324 MANUAL OF BOTANY 



3-celled, rarely 2- or 4-celled, each cell containing 1, 2, 3, or 

 rarely more ovules ; style undivided or 2 — 3-cleft. Fruit either 

 fleshy and indehiscent ; or capsular, with 2 — 3 valves. Seeds 

 usually arillate, exalbuminous ; e??/ 6 /-t/o rarely straight, usually 

 curved or twisted in a spiral direction ; cotyledons sometimes 

 very large ; radicle next the hilum. 



Diagnosis. Flowers unsymmetrical, hypogynous. Sepals 



and petals 4 — 5, imbricate, the latter commonly with an appen- 

 dage. Stamens never agreeing in number with the sepals and 

 petals, inserted on a fleshy or glandular disc, or upon the thala- 

 mus ; anthers bursting longitudinally. Fruit usually consisting 

 of 3 carpels. Seeds commonly 2, sometimes 1 or 3, or very 

 rarely more, exalbuminous, usually arillate and without wings ; 

 embryo almost always curved or spirally twisted. 



Division of the Order and Illustrative Genera : — This 

 order has been divided by Lindley into 4 sub-orders as fol- 

 lows : — 



Sub-order 1. Sa^nndece. — Leaves alternate. Ovules usually 

 solitary. Embryo generally curved or sometimes straight. 

 Illustrative Genera : — Sapindus, Linn.', Nephelium, Linn. 



Sub-order 2. Hipijocastanece. — Leaves opposite. Ovules 2 in 

 a cell, of which one is ascending, and the other suspended. 

 Embryo curved, with a small radicle and large fleshy con- 

 solidated cotyledons. Illustrative Genus : — ^Esculus, Linn. 



Sub-order 3. DodonecF. — Leaves alternate. Ovules 2 or 3 in a 

 cell. Embryo spiral. Illustrative Genera : — Dodonaea, Linn. ; 

 Ophiocaryon, Schonib. 



Sub-order 4. Meliosmece. — Leaves alternate. Flowers very irre- 

 gular. Stamens 5, 3 of which are abortive, and only 2, there- 

 fore, fertile. Ovules 2 in each cell, suspended. Fruit drupa- 

 ceous. Embryo folded up. Illustrative Genus: — Meliosma, 

 Blume. Bentliam and Hoolcer include the MeliosmecB in the 

 order SahiacetE. 



Distribution and Numbers. — Chiefly found in tropical 

 regions, especially those of South America and India ; some 

 occur in temperate climates, but none inhabit the cold northern 

 parts of the globe. There are no native plants of this order in 

 Europe. The Horsechestnut, now so well known in this 

 country, is only naturalised among us. There are nearly 400 

 species. 



Projjerties and Uses. — One of the most prominent character- 

 istics of the plants of this order is the presence of a saponaceous 



