206 



ARBOIIETUM AND FRUTICETUM. 



I'AUT III. 



CHAP. vii. 



OF THE UAUDY AND IIALF-IIAUDY LIONEOUS PLANTS OF THE ORDEIl 

 MENISPERMA^CEiE. 



DisTiscTiyF.Charactcnslics. Thalamiflorous (II, B.). Sexes, in most, ilia'cious; 

 ill tlie rest, iiioncecious or polygniiioiis. Sepals and petals similar ; the latter 

 not present in some. Stamens monadelplioiis, or rarely free; C()nal in nnmber 

 with the petals, anil opposite to them, rarely double that nnmber, or fewer. 

 Ovaries, in some, numerous, each one-styled, all somewhat connceted at the 

 i)ase; or, in others, only one, crowned with many styles, and many-celled, and, 

 thereibre, consisting of many carpels grown together, very rarely, one-celled, 

 and this, most likely, by abortion. Fruit, in most, baccate or drupaceous, one- 

 seeded or many-seeded, oblique or hmulate, compressed, with the seeds of the 

 same form. Embryo curved or peripheric. Albumen none, or very sparing 

 and fleshy. (Do/i's Mi//.,i. p. 102., with adaptation.) — Climbing or twining 

 shrubs, niostly natives within the tropics, with alternate, stalked, usually cor- 

 date or peltate, simple, rarely compound leaves, always with the middle nerve 

 terminating in an awn or point ; destitute of stipules. Flow ers small ; in most 

 species, in axillary racemes. (Bon's MilL,i. p. 102.) The species in British 

 gardens are included in the genera Menisperimun and Cucculus, and are natives 

 of North America and Dahuria. They are all of the easiest culture, and are 

 propagated by dividing the root, or by cuttings. 



Genus I. 



MENISPE'RMUM L. 



The Moonseed. 

 candria. 



Lin. Sj/st. Dioe'cia Dode- 



Idenlification. Tourn. ; Dec. Prod., I. p. 102. ; Don's Mill., 1. p. 112. 



Synontfmes. M^nisperme, /•'/•. ; Mondsanmc, Gcr. 



Derivation. From mvm; the moon, and spcrma, a seed ; from the sceils being crcsccnt-shapctl. 



Gen. Char. Sejxih and jwtah disposed in a quaternary order, in two or three 

 series. Male floivers \\\t\\ 16 to 20 ^tamcwa ; female fowcm \\\t\\ 2 to 4 

 ovaries. Drupe baccate, roundish-kidney-shaped, 1 -seeded. — Climbing shrubs, 

 with alternate, peltate or cordate, smooth leaves. Peduncles axillary or 

 supra-axillary. Male and female peduncles rather dissimilar. Flowers small, 

 greenish-white. (Don's Mill., i. p. 112.) 



-i 1. M. canade'nse. The Canadian Moonseed. 



Identification. Lin. Sp. ; Dec Prod, 1. p. 102. ; Don's Mill., 1. p. 112. 



Sipumyvies. M. canadense var. « Lamarck ; AL angulitum Mucnc/i ; Mcnisperme du Canada, lion . 



Jard. ; Canadisclier Mondsaame, Gcr. 

 Engravings. Schkuhr. H., 3. t. JJ7. ; I.ara. Diet., t 82*. ; and our Jig. 42. 



Spec. Char. Leaves peltate, smoothish, somewhat 

 cordate, roundish-anguUu" ; angles bluntish, ter- 

 minal one abruptly awiied, mucronate. Racemes 

 solitary, compound. Petals 8. (Don's ]\Ii//., i. 

 p. 112.) A twining shrub, with thick woody roots, 

 and numerous very slender shoots, which rise to 

 the height of 12 ft. or 14 ft., I)ut which, though 

 licTicous, never attain any considerable iliameter, 

 and are not of many years' duration. The stem 

 twines in a direction contrary to the sun's apparent 

 motion, and is smooth and even, having more the 

 appearance of a herbaceous |)lant, than of a shrub. 

 and the berries black. 



