ACERINE^E. 



[CLASS 



acotyledonous. Compare also the se&d vi Horse Chestnut 

 with the fruit of the Sweet Chestnut (Castanea). They 

 resemble each other dosely at first sight, but the coat of 

 the latter is a perianth, adherent to an inferior ovary. 

 The bitter flavour of Horse Chestnut seeds is said to be 

 corrected by adding one or two per cent, of carbonate of 

 soda to the ground meal, and washing it until it becomes 

 white. From loolbs. of the Chestnuts 6olbs. of meal or 

 flour may be obtained. 



Division. Calyciflorae. 

 1 8. Natural Order Celastraceae. The Celastrus Family. 



DISTRIBUTION. Dispersed throughout the tropical and 

 temperate zones. One British genus, species i. 



Type Common Spindle- tree (Ettonymus europaus}. 



A deciduous glabrous shrub, with opposite undivided 

 leaves, and small yellowish-green cymose flowers. (The 

 only British species.) 



OBSERVE the bright orange-coloured arillus, covering 

 the seed. The arillus is a cellular investment growing 

 more or less over the seed as it matures, either from the 

 funicle (the pedicel by which the ovule is attached to the 

 placenta) or from the micropyle. In the Nutmeg fruit 

 we have another good example of the arillus in the mace 

 which closely invests the crustaceous testa enclosing the 

 " Nutmeg." The Nutmeg is farther remarkable from its 

 interrupted, marbled albumen ; such albumen is termed 



