276 THE STORY OF PLANT LIFE 



The flowers are regular, hermaphrodite, the in- 

 florescence cymose, with the parts of the flower in 

 fives, the odd sepal posterior. 



The calyx is gamosepalous and persistent, and the 

 calyx-limb is superior, with three to five teeth or 

 lobes attached to the ovary. The corolla is gamo- 

 petalous, epigynous, regular or irregular, sometimes 

 two-lipped, with five lobes, overlapping in bud. 



The stamens are in one whorl, epipetalous, inserted 

 on the corolla, of the same number as the petals, 

 alternating with them, or four, five, eight, or ten, 

 equal or unequal. The anthers are versatile. They 

 open outwards in the Elders, inwards in the Guelder 

 Roses. There is a glandular, epigynous disk, or it 

 may be wanting, as in the Guelder Roses. The 

 pistil is syncarpous, with three carpels as a rule. 

 The ovary is inferior, one- to six-celled. The style 

 is entire or six-lobed. There are one to three 

 stigmas, which are pin-headed. The fruit is fleshy, 

 a berry or a drupe, rarely a capsule, one- or many- 

 seeded. The seeds are small, with a small embryo 

 and fleshy endosperm. 



The British types differ from the foreign members 

 of the Woodbine group in the absence of stipules, 

 except in the Elders. The group also differs from 

 the Valerian and the Teasel groups in the compound 

 ovary. 



The Elders have been used medicinally. The 

 Snowberry, Syniphoricarpus^ is well established in 

 this country, and Leycesteria is a favourite garden 



