LXXXII. PRIMULACEiE. 



383 



tree at the North, a tree of lar°^e dimensions at the South. Leaves 3 — 5' long, 

 entire, glaucous beneath. Flowers obscure, pale greenish-yellow, the fertile 

 ones succeeded by a round, orangc-rcd Iruit as large as the garden plum, and 

 containing G — 8 stony seeds. They are rendered sweet and nalatable by the 

 frost, although very austere when green. The bark is tonic and astringent. Jn. 



Ordkr lxxxi. STYRACACE^. 



Tiecs or shrubs with altoniati'. simpli; leaven destitute of stipolea. 



FIs. or racemes Rolitiiry. ;i\illar.v, hraciealu. 



Cat. 5, rurely 4l()l)cil, imiiricatid in astivation. 



Cor. 5, rarely 4 or e-lolud, iiuhricattd in a'slivation. 



Sta. dertiiile or 00, untcinal in IcTistli. usually ooherinp. Anth. innate, 2-cellcd. 



Ova. adherent, 2 -5 (•illid, tlif narlitions sometimes hardly reaching the centre. 



Fr. druiKiceous, freiitrally « ith but one fertile cell. ^>'(te. 5—1. 



Genera 6, species 115. spurinirly distributed through the tropical and subtropical regions of both conti- 

 nents, only a few in colder latitudes. Storax and benzoin, two fragrant gum resins, regarded an stirnu- 

 lant and expectorant, are the products of two species of Styra.\, \-iz. of S. officinale, a Syrian tree, and S. 

 benzoin, native of Malay and the adjacent Islands. 



HAL ESI A. Ellis. 



In honor of the learned and venerable Stephen Hales, D.D., F.R.S., 1730. 



Calyx obconic, briefly 4-lobed ; cor. inserted into the calyx, cam- 

 panulate, with a narrow base, 4-cleft or 4-parted ; sta. 8 — 12, connate 

 into a tube below : sty. filiform, pubescent ; fruit dry, 4-winged, wings 

 equal or alternately smaller ; seeds 1 — 3. — N. American shrubs. 



1. H. TKTRAPTERA. Fonr-vingcd Snowdrop Tree. 



Ijvs. elliptic-acuminate, serrulate; fascicles 3-flowered, lateral, leafless, 

 from the wood of the preceding year; cal. subentire; sta. 12; //•. with 4 equal 

 wings. — Native of S. Car. to Flor., Miss E. Carpenter! Branches leafy at the 

 summit. Leaves thin, 2 — 5' by \l — 2', obtuse or acute at base. Flowers pen- 

 dulous, white, about 10" long, f 



2, H. DiPTER.\. Two-winged Snowdrop Tree. 

 Lis. oblong-ovate, obtuse", acuminate at each 



end, serrulate, softly pubescent beneath ; fascicles 

 2 — 3-flowered, lateral ; pedicels and cal. pubesce'nt ; 

 sta. 8 ; fr. with the alternate wings half as large 

 or obsolete. — Native in Car. and Ga. Leaves 

 somewhat larger than in the last, with rather 

 smaller flowers. Corolla white, f 



Order LXXXII. PRIMULACE^.— 



Primworts. 



Plants herbaceous, annual or perennial, sometimes suffruticose. 



Lvs. usually radical, otherwise mostly opposite. Stipules 0. 



FIs. on scapes and in umbels or variously arranged in the axils of ^ 



the leaves. 

 Cal. 5 (rarely 4)-clcft, inferior, regular, persistent. 

 Cor. 5 (rarely 4)-rletl, regular. 

 Sta. inserted on the lube of the corolla, as many as its lobes and 



opposite to them. 

 Ova. 1 -celled, with a free, central placenta. Style and Stigma 



simple. 

 Fr. — Capsule many-seeded, the fleshy placenta attached only to 



the base of the cell. 



Genera 29, species 215, common in the northern temperate 

 regions, growing in swamps, groves, by rivulets and often amotig 

 the snow of cloud-capr»ed mountains. Many are beautiful, and 

 hii-'hly prized in culture. Properties unimportant. 



FIG. 49,— 1. Primula Mistassinicn. 2. A flower laid open, show- ^ 

 ing the 5 stamens inserted on the tube of the corolla. 4. Plan of i? 

 the flower. 6. Ovary and caJyx. 5. Vertical section of the ovary, 

 showing the free central placenta. 



83 



