694 I^HYTOLACCACEiE. (POKEWEED FAMILY.) 



Order LXXXIV. PHYTOLACCACE^, Endl. 

 (PoKEWEED Family). 



Perennial herbs with alternate, entire leaves, and 2^cr- 

 fect or dicecious flowers, a petaloid, 4:-6-parted calyx im- 

 hricated in the hud, stamens inserted on a dish at the lottorn 

 of the calyx, an ovary (in ours) composed of numerous, 

 l-ovuled cells, (ours J U7iited in a ring, and forming a berry 

 in fruit — Stamens as many as lobes of calyx, alternate with 

 them, or more numerous, free or united at base in a cup. 

 Ovule erect, implanted by base, (in ours) campylotropous. 

 Styles as many as cells of ovary, simple. Kadicle inferior. 

 A^lbumen mealy, central, rarely 0. 



Fig. 319. 



e g f I d 



(a) Branch of P. decandra, with leaves and flowers (one-third size), (i) Fruiting branch 

 (one-third size), (c) A single flower (enlarged), (d) xV ripe fruit (natural size), (c) Trans, 

 verse section of same. (/) A seed magnified, (o-) A transverse section of the same, (h) Ver- 

 tical section of the same, showing the peripheral embryo and central albumen, (/) The 

 embryo. 



PHYTOL.ACCA, L. Pokeweed. 



Flowers perfect or dioecious, tribracteate. Calyx 5-parted into 

 petaloid, imbricated, equal lobes, reflexed in fruit. Stamens 5-25, 

 filaments subulate, anthers 3-celled. Carpels 5-1^, sessile in a hollow. 



