THALAMIFLORiE. 475 



unsjmmetrical, furnished with an involucre ; the involucre sur- 

 rounding 1 — 2 flowers, and persistent. Sepals 3, imbricated. 

 Petals 5, convolute, sometimes coherent at the base. Stame7is 

 generally very numerous, rarely but 10, monadelphous; anthers 

 roundish, 2-celled. Ovary 3-celIed; style 1; stigma trifid. 

 Fruit capsular, 3-celled, or rarely 1 -celled ; placentas axile. 

 Seeds solitary or numerous, suspended; embryo in the axis of 

 fleshy albumen ; cotyledons leafy ; radicle superior. 



Diagnosis. — Readily distinguished among Thalamifloral Ex- 

 ogens, by their alternate, simple, stipulate leaves ; and involucrate 

 flowers, which are regular and unsymmetrical, — that is, with 

 3 sepals, 5 petals, stamens frequently some multiple of five, 

 and 3 carpels to the ovary. The calyx is also imbricated, the 

 stamens monadephous, and the seed has abundant albumen. 



Distribution, Sfc. — There are but 4 genera, and 8 species in- 

 cluded in this order, all of which are natives of Madagascar, 

 Examples : — Sarcolsena, Leptolsena, Schizolaena, Rhodolaena. 



Properties and Uses. — Altogether unknown. 



Natural Order 34. Ternstrcemiace^ or Camelliace^. — 

 The Tea or Camellia Order. — General Character. — Trees or 

 shrubs. Leaves leathery, alternate, usually exstipulate, and some- 

 times dotted. Flowers regular, and generally very sho^^7•, rarely 

 polygamous. Sepals 5 or 7, coriaceous, imbricated, deciduous. 

 Petals 5, 6, or 9, often coherent at the base, imbricated. 

 Stamens hypogynous, numerous, distinct, or united by their 

 filaments into one or several bundles; anthers 2-celled, versatile, 

 or adnate. Ovary superior, many-celled; styles fihform, 3 — 7; 

 Fruit capsular, 2 — 7-celled; placentas axile; dehiscence various. 

 Seeds few, sometimes arillate ; albumen wanting, or in very small 

 quantity; embryo straight or folded; cotyledons large and oily; 

 radicle towards the hilum. 



Diagnosis. — Trees or shrubs, with alternate usually exstipulate 

 leaves. Sepals and petals imbricated in aestivation, and having 

 no tendency to a quaternary arrangement. Stamens numerous, 

 hypogynous ; anthers versatile, or adnate. Ovary superior; 

 styles filiform. Seeds solitary, or very few, attached to axile 

 placentas ; albumen wanting, or in very small quantity. 



Distribution, Sfc. — The plants of this order, which are mostly 

 ornamental trees or shrubs, are chiefly natives of South America, 

 but a few are found in the East Indies, China, and North 

 America. One only occurs in Africa. There are no European 

 species, although a few are cultivated in Europe; these are prin- 

 cipally from China and North America. Examples : — Ternstroe- 

 mia, Cleyera, Freziera, Stuartia, Gordonia, Camellia, Thea. The 

 order, as defined by Lindley, contains 37 genera, and about 1 30 

 species. 



Properties and Uses. — Generally speaking, we know but little 

 of the properties of the plants of this order; but some, as those 



