130 BOTANY. 
medicinal properties, particularly the ipecacuanha, which grows in the 
tropical parts of South America. 
The order Caryophyllacee! is a large one, consisting of herbaceous 
plants with jointed stems swollen at the joints. Examples of it are 
found in the common chickweed, and in the pinks and carnations of 
our gardens.—In the order Malvaceae, from Latin mailva, the mallow, the 
leaves are in general palmate—that is, they are divided as a hand spread 
out into fingers—and all the soft parts are generally mucilaginous. The 
leaves of some are used for food. The mallow and hollyhock are examples 
of this order. 'The stems of some of the Malvacee yield useful fibres ; 
but the most important species of the order are the cotton-plants, the 
valuable fibres of which are produced in their seed-vessels—The order 
Tiliacee, from Latin tilza, the linden-tree, contains trees and shrubs 
resembling Malvacee in their fibrous and mucilaginous properties. 
To this order belongs the linden or lime tree, so common an ornament of 
pleasure-grounds. This tree abounds in some parts of Europe, particu- 
larly in the west of Russia, and bast-mats are made from its inner bark. 
An Indian plant of this order yields the fibre called jute, an important | 
article of commerce, and used for manufacturing purposes like flax and 
hemp. 
The order Ternstremiacee contains the tea-plants, shrubs which’ are 
natives of China, Japan, and Assam, and the leaves of which, dried in a 
peculiar manner, are tea. The flowers of this order are generally very 
beautiful, and the camellias, so much cultivated in our green-houses, 
belong to it—Oranges, lemons, and citrons belong to the order Awran- 
tiacee, from Latin aurantiwm, an orange, which consists of trees and 
shrubs, all natives of Asia, although some of them have long been culti- 
vated in other parts of the world. The fruit of most species of this order 
is pleasant and refreshing ; some kinds are very acid, but their juice is 
valuable in tropical countries as a preventive of fevers, or when diluted 
with water, as a beverage—The order <Aceracee, from Latin acer, 
the maple, contains the maples, trees of Europe and other temperate 
countries. The sycamore, a common tree in Britain, often called the 
plane-tree, although it is not the true plane-tree, but only somewhat like 
it, belongs to this order. The sap of maples abounds in sugar; and that 
of one species, called the sugar-maple, yields the maple-sugar of North 
America.—The order Cedrelacee, from Latin cedrus, the cedar, consists 
_entirely of trees, natives of warm countries, of which the most important 
is the mahogany-tree, a native of the warmest parts of America, extremely 
valuable for its timber—The order Vitacee, from Latin vitis, the 
vine, consists of climbing shrubs, one species of which, the grape- 
vine, is of great importance on account of its fruit, the grape, which, 
1 From Latin caryophylius, the clove-tree. 
Sk 
ee eS ae eee ee ee eee 
=. —— 
