MONOECIA— POLYANDRIA. Carpinus. 155 



cylindrical, obtuse j the barren ones lateral ; fertile terminal. 

 <ScaZes of the latter 3-lobed, 3 -flowered^ permanent. Stigmas 

 red. 

 Few plants are more important to the inhabitants of any country 

 than this is to the poor hardy Laplanders, out of whose limits 

 it was scarcely known, till Linnaeus rendered it celebrated. His 

 history of the plant, in the Amcen. AcacL and Fl. Lapp, is com- 

 plete. Frequent mention of the Dwarf Birch occurs likewise in 

 his Lapland Tour, published at London in 1811. 



445. CARPINUS. Hornbeam. 



Lijm.Gen.497. Juss. 409. Fl. BrA029. Touru.t.348. Lam. 

 t.7S0. Gartn.t. 89. 



Nat. Ord. see 7i. 442. 



Barr.Ji. Catkin cylmdrical, lax, imbricated every way, 

 with ovate, acute, concave, fringed, single-flowered scales, 

 accompanied by 3 small inner ones. Cor. none. Filam, 

 10 or more, capillary, much shorter than the scale. Anth, 

 roundish, compressed, of 2 lobes. 



FcrL Jl. in a bracteated cluster, aggregate. Cal. double ; 

 outer one inferior, of several oblong, deciduous, unecjual, 

 upright scales, 2- or 3-flowered; inner superior, in 3 deep, 

 erect, sharp segments, permanent. Cor. none. Germ. 

 ovate, crowned by the inner calyx, externally tumid and 

 ribbed. Styles very short, permanent. Stigm. 2, awl- 

 shapcd, erect, deciduous. Nut ovate, angular, coriaceous, 

 not bursting, of 1 cell, crowned by the inner calyx, and 

 base of the style. Kernel 1, " with flat, fleshy, obovate 

 cotyledons, without any separate albumen; embryo at the 

 top of the seed, with a very ninnite plufnula.^' Gccrtner. 



Trees of humble stature, with hard ivood; alternate, stalked, 

 sim})le, ovate, serrated, plaited, veiny, deciduous Icarcs ; 

 and drooping, solitary cat/iius of bairenyAriCtv.s- y the fer- 

 tile ones in droojiing, bracteated cli/stos, resembling rc//- 

 kins ; their bracleas subsequently much enlarged, per- 

 manent, cnvelojMug the nuts. The analogy of other ge- 

 nera, in this natural order, justifies the f()regoin<r view of 

 the flowers o^ Carpinus^ which is difl'erent from tliat given 

 by Linnii^us and otliei's. See Kngt. Bot. 203'J. 



I. C. Bctulus. CoiiHiion Ilonibeiun. 



Bracteas of the fruit flat, oblong, >>errate(l, wilh two lateral 

 lobes. 



