i84 THE STORY OF PLANT LIFE 



alternate, often leathery, with or without stipules. 

 In some cases the plants are spinous or climbing 

 plants. 



The flowers are small, green or purple, regular, 

 borne in cymes, or rarely in racemes. They are 

 usually hermaphrodite. The calyx is gamosepalous, 

 inferior, with four to five sepals, free or united, over- 

 lapping in bud, and persistent. The corolla is poly- 

 petalous, with four to five petals, which are short, 

 and overlapping in bud. The stamens are perigynous, 

 four to six, inserted on the flat, swollen, or lobed 

 disc, which covers the base of the calyx, and alternate 

 with the petals. The filaments or anther-stalks are 

 awl-shaped. The ovary is without a stalk sunk in 

 the disc, superior, with three to five carpels, with as 

 many loculi. The style is short, entire or divided 

 into three to five lobes, with terminal stigmas. The 

 fruit is a capsule, dehiscent or not, loculicidal, 

 opening by valves, three-, four-, or five-angled. 



The fruit may be also a samara, drupe or berry. 

 The seeds are erect, with a fleshy aril, or arillode. 

 The cotyledons are green, large and leafy. The 

 flowers contain exposed honey, and the anthers ripen 

 first. They are trioecious. Flies are the chief 

 visitors. 



Birds may disperse the seeds, which are also dis- 

 persed by the splitting of the capsule. 



The Spindle Wood group shows relationship with 

 the Holly group. Buckthorn group, AmpeUdese, and 

 Sapindaceae. 



