BEEBKRIDACEJE. 



57 



This order is neither large nor important. Most of the genera which compose it are natives 

 of Tropical Asia and America. They are mostly twining shrubs or herbs. The only .Nor- 

 thern genus is Menispermum. _ ..,-.• , » f ,„:„„ 



Provertieis. A few plants of this order contain a bitter principle m their rool.s. A foreign 

 species of Menispermum vields the Colimibo of the shops, whicli is a valuable tome ; and 

 aiiother genus, Anamirta coculus of India, furnishes the ImJian cockle, so intoxicating to hshes. 



MENISPE'RMUM. 

 Flowers dioecious; sepals 4— -8, in a double row; petal 4-^ 

 7, minute, retuse. Sterile Fl. Stamens 12— 20. Fertile Fl. 

 Ovaries and styles 2 — 4; drupes 1-seeded, seed lunate and 

 compressed. 



Gr. f^rivr,, the moon, oTriQfAo., seed; on account of the crescent form of 

 the fruit. 



M. Canade'nse. 



Stem climbing ; leaves cordate, roundish, angular, peltate, the petiole insert- 

 ed near the base : racemes co\iipound; petals 8. In woods and hedges. Stem 

 8 or 10 feet long, with alternate leaves about 5-angled, and on long stalks. 

 Flowers in axillary clusters, small yellow. The root is perennial, and is used 

 in medicine as a tonic. July, fi, lobatum hsiS leaves lohed. Moon-sccd. 



ORDER VI. BERBERIDACE^. The Berherry Tribe. 



Cal —Sepals 3— 4— G, imbricate in two rows, often reinforced by petah .id scales 



/>r._Hypo<fynous : petals 1 to 3 times as nia^iy as the sepals, and opposite to them. 



iS(a.— As many, or twice as many as the petals, and opposite to them. 



>ln«^t.— Generally opening by recurved valves, extrorse. 



Oa.— One-celled, solitary, simple. Style often lateral. Shg- often lateral or peltate. 



Ft. — Berried or capsular. , , , , , ,„ 



Sds.—One or few, attached to the bottom of cell, or many, attached to lateral placentaj. 



A small order mhabiting the Temperate Zones. Some genera, as the Podophyllum and 

 Jeflersonia, possess cathartic properties. Others, as the Berberis, contain in their Iruits 

 malic and oxalic acid. Li habit they are generally herbaceous, only a few attaining to the 

 structure of shrubs. 



Conspectus of the Genera. 



( Petals S, flower on a scape, .Tefferxnnia. 3 



( Leaves not peltate ; | Petals 6, with a scale at base, Lenntice. 4 



Herbs,perennial; I Leaves peltate; stamens numerous, . . • Podophyllum. 2 



Shrubs, With yellow tlovvers and irritable filaments, .... herben.^. l 



1. BE'RBERIS. 

 Calyx 6-sepaled, inferior; corolla 6-petaled ; two glands at 

 the base of each petal; style 0; berry 1-celled. 



Name derived from the Arabic. Sep. 6, obovate, spreading, colored, the ,3 

 iouter smaller. Pet. 6. roundish. Fil. flattened. Anth. 2 separate lobes on 

 the opposite edires of the connectile. Ber. oblong, pulpy, 1-celled. Seeds 2, 3. 

 Fine hardy shrubs. 



B. vulga'ris. 



Racemes pendulous, spines 3-forked ; serratures of the leaves terminated by 

 eoft bristles. A well known bushy and ornamental shrub, loving hard grav- 

 elly soils. Grows 3— 5 feet high. Leaves obovate, serrate, well d^istinguishe4 

 by their bristly serratures. Flowers yellow, in hanging clusters. The stameiis 



