MARCGRAAVIACEE.— RHIZOBOLACE. 473 
6 per cent. of gluten, but this is scarcely extracted in any amount by the 
ordinary mode of making Tea. It has been stated that Tea, besides its well- 
known stimulating and soothing effects, is indirectly nutritive—that is to 
say, the theine it contains has the effect of preventing the waste and decay 
of the body, and any substance that does this necessarily saves food, and is 
thus indirectly nutritive; but Dr. Edward Smith has shown that, on the 
contrary, Tea increases the bodily waste. As a nervine stimulant, tea—or, 
still better, its alkaloid theine or caffeine and its salts—may be taken with 
much advantage in headache and neuralgia, and in other affections caused 
by exhaustion of the system from depression) of nerve power. 
Order 6. MArcGRAAVIACE®, the Marcgraavia Order.—Dia- 
gnosis.—This is a small order which is generally regarded as 
allied to Clusiaceze and Hypericacez. The species belonging to it 
are chiefly distinguished from Clusiacez, by their unsymmetri- 
cal flowers, versatile anthers, and very numerous minute seeds. 
Some genera of the order are remarkable for their peculiar 
bracts, which become hooded, pouched, or spurred. They are 
distinguished from Hypericaceve chiefly by their unsymmetrical 
flowers, equal-sided petals, distinct stamens, and sessile stigmas. 
They are sometimes placed as a tribe of Ternstrcemiacez. 
Distribution and Numbers.—Generally natives of equinoctial 
America. Illustrative Genera :—Ruyschia, Jacq.; Marcgraavia, 
Plum. There are 26 species. 
Properties and Uses.—Scarcely anything is known of their 
properties. Marcgraavia wmbellata is reputed to be diuretic and 
antisyphilitic. 
Order 7. RHIZOBOLACE, the Souari-nut Order.—C haracter. 
—Large trees. Leaves opposite, coriaceous, digitate, exstipulate, 
with an articulated stalk. Sepals 5 or 6, more or less united. 
imbricate. Petals 5 to 8, unequal. Stamens very numerous, 
slightly monadelphous, in two whorls, the inner shorter and 
often abortive, inserted with the petals on an hypogynous disk; 
anthers 2-celled, with longitudinal dehiscence. Ovary 4-, 5-, or 
many-celled ; styles short, as many as the cells of the ovary ; 
stigmas small ; ovules solitary, attached to the axis. Fruit con- 
sisting of several combined indehiscent 1-seeded nuts. Seed 
reniform, exalbuminous, with the funiculus expanded so as to 
form a spongy excrescence ; radicle very large, forming nearly 
the whole of the nucleus; cotyledons very small (fig. 771, c). 
This order is frequently incorporated with the Ternstrcemiacez. 
Diagnosis.—Large trees, with opposite digitate exstipulate 
leaves, with an articulated stalk. Flowers regular, hypogynous. 
Petals equal-sided, and inserted with the numerous stamens on 
an hypogynous disk. Styles veryshort. Seed solitary, exalbu- 
minous, with a very large radicle, and two very small cotyledons. 
Distribution and Nwmbers.—The order contains but 2 genera, 
including 8 species, all of which are large trees, natives of the 
forests in the hottest parts of South America. Illustrative 
Genus :—Caryocar, Lin. 
