b THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 



majorit3' of the trees of our deciduous forests. The Pro- 

 teales contain at least a thousand species but none of these 

 are found in North America. The Santalales, named for 

 the sandal-wood family, are represented by the mistletoes, 

 while the Aristolochiales are familiar through the wild 

 gingers and snakeroot {Aristolochia). The Polygonales, 

 named from the great smart- weed famih^ {Polygonum) 

 contains the docks and others. 



The Chenopodiales, named for the goosefoots {Ckeno- 

 podium), is classed as the last of the apetalous orders, Ijut 

 there are man}" species in it that possess petals, notably 

 in the pink and the purslane families. It is to be observed, 

 however, that in these families there are numerous species 

 that have no petals, while the order also contains such 

 apetalous families as the amaranths, poke-weeds and 

 carpet-weeds. To this order, also, iDclongs the four- 

 o'clock family whose showy cal^-xes might lead one to 

 think that the flowers possess a corolla. 



All the orders higher in development than the Cheno- 

 podiales are supposed to have corollas, but there are 

 numerous exceptions, just as in the order mentioned there 

 are exceptions to the rule that the flowers are apetalous. 

 In this new division, with petals present, there are two 

 groups, one distinguished b}" a superior ovary and the 

 other by the ovary inferior. The Ranales begin the orders 

 with superior ovar}'. This order includes the buttercups 

 {Ranunculus) for which it is named, and also such diverse 

 plants, in appearance, as the water-lilies, magnolias, bar- 

 berries, laurels {Lauriicege) and their allies. The general 

 make-up of the flower, however, shows the relationship. 

 There are four or five thousand species in the Ranales. 

 From this group it is thought most of the higher Dicotyle- 

 dons have sprung. The Papaverales are distinguished 

 from the preceding by their united carpels and hypogyn- 

 ous stamens. The poppies {Papnvcr) give the name to 

 the order and with them are included the cresses, the mign- 

 onettes and others. In the Sarraceniales, which are very 

 closely allied to the Papaverales, ai'e placed the insectivor- 

 ous sundews and pitcher-plants {Sarracenia) . 



