184 



FAMILIES OF FLOWEKING PLANTS 



Family Flacourtiaceae, Flacourtia Family. Contains 70 genera 

 and about 300 species, tropical shrubs or trees of wide distribution. 

 Tliey^have alternate leaves, and flowers with 4-7 sepals and petals, or 

 the latter sometimes wanting. The stamens are equal to or some mul- 

 tiple of the petals. The fruit is either a fleshy berry or a 4-5-valved 

 capsule; it is edible in some species. Flacourtia yields a powerful 



Fig. 164. Pirigueia Caroliniana, one-half natural size. Original. 



astringent. Gasearia is one of the largest genera in the family, being 

 particularly abundant in the West Indies and South America. Many 

 of its species possess medicinal properties. 



Family Stachyuraceae. Stachyurus Family. Consists of the sin- 

 gle genus Stachyurus, with two east Asiatic species. 



Family Turneraceae. Turnera Family. Contains 6 genera and 

 about 90 species, most of which are comprised in Turnera and Firiqueta. 

 They are herbs or undershrubs with alternate leaves and yellow, or 

 rarely blue flowers; the corolla, which consists of 5 petals, is rather 

 fugacious, and disappears early; the calyx is somewhat bell-shaped; 

 stamens 5; style forking; fruit capsular. 



