430 SYSTEMATIC BOTANY. 



this order. According to Lindley, two genera inhabit the cooler 

 parts of South America, one is a tropical form, and the remainder 

 are from the temperate parts of China. Examples of the Genera: 

 — Stauntonia, Lardizabala. 



Properties and Uses. — The plants of this order appear to be 

 without any active properties. Some have edible fruits. Others 

 have been introduced into our greenhouses as evergreen 

 climbers. 



Natural Order 6. Schizandraceje. — The Schizandra Order. 

 Character. — Trailing shrubs. Leaves alternate, exstipulate, 

 simple, often dotted. Flowers unisexual. Calyx and corolla 

 with a ternary arrangement of their parts, hypogynous, im- 

 bricated. Barren flower : — Stametis numerous, monadelphous 

 or distinct, hypogynous ; anthers 2-celled, extrorse, with a 

 thickened connective. Fertile flower: — Carpels numerous, 1- 

 eelled, distinct or coherent ; ovules 2, pendulous. Fruits nume- 

 rous, collected into a cluster, baccate. Seeds with abundant 

 solid fleshy albumen ; embryo very minute. 



Diagnosis. — Scrambling shrubs. Leaves alternate, exstipu- 

 late, simple. Flowers unisexual. Sepals and petals imbricated. 

 Stamens numerous, hypogynous. Ovules pendulous; embryo 

 very minute, with abundant homogeneous albumen. 



Distribution, ^'c. — This small order only contains 12 species. 

 They occur in India, Japan, and the southern parts of North 

 America. Examples of the Genera : — Schizandra, Hortonia. 



Properties and Uses. — The plants of this order are insipid and 

 mucilaginous. Some have edible fruits. A species of Schi- 

 zandra and one of Sphcerostema are cultivated in our green- 

 houses and stoves. 



Natural Order 7. Menispermaceje. — The Moon-Seed Order. 

 Character. — Climbing or trailing shrubs. Leaves alternate, 

 simple, exstipulate, usually entire. Flowers generally dioecious, 

 but sometimes imperfectly unisexual, rarely perfect or poly- 

 gamous. Barren flower:— Calyx and corolla with a ternary 

 arrangement of their parts, generally in two whorls, imbricate 

 or valvate. Steimens usually distinct, sometimes monadelphous. 

 Carpfi^s rudimentary or wanting. Fertile flower : — Sepals and 

 petals usually resembling those of the barren flower. Stamens 

 imperfectly developed, or wanting. Carpels usually 3, sometimes 

 6, commonly supported on a gynophore, distinct, 1 -celled, each 

 containing one curved ovule. Fruits drupaceous, curved around 

 a central placental process, 1 -celled. Seeds 1 in each cell, and 

 curved so as to assume the form of that cell ; embryo curved ; 

 albumen present or absent ; when present homogeneous, or par- 

 tially divided into plates or convolutions by the projection 

 inwards of the membranous covering of the seed. 



Diagnosis. — Trsiilmg or climbing shrubs. Leaves alternate, 



