CHAP. I.] BERBERIDE^. 247 



female flowers being on different plants. The 

 number of sepals and petals varies in the dif- 

 ferent genera, and sometimes the ' petals are 

 wanting. The stamens frequently grow together 

 into a central column ; and the fruit is a drupe 

 or one-seeded berry, generally scarlet, but 

 sometimes black. The principal plants in this 

 order which are known in England, are, Mejii- 

 spermum canadensis (the Canadian Moon Seed), 

 a very ornamental hardy, climbing, shrub ; 

 Cocculus pahnatus, the root of which is a tonic 

 drug, called Columba root ; Anamirta Cocculus^ 

 which produces the berries called Cocculus 

 indicus in the shops, which are said to be used 

 in porter to give it an intoxicating property ; 

 Schizandra coccinea, a greenhouse climber with 

 scarlet flowers ; and Kadsura japonica, a climb- 

 ing shrub with white flowers and red berries, 

 which proves quite hardy in the open air. Kad- 

 sura, Schizandra, and three other genera, little 

 known in this country, have been formed into 

 a new order under the name of Schizandriacese. 

 The qualities of all these plants are tonic. 



ORDER VI. BERBERIDE^.— THE BERBERRY TRIBE. 



Each flower of the common 'Berherry (Berberis 



vulgaris) has on the outside three little bracteal 



scales, which are reddish on the back, and soon 



