Berberales.J 



VITACE^. 



439 



Order CLX. VITACE^.— Vineworts. 



Vites, Juss. Gen. 267. (1789).— Sarmentaceae, Vent. Tabl. 3. 167. (1799).— Vinifera, Juss. Mem. Mus. 3. 

 444. (1817).— Ampelidese, Kunth in Humboldt, N. G. et Sp. 6. 223. (1821) ; DC. Prodr. 1, 627. 

 (1824) ; Endl. Gen. clxiv. ; Meisner Gen. 51. ; Wight Illustr. 1. 149. ; Royle Illustr. 144.— Leeaceae 

 Bartling Ord. Nat. p. 354. 1830. 



Diagnosis. — Berheral Exogens, with regular symmetncal flowers, axile placentce^ stamens 

 opposite the petals, and anthers opening longitudinally. 



Scrambling, climbing shrubs, with tumid separable joints, or erect bushes; the woody 

 tissue abounds with dotted ducts of large size, which, at certain seasons, pour forth sap 

 in unusual quantity. Leaves with or 

 without stipules at the base, the lower 

 opposite, the upper altei-nate, simple or 

 compound. Peduncles racemose, some- 

 times by abortion changing to tendrils, 

 often opposite the leaves. Flowers small, 

 green, arranged in th}Tses, umbels, or pani- 

 cles. Calyx small, nearly entu*e at the 

 edge. Petals 4 or 5, inserted on the out- 

 side of a disk surrounding the ovary ; in 

 aestivation tm-ned inwards at the edge, in a 

 valvate manner, and often inflected at the 

 point. Stamens equal in number to the 

 petals, and opposite them, inserted upon 

 the disk, sometimes sterile by abortion ; 

 filaments distinct, or slightly cohering at 

 the base ; anthers ovate, versatile. Ovary 

 superior, 2-6-celled ; style 1, very short ; 

 stigma simple ; o\'ules erect, definite, ana- 

 tropal. Berry round, often by abortion 

 1-celIed, pulpy. Seeds 4 or 5, or fewer by 

 abortion, bony, erect ; albumen hard ; em- 

 bryo erect, about one-thh-d the length of 

 the albumen ; radicle inferior. 



The main point of distinction in this 

 Order is, independently of general facts, 

 the stamens being opposite the petals ; and 

 by this circumstance it is known among its 

 aUies in the same way as Rhamnads, Prim- 

 worts, &c., among theirs; and, perhaps,Vines 

 ought to be regarded as having a certain 

 amount of relation to Rhamnads, though 

 they have none to Primworts. They have, 

 however, other very strong, though not 

 direct aflinities. If the Vine is compared 

 with AraUa racemosa, the relationship of 

 the present Order to it will be too obvious to 

 be mistaken. Suppose that Aralia race- 

 mosa had an adherent calyx, erect OAOiles, 

 with stamens opposite the petals, and it 

 would be a Vitis. A remarkable character 

 in UmbelHfers is their petals turned in- 

 wards at the points ; this occurs also in 

 Ampelopsis quinquefolia ; in fohage there 

 is no material diff"erence between them, 



and even a trace of similarity between the sensible properties of Vineworts and UmbeUi- 

 fers may be perceived in the acrid berries of some species of Cissus. The propriety of 

 placing Leea along with Vineworts has been questioned, and that plant has either been 

 referred absolutely to Mehads, or erected into a distmct Order, as by Von ]\Iartius. 



Fig. CCCVI.— Vitis vinifera. 1. a flower ; 2. the same casting its petals ; 3. the pistil and stamens ; 

 4. a section of the ovary ; 5. of the seed. 



C'tCVI. 



