FAMILIES OF FLOWEEING PLANTS 



159 



representative of the family in the United States, occurring in the Ever- 

 glades of Florida. 



Familj^ Stackhousiaceae. Stackhousia Family. Consists of a sin- 

 gle genus, with about 20 species, all herbs, natives of Australia and 

 New Zealand. They have flowers with unequal stamens, and with the 

 petals slightly united into a tube, but possess no features of especial 

 interest. 



Family Staphyleaceae. Bladdernut Family. Trees and shrubs, 

 comprised in 5 genera and about 25 species, widely distributed. They 

 have the leaves pinnate or in threes, with regular perfect flowers in 

 axillary or terminal clusters, the parts in fives. The interesting struc- 

 tural character is found in the fruit, which is an inflated capsule in 

 Staphylea, the bladdernut, a rather 

 ornamental shrab, having creamy 

 flowers and curious bladdery pods 

 (see Fig. 138). 



Family Icacinaceae. Icaco Fam- 

 ily. Contains about 40 genera and 

 nearly 100 species, tropical trees or 

 shrubs. They are close in structure 

 to the Aquifoliaceae, but are often 

 remarkable for the woolly flowers, 

 one of which, of the genus Phytocrene, 

 is shown in Fig. 136. The South 

 American ViUaresia CougonJia, be- 

 longing to this family, yields a tea 

 similar to the true mate described 

 above. 



Family Aceraceae. Maple Fam- 

 ily. Consists of Acer, the maples,* 

 with about 100 species, and Dipter- 

 onia, a monotypic genus of Asia, 

 which differs in having the fruits 

 winged on the whole circumference. 



The maples are a most interest- Fig. 137. The American spiudiebush (Eu- 

 ing group of trees, and the different ''«->"«"^-^'««'^'^'"")- original. 

 species have a very marked individuality. They are grouped accord- 

 ing to the flowers, which may be in dense axillary clusters, like those 

 of the red, or soft, and silver maples, which open before the leaves; in 

 lateral flat-topped clusters or corymbs, often drooping, like those of the 

 sugar maple, which open with the leaves; or they may be in long spikes 

 or racemes opening after the leaves, as in the striped maple (see Fig. 

 139). The petals are 5 in number, or wanting in some species; the sta- 



