246 THE STORY OF PLANT LIFE 



binaceae. The Ulmacege are distinguished by the 

 inflorescence, the aestivation of the stamens (straight 

 in bud) and the pendulous ovules. 



Engler places Urtica and Parietaria only in Urti- 

 caceae, the former with stinging hairs, the latter with- 

 out any. So restricted there are only about sixty 

 species and forty-one genera, which are natives of 

 Tropical and Temperate regions. 



Including in the group the Elms and Hop, there 

 are one thousand five hundred species and one hundred 

 and eight genera, which range all over the world. 



They are related to the Mallow and Spurge groups, 

 distinguished from the latter by the single-seeded 

 fruit, and from the Amentiferse by the regular perianth 

 in the male flowers. The Fig and Mulberry are 

 members of this group. 



In the British types these plants are mainly her- 

 baceous, except the Elms and other trees. The group 

 includes also shrubs. The leaves are rough, some- 

 times with stinging hairs, opposite or alternate. The 

 stipules are large. 



The flowers are unisexual, or rarely bisexual, small, 

 green. The perianth in the males is regular, simple, 

 three- to eight-lobed, or three- to five-partite ; that 

 of the female tubular, less divided, three- to five- 

 cleft, with a scale-like sepal. The stamens are of 

 the same number as the perianth-lobes, opposite 

 them, but sometimes not as many. The anther- 

 stalks are straight with the anthers erect, or bent-in 

 in bud, with the anthers reversed. The ovary is stalk- 



