185 



plants, rarely under- shrubs, sometimes parasitical and leafless. Stems round, covered with 

 stales ; in the frutescent spectes leafy- Leaves either wanting or simple, entire or toothed. 

 Flowers in terminal racemes, rarely solitary. • 



Affinities. However different the tribes of Ericese and Orobanchese 

 may seem, they are completely connected by this, which, with fhe regular 

 corolla, having a slight tendency to irregularity in its declinate style, the 5 

 cells, and hypogynous dj-y spurred anthers of the former, combine the habit 

 and peculiar structure of seed of the latter. They are known from Epiceae 

 by their winged seeds, minute embryo, often declinate style, and herbaceous 

 often leafless habit. The latter chai'^cter will not, however, alone point out 

 the order; nor is it even universal in particular genera; for Pyrola itself, 

 which has usually round bright green leaves, contains a species destitute of 

 leaves, and having the habit of Pterospora. 



Geography. Natives of Europe, North America, and the northern 

 parts of Asia, in fir woods, or in similar situations. 



Properties. Chimaphila umbellata is a most active diuretic ; it is also 

 found to possess valuable tonic properties. The leaves, applied to the skin, 

 act as slight vesicatories. It is remarkable enough that C. maculata, a very 

 closely allied species, should be asserted by American practitioners to be 

 wholly inert. See Barton, 1. 28. 



Examples. Pyrola, Chimaphila, Monotropa, Pterospora, Schweinitzia. 



CLXXIV. CAMPANULACE^. The Campanula Tribe. 



CAMPAJfULyT;, Juss. Gen. 163. (1789) in part Campanulace^ij, R. Brown Prodr. 



551). (1810) ; Lindl. Si/nops. 135. (1829) Campanule^, Alph. Dec. Monogr. (1830.) 



Diagnosis/ Monopetalous milky dicotyledons, with an inferior ova- 

 rium, a regular corolla, capsular fruit, indefinite ovules, alternate leaves, and 

 round pollen. 



Anomalies. 



Essential Character Calyx superior, usually 5-lobed (3-8), persistent. Corolla 



monopetalous, inserted into the top of the calyx, usually 5-lobed (3-8), withering on the 

 fruit, regular. Mstivation valvate. Stamens inserted into the calyx alternately with the 

 lobes of the corolla, to which they are equal in number. Anthers 2-celled, distinct. 

 Pollen spherical. Ovarium inferior, with 2 or more polyspermous cells opposite the 

 stamens, or alternate with them ; stijle simple, covered with collecting hairs ; stigma 

 naked, simple, or with as many lobes as there are cells. Fruit dry, crowned by the 

 withered calyx and corolla, dehiscing by lateral irregular apertures or by valves at the 

 apex, always loculicidal. Seeds numerous, attached to a placenta in the axis ; embryo 

 straight, in the axis of fleshy albumen ; radicle inferior Herbaceous plants or binder- 

 shrubs,, yielding a white milk. Leaves almost always alternate, simple, or deeply 

 divided, without stipulas. Flowers single, in racemes, spikes, or panicles, or in heads, 

 usually blue or white, very rarely yellow. 



Affinities. While this work was going through the press, an ex- 

 cellent Monograph of the present order reached me Irom M. Alphonse ' 

 Decandolle. I gladly avail myself of the valuable remarks of this skilful 

 ^ botanist in explaining the affinities of Campanulacgae. He considers that they 

 differ from Lobeliacese chiefly in their regular corolla, their stamens being 

 ahnost always distinct, their pollen spherical (not oval), their stigmas gene- 

 rally long and velvety externally, in the abundance of collecting hairs on 

 the style, and finally in their capsule usually opening laterally. " It is not 

 only in the form," he proceeds, " but also in the number of the parts, that the 

 flower of Campanuhicetu is more regular than that of Lobeliuceo.". Thus, in 



