COMPOSITA—TUBULIFLORA. 595 
perfect or unisexual. Juice watery. Of this sub-order we 
have two tribes :— 
Tribe 6. Mutisiex.—Style cylindrical or somewhat swollen ; 
its arms usually blunt or truncate, very convex on the outside, 
and either covered at the upper part by a fine uniform hairi- 
ness, or absolutely free from hairs (fig. 987, 7). Illustrative 
Genera :—Mutisia, Linn. fil. ; Printzia, Cass. 
Tribe 7. Nassawviex.—Style never swollen ; its arms long, linear, 
truncate, and fringed only at the point (fig. 987, 8). Illus- 
trative Genera :—Nassauvia, Juss. ; Trixis, R. Br. 
Sub-order 3. LicutirLor®.—Florets all ligulate and perfect. 
Juice milky. This corresponds to the Cichoracez of Jussieu. 
Tribe 8. Cichoreex.—Style cylindrical at the upper part ; its 
arms somewhat obtuse, and equally pubescent. Illustrative 
Genera :—Cichorium, Linn.; Taraxacum, Haller. Of these 
sub-orders the Liguliflorz is the best defined. 
By Bentham and Hooker the Composit are divided into 
thirteen tribes. 
Distribution and Numbers.—Universally distributed ; but the 
Tubuliflore are most abundant in hot climates, and the Ligu- 
lifloree in cold. The Labiatiflore are almost entirely confined 
to the extra-tropical regions of South America. In the northern 
parts of the world the plants of this order are universally 
herbaceous ; but in South America and some other parts of the 
southern hemisphere, they occasionally become shrubby, or even 
in some cases arborescent. Some years since there were about 
9,500 species according to M. Laségue, who remarks ‘ that they 
have steadily continued to constitute about one-tenth of all de- 
scribed plants in proportion as our knowledge of species has 
advanced. Thus Linneus had 785 Composites out of 8,500 
species; in 1809 the proportion was, 2,800 to 27,000; De 
Candolle described 8,523 in the year 1838, which was again 
a tenth ; and now (1845) that the estimate of species has risen 
to 95,000, Composite plants amount to 9,500.’ Lindley cal- 
culated the order to contain about 9,000 species ; but Bentham 
and Hooker have reduced it to about 1,000 genera and 8,000 
species. 
Properties and Uses.—The properties of the Composite are 
very variable. A bitter principle pervades the greater number 
of the species in a more or less evident degree, by which they 
are rendered tonic. Some are laxative and anthelmintic. Many 
contain a volatile oil, which communicates aromatic, carminative, 
and diaphoretic properties. Others are acrid stimulants, and 
the Ligulifloree commonly abound in a bitter-tasted milky juice, 
which is sometimes narcotic. 
Sub-order 1. TunuLirFLora.—The plants of this sub-order are chiefly 
remarkable for their bitter, tonic, and aromatic properties; which are due 
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