31 



47. [Achlys, which doubtless belongs to this Order, was placed by Decan 

 dolle, with a mark of doubt, among the Podophyllcre. He having taken, as 

 Dr. Hooker thinks, (Flora Boreali Amer. 1. 30.) for petals, what must have 

 been stamens, from which the anthers had fallen.] 



Geography. Natives chiefly of mountainous places in the temperate parts 

 of the northern hemisphere. Some have, however, been found in South 

 America as far as the Straits of Magellan ; none in Africa, Australasia, or in 

 the South Sea islands. Dec. There are several species of Berberry in Chile. 



Properties. The berries of Berberis vulgaris and other species are acid 

 and astringent, and form with sugar an agreeable refreshing preserve. Their 

 acid is the oxalic. The stem and bark of the Berberry are excessively astrin- 

 gent, and are employed for that reason by dyers. Dec. The root yields a 

 yellow dye. A. Rich. 



Examples. Berberis, Leontice, Achlys. 



XXIII. MENISPERMEiE. The Cocculus Tribe. 



MENisrERMEiE, Juss. Gen. 284. (1789); Dec. S>jst. 1. 508. (1818.)— Menispermaceje, 

 Dec. Prodr. 1. 95. (1S24.) 



Diagnosis. Polypetalous dicotyledons, with hypogynous stamens oppo- 

 site the petals, distinct simple carpella, minute diclinous flowers, and twining 

 shrubby stems. 



Anomalies. In Agdestis, a doubtful genus of the order, the flowers are 

 hermaphrodite. Cissampelos, Stauntonia, Pselium, and Schizandra, have no 

 petals in their male flowers. Schizandra is scarcely a twiner. 



Essential Character. — Flowers (by abortion 1) diclinous, usually dioecious and very 

 small. Sepals and -petals confounded, in one or several rows, each of which is composed of 

 either 3 or 4 parts, hypogynous, deciduous. Stamens monadelphous, or occasionally distinct, 

 sometimes opposite the petals and equal to them in number, sometimes 3 or 4 times as many. 

 Anthers adnate, turned outwards or proceeding immediately from the point of the filament. 

 Ovaries sometimes numerous, each with one style, cohering; slightly at the base, sometimes 

 completely soldered together into a many-celled body, which is occasionally in consequence 

 of abortion 1-celled. Drupes usually berried, 1-seeded, oblique or lunate, compressed. Seed 

 of the same shape as the fruit ; embryo curved, or turned in the direction of the circumfer- 

 ence; albumen wanting, or in very small quantity ; cotyledons flat, sometimes lying face to 

 face, sometimes distant from each other and lying in separate cells of the seed ; radicle 

 superior, but its position is sometimes obscured by the curvature of the seed. — S/irubs, with 

 a flexible tough tissue, and sarmentaceous habit. Leaves alternate, entire or occasionally 

 divided, mucronate. Flowers small, usually racemose. 



Affinities. The relation that is borne by these plants to Berberideae has 

 been pointed out under that order : some Anonaces agree with them in having 

 a twining habit, and the whole resemble them in the ternary division of their 

 flowers ; they are, however, abundantly distinct : M. Decandolle points out a 

 resemblance with Sterculiaceas, consisting in the monadelphous stamens and 

 peltate leaves ; but it is of little moment. The ternary and quaternary arrange- 

 ment of the flowers is very remarkable among Dicotyledons. According to 

 Aug. St. Hilaire, this order is related to Euphorbiaceaj through Phyllanthus, 

 the male flowers of which are in certain species absolutely the same as those 

 of Cissampelos. It also approaches Malvaceae by those genera which, like 

 Caperonia, have stipulate leaves, and distinct caducous petals separated from 

 the calyx by the gynophore. Fl. Braz. 59. The position of the seed is 

 altered materially from that of the ovulum in the progress of the growth of 

 the fruit. According to Aug. St. Hilaire, the ovulum of Cissampelos is 

 attached to the middle of the side of a straight ovarium, which after fecunda- 



