumber. Stamens indefinite, rarely definite, disposed in 3-5 
bundles at the base, rarely free. Petals 5. Sepals 5, unequal, 
more or less connected at the base. 
4 Exo‘pea. Capsule partly 3-celled, many-seeded. Styles 3. 
Calyx 5-parted. Petals 5, with nectariferous claws. Stamens 
9-15, growing in 3 parcels. 
5 Saro‘tura. Capsule 3-valved, 1-celled, margins of the 
valves bearing the seeds. Stamens 5-6, free. Calyx 5-parted. 
Petals 5, narrow. 
6 Lancre ia. Calyx of 4-5 equal sepals. Petals 4-5. 
Stamens 10, free, 5 of which are opposite the petals and shorter. 
Styles 4-5. 
7 A’scyrum. Calyx of 4 sepals, 2 outer ones small, 2 inner 
ones large. Petals 4. Stamens numerous, hardly connected 
at the base. Styles 1-3. 
Tribe III. 
Evcryruir a. Fruit capsular (f. 103.1). Seeds flat, winged. 
Styles 3-12 (f. 103. 7.). Shrubs and trees with stalked leaves. 
Flowers axillary, solitary, or disposed in terminal cymes -or 
panicles, 
8 Carropéntos. Sepals and petals 4. Styles 5-8. Capsule 
woody, with filiform placentas and boat-shaped cells. Ovary 
villous. Stamens numerous. 
9 Eucry'puia. Sepals and petals 5 (f. 103. c¢.). Styles 12 
(f. 103. 7.). Stamens numerous, rather connected at the base. 
Carpels boat-shaped, hanging by funicles (f. 103. e.). 
10 Erea. Sepals and petals 5. Stamens numerous, dis- 
posed in 3 bundles. Styles 3. Capsule 3-celled, 3-valved. 
Seeds 2 in each cell, fixed above the base of the central trigonal 
receptacle. 
11 Crato’xytum. Calyx 5-parted. Petals 5. Stamens nu- 
merous, collected into 3 bundles. Styles and stigmas 3. Cap- 
sule 3-celled, 3-valved, with a dissepiment in the middle of each 
valve. 
12 Haro’nca. Sepals and petals 5. 
into 5 bundles. Fruit baccate, 5-celled ; 
Styles and stigmas 5. 
Stamens 15, collected 
cells 2-3-seeded. 
Tribe I. 
VISMIE‘Z (Chois. prod. hyp. 33.) Fruita berry. Flowers 
in distinct, leafless, racemose or corymbose terminal panicles. 
Shrubs or trees with opposite, usually stalked leaves. 
I. VI/SMIA (in honour of M. de Visme, a Lisbon merchant), 
Vand. in Roem. script. hisp. p. 138. t. 7. f. 4. Chois. prod. hyp. 
34. D. C. prod. 1. p. 542. , 
Lin. syst. Polyadélphia, Polyándria, Calyx 5-parted. Petals 
5, usually villous on the inside. Berry membranaceous. Styles 
5 (f. 102. a.). Stigmas peltate. Stamens numerous, disposed 
into 5 bundles (f. 102. e.), opposite the petals, alternating with 5 
glands or scales. Anthers small, roundish, 2-celled, bursting 
lengthwise. Seeds with a double covering.—Shrubs and trees, 
with quadrangular, opposite branches, Leaves entire, usually 
covered with rufescent down, and generally full of glandular 
and pellucid dots. Flowers disposed in terminal, branched pa- 
nicles or cymes. Buds ovate or oblong. Flowers of all yellow 
or greenish. A resinous yellow juice flows from all parts of the 
plant when cut or broken, resembling gamboge. 
1 V. cra'pra (Ruiz et Pav. syst. fl. per. p. 183.) branches 
