1702 



A TEXTBOOK OF THEORETICAL BOTANY 



century a.d.) in India and China. The tea of commerce is obtained from 

 the leaves and young shoots, the quaHty depending upon the age and pre- 

 paration of the leaves. C.japonica (Fig. 1567), a native of China and Japan, 

 is a common greenhouse shrub with handsome large red flowers. 



Fig. 1567. — Camellia japonica. Flower. 



In the family Guttiferae (Hypericaceae) is the genus Hypericum 

 (Fig. 1568), with fourteen British species, which are mostly herbs of woods 



and damp places. H. elodes is an 

 aquatic plant with hairy leaves 

 and H. androsaemiim is shrubby. 

 The flowers are all yellow with 

 three large fascicles of stamens 

 and the fruit is a septicidal cap- 

 sule except in the last-named 

 species which has black berries. 

 Most of the genera, however, 

 are tropical trees and shrubs with 

 resinous juice. A number are of 

 economic importance. Garcinia 

 mangostana, the Mangosteen, is 

 a small tree up to 30 ft. high, 

 with large oval leaves. The 

 flowers may be either monoecious 

 or dioecious. The fruit is about 

 the size of an orange and some- 

 what flattened at the top and 

 bottom. The skin is smooth and 



¥iG. is6^.— Hypericum patiiluw. Flower. thick and purplish in colour. 



