SUPPLEMENT. 



THE FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 



By CharIvBS Louis Pollard. 

 CHAPTER XXX.— Order Gentianales, Continued. 



FAMILY SALVADOEACEAE. A group of small trees belonging to 

 five or six species, all comprised in the genus Salvadora. They 

 resemble the Oleaceae in most particulars, having opposite leaves, 

 and small panicled flowers with a 4-cleft calyx and corolla, 4-parted sta- 

 mens and a 1-celled ovary. They are natives of northern and central 

 Africa and southwestern Asia. 



Salvadora Indica is supposed to be the plant referred to as mustard 

 in the New Testament, and which, as St. Matthew says, "is the least of 

 all seeds ; but when it is grown it is the greatest among herbs, and be- 

 cometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches 

 thereof." As the fruit is pungent and mustard-like, there seems be some 

 ground for the belief. 



Family Loganiaceae. Logania Family. Contains about 30 genera 

 and 400 species, widely distributed in warm and tropical regions. They 

 are herbs, shnibs, vines, or occasionally trees, with opposite stipulate 

 leaves, and regular 4-5-parted flowers, the ovary free from the calyx and 

 2'=celled. The stamens are borne on the throat of the corolla and are 

 equal in number to its lobes. Fruit a 2-valved capstile, or a berry. The 

 plants of this family all possess bitter and poisonous properties. Strych- 

 nine, one of the most deadly of vegetable alkaloid poisons, is derived 

 from Strychnos Nux-vomica, an East Indian tree, while the poison known 

 as wourali, used by natives of Guiana for poisoning their arrow tips, is 

 obtained from S. toxifey^a. Strangely enough, the pulp surrounding the 

 seeds in many species of Strychnos is edible, and it is only the seeds 

 themselves that are so highly poisonous (Fig. 189). 



In our country the Loganiaceae are represented cliielfly by the beau- 

 tiful climbing shntb known as the southern yellow jessamine ( Gelsemitim 

 sempervirens). The bright yellow flowers of this constitute one of the 

 most prominent features in the spring landscape of out southern States. 

 There are also a number of insignificant weeds belonging to the family. 



Family Gentianaceae. Gentian Famih'. Distinguished from the 

 preceding by the entire absence of stipules to the leaves, and the single- 



