Menisper.mwm. V. MENISPERMACE^. " 151 



was 23f; 30 feet from the ground its diameter was 5f; the whole height 

 125f. The trunk is perfectly straight and cylindric. At top it divides rather 

 abruptly into coarse, crooked, rather unsightly branches. Leaves dark oreen 

 smooth, truncate at the end, with two lateral lobes, 3 — 5' in length and breadth' 

 on long petioles. In Rlay and June it puts ibrth numerous large and brilliant 

 flowers, greenish-yellow, orange within, solitary, 4 — 6' diam. The wood is 

 extensively used as a substitute lor pine. 



Order IV. ANONACE^.— Anonads. 



Trets or Shrubs. 



Lvs. alternate, simple, entire, without stipules. 



Fls. usually green or brown, a.villary, large, shorter than the leaves. 



Ca?.— Sepals 3—4, persistent, often united at base. 



Cor.— Petals 6, in two rows, hypogynous, {estivation valvate. 



Sta. indefinite, densely crowded. Fi.l. short. Anth. adnate, extrorsa. 



0«a. numerous, closely packed. S«y. short or 0. Stiff simple. 



Fr. dry or succulent, 1— many-seeded, distinct or aggregated. Sds. anatropona. 



Genera 20, species 300 , chiefly native within the tropics of both hemispheres. Four species ara 

 foimd in the United States, all of the following genus. Plants generally aromatic in all their parts. 



UVARIA. 

 Lat. uva, grape ; from the resemblance of the fruit of some species. 



Sepals 3, united at base ; petals 6, in 2 rows ; carpels oblong, 

 baccate, often torulose, pulpy within ; seeds several. — Aromatic shrubs 

 or trees. 



U. TRILOBA. Torr. and Gr. (Anona. Linn.) Pawpaw. 



jLra. obovate-oblong, acuminate; pc/. dark-purple, exterior orbicular, 3 or 

 4 times as long as the sepals. — A small and beautiful tree, 15 — 20f high, on 

 'banks of streams, Middle, Southern and Western States. Branches and leaves 

 nearly glabrous, the latter 8 — 12' by 3 — 4', very smooth and entire, tapering to 

 very short petioles. Fr-uit about 1' thick and 3' long, ovoid-oblong, about 

 8-seeded, yellowish, fragrant, eatable, ripe in October. Flowers in March, 

 Apr. 



Order V. MENISPERMAOE^.— Menispermads. 



Shrvf/s twining or climbing, with alternate, entire leaves. 



F/s. small, in panicles or racemes, usually dioncious. 



C«i.— Scpals3— 8, in adouble series, 2—4 ineach, imbricated in aestivation, hypog., deciduous. 



Cor.— Petals 1—8, hypogynous, usually as many as the sepals, rarely 0. [many. 



if/a. distinct or monadeiphous, equal in number to the petals and opposite to them, or 3 or 4 times as 



Anth. innate and consisting of 4 globose lobes. 



Ova. usually solitary, sometimes 2—4. F): a drupe, globose-reniform. 



Genera 11, species 175, most of them natives of tropical Asia and America. The only northern genus 

 is Menispermiun. 



Properties.— A few plants of this order contain a bitter principle in their roots. A foreign species 

 of Menispermum yivilds the colii;>iho of the shops, which is a valuable tonic; another genus, Anamirta 

 Coccidus, of India, furnishes the Indian cockle., so intoxicating to lishes. 



MENISPERMUM. 



Qr. firiinj, the moon; aircpjia, seed; from the crescent form of the seed. 



Flowers 9 c?; sepals 4 — 8, in a double row ; petals 4 — 7, minute, 

 retuse ; c? Stamens 12 — 20. 9 Ovaries and styles 2 — 4; drupes 

 1 -seeded ; seeds lunate and compressed. 

 M. Canadense. — Moon-seed. 



St. climbing; lvs. roundish, cordate, angular, peltate, the petiole inserted 

 near the base ; rac. compound ; pet. G — 7, small. — In woods and hedges near 

 streams, Can. to Car. W. to the Miss. Stems round, striate, S — 12f long. 

 Leaves 4 — 5' diam., generally 5-angled, smooth, pale beneath, on petioles 3 — 5' 

 long. Flowers in axillary clusters, small, yellow. Drupes about 4" diam., 

 black, resembling grapes. ' The root is perennial, and in medicine has the pro- 

 perties of a tonic. Jl. 

 /?. lflha.tv.m, has the leave.s lobed. 



