Menispermales.] 



SCHIZANDRACE^. 



305 



Order CIII. SCHIZANDRACEiE.— Kadsurads. 



Schizandraceae. — Blume Bljdr. 21. (1825); Endl. clxxv. ; Meism:r,p. 5. 



Diagnosis. — Menispermal Exogais, with hypogynous stamens^ pendulous seeds, and a 

 minute embryo, inclosed in copious solid albumen. 

 Scrambling shinibs. Leaves alternate, simple, entire or toothed, without sti- 

 pules, often mth pellucid dots. Wood (in Sphaerostemapropinquum) without annual 

 rings, composed of glandular- sided woody tubes, arranged in rays, and separated by fine 



CCXI. 



medullary processes, among which he 

 disorderly numerous annular and reti- 

 culated vessels. Flowers small, soh- 

 tary or axillary, mth imbricated 

 bracts. Flowers unisexual, solitary or 

 clustered. Sepals 3- 6, the outer 

 smaller. Petals 3- 9, hypogjTious. 

 ^ Stamens indefinite, collected into 

 a close cluster, either monadelphous 

 or free. Anthers turned outwards, 

 2-celled, with a thickened connec- 'Wi Mf 

 tive, sometimes united lengthwise, /IRjiIiP 

 sometimes at the point. ? Carpels 

 00, free or adherent, 1 -celled ; stigma 

 sessile ; ovules 2, pendulous, OHe 

 above the other. Fruit numerous, 

 berried, collected in a head, usually curved, 1 or 2-seeded, 

 pulpy inside, and thus di\aded by spurious dissepiments. 

 Seeds nesthng in pulp, somewhat crescent-shaped, com- 

 pressed, with a vertical hilum next the apex of the finiit. 

 Embryo in the base of abundant sohd fleshy albumen, 

 very small ; radicle next the hilum. 



The ternary number, which is found in the parts of the 

 flower, have led authors to refer these plants to Anonads, 

 from which, nevertheless, they are removed by their imbi-i- 

 cated sepals and petals, unisexual flowers, and solid albu- 

 men. Their habit too is at variance with that of the last 

 mentioned Order. They have been again compared to 

 Magnoliads, from which they differ in theu' unisexual 

 flowers, and in the form of their stamens, which in Mag- 

 noliads are never monadelphous ; moreover, the different 

 nature of the vegetation and their different properties form 

 a great distinction between the two Orders ; for Magno- 

 liads are erect trees or shrubs with gemmaceous stipules 

 and entire leaves, and bitter aromatic properties, while 

 on the other hand Kadsurads are trailing shinibs, destitute 



Fig. CCXI.— Kadsura japonica. 1. a calyx ; 2. 

 seed.— /Sie6o/(f. 



head of stamens ; .3. a pistil ; 4. a section of a 



