450 THE UMBELLALES 



itors. If, for any reason, crossing should fail autogamy results, 

 owing to the continued curvature of the stigmas, which are finally 

 brought into contact with the anthers, in which work the positions 

 of the flowers and stamens cooperate, as shown in the lowest 

 flower (Fig. 323, C, a). The microspores are fastened together 

 in threads by a sticky substance, viscin, so that they adhere to 

 the insect's body and are drawn out from the anthers in net-like 

 skeins. This may be tested by applying the moistened finger to 

 the opened anthers; this is also true of the related plants, as the 

 fuchsia, evening primrose, firewood {Epilobmm), enchanter's 

 nightshade (Circaea). 



The numerous seeds developed in the capsule are provided 

 at the end with tufts of long white hair (Fig. 323, D, E), which 

 readily transport them and explains the quick appearance of these 

 plants in forest lands that have been devastated by fire or cutting. 

 In addition to the native plants mentioned above, many well- 

 known tropical plants are represented in this order, as the man- 

 grove of our southern swamps and the large myrtle family, often 

 characterized by leathery leaves and aromatic oils. This family 

 furnishes the clove, which is a flower bud, the pomegranate, 

 guava, bay rum, the Brazil nut and the eucalyptus trees, some of 

 which (Australian) attain the greatest height of any tree, over 

 four hundreed feet, with a diameter of twenty-four feet. 



148. Umbellales, the Carrot Order. — This order marks the 

 consummation in the reduction and adhesion of parts that we 

 have seen steadily progressing through the various orders of the 

 Choripetalae. Notice that the strictly epigynous, cyclic flowers 

 (Fig. 324, C, D) are now reduced to four whorls, the five lobes 

 of the calyx alternating with the five petals and these in turn 

 with the four to five stamens. The reduction also appears in the 

 pistil which usually consists of two carpels that contain but a 

 single ovule each. The order contains two rather small families, 

 the ginseng family (Araliaceae) represented by the sarsaparilla 

 or spikenard (Aralia) and the ginseng (Panax) and the dog- 

 wood family (Cornaceae), including the pepperidge or sour gum 

 trees (Nyssa) and dogwood or cornel (Cornus) ; and the large 

 carrot family (Umbelliferae) of 2,100 species. The carrot family 



