MONOECIA—POLYANDRIA. Carpinus. 155 



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

 Scales 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. Acad, and Fl. Lapp, is com- 

 plete. Frequent mention of the Dwarf Birch occurs likewise in 

 his Lapland Tour, published at London in 1 8 II . 



445. CARPINUS. Hornbeam. 



Linn. Gen. 407. Jmss. 409. Fl. Br. 1029. Tourn. t. 348. Lam. 

 t. 780. Gctrtn. t. 89. 



Nat. Ord. see n. 442. 



Barr.jl. Catkin cylindrical, lax, imbricated every vvav, 

 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. AntJi. 

 roundish, compressed, of 2 lobes. 



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

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

 npright 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- 

 shaped, 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 

 colijledons, without any separate albumen ; emhryo at the 

 top of the seed, with a very \\\\Vin\.Q plumular Gcertner. 



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

 simple, ovate, serrated, plaited, veiny, deciduous leaves ; 

 and drooping, solitary catkins of barren jfo«;e?-s ,- the fer- 

 tile ones in drooping, bracteated clusters., resembling cat- 

 kins ; their hracteas subsequently much enlarged, per- 

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

 nera, in this natural order, justifies the foregoing view of 

 the flowers o{ Carpinus, which is different from that given 

 by Linnaeus and others. See Engl. Bot. 2032. 



1. C. Betulus. Common Hornbeam. 



Bracteas of the fruit flat, oblong, serrated, with two lateral 

 lobes. 



