THE SILVER-TREE FAMILY. 229 



General Description of the Cinnamon and Cainplior 

 Family. 



Herhs, shrubs, or trees — Chiefly Asiatic and American 

 tropics. 



Zc«z;c6^— Entire or wanting (Cas'sytha). 



Flowers — Bisexual or unisexual, small ; calyx, free, 

 6 -parted ; stamens adherent to calyx, 3 to 4 rows, or 

 partly staminodes and anthers opening by pores with 

 lids ; ovary, free from the receptacular tube, 1 -celled. 



Fruit — Dry or fleshy. 



Proteacese. 



The Silver-tree Family. 



This order contains 950 species, and mainly occurs 

 in South Africa and Australia. There are 49 genera in 

 7 tribes. In South Africa there are 11 genera. Though 

 the flowers are very simple, yet there is an immense 

 diversity in the foliage. It was this which suggested 

 the name from Proteus, a god of the sea, who continually 

 changed his form. He was the keeper of Neptune's 

 sea-calves. 



The leaves are in some, needle-like (Spatal'la), or 

 divided into fine segments (Serru'ria). They may be 

 linear or lanceolate, as in the Silver-tree, or even very 

 broad, as of some species of Leucosjper'mum. 



It will be noticed how often the foliage is of a 



