FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS 



123 



handsome climbing slinib of our southern States, Decmnaria. Mention 

 should also be made of the anomalous genus Parnassia, the "grass-of- 

 Paruassus," which is now very generally referred here, though it might 

 better be made the type of a distinct family. The flowers are remark- 

 able for the clusters of staminodia (imperfect stamens) borne at the 

 base of each petal (see Fig. 108). 



Family Grossulariaceae. Gooseberry Family. Contains only the 

 genus Ribes, with about 75 spacies, natives of the north temperate zone. 

 Besides the garden gooseberry 

 {R. Uva-crispa) and the currant 

 {R. riibrwn), the genus contains 

 several species ornamental in cul- 

 tivation. All are shrubs, with al- 

 ternate leaves and flowers having 

 the tube of the calyx entirely 

 united with the ovary, and the 4 

 or 5 small petals borne on the 

 calyx. The ovary has 2 distinct 

 or united styles, and becomes in 

 fruit a pulpy berry, crowned by 

 the persistent calyx. 



Famih' Cephalotaceae. Ceph- 

 alotus famih'. A monotyi)ic fam- 

 ily, consisting of the Australian 

 i:)lant CephalotusfoUicidaris, which 

 calls to recollection the pitcher- 

 plants. It is a very short-stemmed 

 herb, with spoon-shai^ed or stalked 

 leaves; the " pitchers " are short 

 and thick, with a lid like those of 

 the Nepenthaceae, the rim being 

 fringed with hairs. The singular 

 feature about these pitcher-like bodies, however, is that they are entirely 

 distinct from the true leaves, being borne on separate stalks. The 

 flowers are borne in a long spike, and are destitute of corolla. 



Family Pittosporaceae. Pittosporum Family. Contains 9 genera 

 and about 100 species, chiefly confined to Australasia. They are shrubs 

 or trees, with regular 5-merous flowers and a 2-5-celled ovary which 

 becomes in fruit a berry, frequeiitly edible. Some of the trees yield 

 resins and gums; they are usually called maple or mapau in New 

 Zealand. 



Family Brunelliaceae. Brunellia family. Consists only of Bru- 



Fig. log. The southern witch-hazel {Fotherg:iIhi 

 Carolina): a flowering branch with detached en- 

 larged capsule. Original. 



