62 LINACE^E. (I'LAX FAMILY.) 



BiTTEK-swKET Oraxgk (C. VULGARIS, Risso) is Completely naturalized 

 in some portions of .South Florida. 



The Pride of India, or Chixa-Tkee (Melia Azederach, L.) belongs 



to the allied Order Meliace^. 



Order 28. CEDRELACE^. (Mahogany Family,) 



Lofty trees, with hard and colored wood, pinnate exstipulate leaves, and 

 regular hypogynous panicled flowers. — Sepals 3-5, often more or less 

 united. Petals 3 -5, convolute in the bud. Stamens twice as many as 

 the petals, distinct or united into a tube, and inserted with the petals into 

 an hypogynous disk. Ovary 3 - 5-celled, with few or many ovules in each 

 cell. Style single. Capsule woody, 3 - 5-celled, 3 - 5-valved, the valves 

 at length separating from the thick angular or winged axis. Seed anatro- 

 pous, winged. Albumen fleshy or none. Cotyledons leafy. 



1. SWIETENIA, L. ]\Luiogant. 

 Calyx 5-cleft. Petals 5. Stamens 10, united into a 10-toothcd tube, which 

 encloses the 10 anthers. Style short. Stigma 5-rayed. Capsule 5-celled, 

 5-valved, with the numerous suspended seeds imbricated in two rows — A large 

 tree, with hard reddish-brown wood. Leaves alternate, abruptly pinnate. Leaf- 

 lets 6-10, opposite, entire, ovate-lanceolate, unequal 'at tiie base. Flowers 

 greenish-yellow, iu axillary panicles. Capsule ovate, as large as an Orange. 



1. S. Mahogoni, L. South Florida. 



Order 29. LINACEiE. (Flax Family.) 



Chiefly herbs, with entire exstipulate leaves, and regular hypogynous 

 racemose or panicled flowers. — Sepals 4-5, imbricated in the bud, per- 

 sistent. Petals 4-5, convolute in the bud, deciduous. Stamens 4-5, 

 united at the base. Styles 4-5, rarely united. Capsule globose, splitting 

 into five 2-seeded carpels, which are more or less perfectly 2-celled and 

 2-valved. Seeds anatropous, suspended. Cotjledons flat. 



1. LINTTM, L. Flax. 



Sepals, petals, stamens, and styles 5. Capsule partly or completely 10-cclIed, 

 the cells 1 -seeded ; seeds compressed, oily. — Stems slender. Leaves narrow 

 and mostly alteraate. Peduncle I-flowered, borne above or opposite the leaves. 



1. L. Virginianum, L. (Wild Flax.) Leaves lanceolate, acute, the 

 lower ones opposite and ol)tuse ; flowers scattered in coiymbose racemes ; sepals 

 smooth, ovate, acute ; styles distinct ; capsule depressed-globose, 10-cellcd. — 

 Varies with glandular sepals, larger globose-ovate capsules, and linear leaves. — 

 Sterile soil, Florida and northward. July. IJ. — Stem slender, often much 

 branched, 2° high. Flowers yellow. 



