ILLUSTRATIONS OF INDIAN BOTANY. dl 
with three, many-ovuled, placente, either attached to the base, or extending some distance 
along the valves ; in the latter case they are occasionally dilated, so as to form a 3-celled fruit, 
Arrinities. The place that this order should occupy in the natural system has long been 
a subject of dispute among Botanists, some, among whom Jussieu set the example, placing it 
among the orders with perigynous stamens, that is, having the filaments inserted into the calyx, 
in this arrangement he has been followed by DeCandolle and others. More recently a different 
view of their structure has been taken, and is now generally adopted, according to which, the 
stamens are considered hypogynous, that is inserted into the torus or receptacle, but the true 
place of the petals, whether hypogynous or perigynous, seems stilldoubtful. This transition 
though in itself of little moment, has the effect of materially altering the place of the order in the 
linear series of Jussieu’s arrangement by transferring it from a class with perigynous to one with 
classes are made to rest are almost useless in practice, has availed himself of habit and 
EssentiaL Caaracter. Polypetalous: stamens fewer than 20: ovary wholly superior ; 
carpels of the ovary combined into a solid pistil: sepals imbricated, more than 2: stamens 
hypogynous: seeds comose (furnished with a tuft of down) leaves without stipules. 
Grocraruicat Distrisution. The few species of this order are exclusively confined to 
the northern hemisphere of the old world, but are widely distributed over it. Their most fre- 
quent station is on the sea coast and on the banks of rivers. In India they seem to prefer 
banks in the sandy beds of streams, which are dry the greater part of the year, in such 
situations I have repeatedly found them. ‘They seem however to have met with but little atten- 
tion rte the natives of this part of the country as I have not been able to discover any Tamul 
name for them. 
- _ Properties anp Uses. The bark of some of the species is slightly bitter and astringent, 
and probably tonic. Rhazes assigns to it diuretic, aperient, and cooling properties. In Den- 
mark the branches are used in place of yeast for making beer, and the decoction of the leaves 
and young shoots is prescribed as asubstitute for guaiac. The ashes of Tamarix gallica and 
Africana growing near the sea are remarkable for containing a quantity of sul phat e of soda! 
