300 Transactions of the Society. 



Thymele^e. — The fruit is a nut, drupe, or berry. We have 

 only one genus, Daphne, with two species, which are small shrubs. 

 The fruit is a berry, with one large seed. D. Mezereum flowers 

 early, and the red 1 terries show up well against the green leaves. 



D. Laureola has black berries. The leaves are persistent. The fruits 

 are poisonous, but not apparently to birds. 



El^eagnace.e. — The order is a small one, and we have only one 

 British species, the Sea Buckthorn, Hippophae rhamnoides. The 

 fruit bears a close superficial resemblance to that of Daphne, but 

 the structure is very different. The base of the calyx, or at least 

 of the perianth, is in this genus persistent, and assumes the 

 character of a pulpy berry, inclosing a nutlet, also of uncommon 

 construction. The ovary wall is thin and membranous, enveloping 

 a large oblong-obovoid seed, with a crustaceous, smooth, and 

 shining black testa. 



In this country Hippophae is confined to the sea-coast, but on 

 the Continent and in Asia it extends far inland, especially on river 

 banks, and ascends to a considerable height. 



Though it belongs rather to the domain of entomology, I may 

 mention that the full-grown caterpillar of the Hawkmoth 

 (S. hip2)opha;s), which feeds on this species, bears (and is the only 

 one which does so) large yellow spots closely resembling the fruit, 

 both in size and colour. 



Santalace^e. — Of this family we have only one species, 

 Thesium linophyllum, an inconspicuous shrubby plant nestling 

 amongst the dwarf herbage of chalky downs, and of parasitic 

 habit. The fruit is a small green nutlet, marked with several 

 longitudinal ribs. There are three ovules, but as a rule only one 

 comes to maturity. 



ARiSTOLOCHiACEyE. — Fruit an indehiscent, ovoid globular cap- 

 sule, crowned by the persistent perianth. 



EuphorbiacE/E. - The fruit is dry or fleshy, naked or some- 

 times adnate to the perianth. The seed is pendulous. Of the three 

 genera, Euphorbia has three carpels, each containing a single seed, 

 Mercurialis, Dog's Mercury, has a 2-celled capsule, with two seeds, 

 or rarely 3 cells with three seeds ; while Buxus, the Box, has 

 a 3-celled capsule with one or two seeds in each cell. 



The seeds of our western European Euphorbiacere are as a 

 rule smooth, but in E. Lathyris they are rugose and reticulated ; 

 in E. Helioscopia, E. pterococca, E. Taurinensis, E. segetalis, and E. 

 Peplus, they are alveolated or pitted ; in E. jmbescens ridged ; in 



E. Myrsinxtes and E. pithyusa rugose ; in E. cxigva tuberculated ; in 

 E. portlanclica irregularly pitted ; in E. sulcata longitudinally, and 

 in E. falcate transversely, furrowed (plate IV. figs. 11a, lib). 



The capsules are in some species rough, verrucose (E. spinosa, 

 E. hyberna), or even hairy (E. i^ubesccns). In some species it is 

 possible that the capsules are disseminated with the seeds in them. 



