746 CONIFER J5. (pine FAMILY.) 



Order CIII. OXETACEtE, Blum. (Gnetum Family). 



Sh7'ul)s or trees, loitli amentaceous, monoe cious or dm- 

 cious floioers, suhtended hy sJieaths or tracts. Staminate 

 floicers • invohicel Ijifid, enclosing 1 stamen or several vnt/t 

 filaments connate inxo column, with 2A'CeUed anthers o])en~ 

 ing ly a ])ore at ajyex. Pistillate flovjers : ovary solitary 

 or twin, surrounded hy a doid)le or trijple involucre, the 

 outer with a narroio ojyen mouth, the inner exserted in a 

 tuhide. Outer coating of seed leathery or fleshy, JEmlryo 

 in axis of fleshy albumen, antitrojpous, with 2 cotyledons. 



EPHEDRA, L. Ephedra. 



Flowers usually dioecious. Staminate aments ovate, bracts im- 

 bricated in 4 rows. Involucre of pistillate flowers of 2-3, fleshy, bifid 

 slieaths, or 4-5, membranous, imbricated scales — Shrubs, often climb- 

 ing, leafless, or with small, opposite, linear leaves, the nodes with short 

 sheaths. 



* Nutlets surrounded hy a fleshy involucre, forming afahc drujje. 



t Leafless. Sheatlis of involucre gladrous. 



1. E. campylopocla, C. A. Mey, 5 Asperulous, climbing; 

 branches long, distorted; twigs whoiied, often retrorse. Staminate 

 aments sessile, clustered, with 5-6 anthers, sessile on a long exserted 

 column ; ^Astillate aments 3-6 in a cluster, 2-flowered on a reflexed or 

 recurved peduncle as long as or longer tlian floicers ; sheaths 2-3, the lower 

 short, truncate, the upper long, enclosing tlie nutlets; tubule short, 

 straight — Late summer and autumn — Hedges; common, even east, 

 of Jordan. 



1 1 Leafy, especially young hrancJies. Sheaths of involucre ciliate. 



2. E. Alte. C.A.M. 5 ^^^' Asperulous, climbing; branches long, 

 toitLiousi, Lwigs vvhorled. Leaves short-linear, opjjosite. Staminate aments 

 sessile or short-peduncled, few-flowered, crowded at ends and nodes 

 of branches, with 3-4 anthers sessile on a long - exserted column; 

 2nstillate aments 1-3 in a cluster, short-i^edicelled, 1-2-flowered; sheaths 3j 

 the lower cup-shaped, the upper shorter than nutlet ; tubule straight — 

 Spring — Syrian Desert, Moab, Jericho, Jaffa, and southward. 



* * Sheaths of fruiting involucre membranous, not fleshy. Leafless. 



3. E. aFata, Dec. 5 ^-^ddm. Scabrous or puberulent, not climl- 

 ing, rigid, pale. Aments sessile, crowded at ends and nodes, of 

 branches; the staminate, with 3-5, stipitate anthers on a somewhat 

 exserted colamn', the pistillate 2-flowered, lutescent in fruit; leaves of 

 involucre 4-5, loosely imhncated, and nearly equal in length, as long as 

 ovate, acuminate, 3-angled nutlets — Spring — Et-Tih, and southward. 



Order CIV. CONIFER-*:, Juss. (Pine Family). 

 Trees or shrid)s, with resinous juice, aid-shajped,^ needle- 

 shajped, or scaly, entire leaves, monoecious {rarely dicecious) 

 floioers usually in catJcins or stroUles, thefloioers destitute of 



