492 EMPETRACE/E EUPHORBIACE.&. 



dinal dehiscence. Female flowers: Perianth adherent, 3-4-toothed. 

 Ovary inferior, unilocular ; ovules 00, anatropal, attached to 3 or 4 

 parietal placentas ; styles as many as the placentas. Fruit a 1 -celled 

 capsule, opening at the apex. Seeds 00, strophiolate, with a reti- 

 culated spermoderm ; albumen ; embryo straight ; cotyledons very 

 short ; radicle pointing to the hilum. Herbaceous branched plants or 

 trees, with alternate, exstipulate leaves. They are scattered over 

 North America, various parts of Asia, and the south-eastern part of 

 Europe. Some of the plants are said to be bitter, and others of them 

 have purgative qualities. It has been stated that female plants of 

 Datisca cannabina have produced seed Avithout the application of pol- 

 len. Facts are still wanting to prove this. Lindley mentions 3 

 genera, and 4 species. Examples Datisca, Tetrameles. 



1013. Order 164. Empetracete, the Crowberry Family. (Apet. 

 Diclin.) Flowers unisexual. Perianth bud-like, consisting of per- 

 sistent imbricated scales, in 2 or 4 alternating rows, the inner row 

 often petaloid. Male flowers : Stamens 2-3, equal in number to the 

 scales in each row, and alternating with the innermost, hypogynous ; 

 anthers roundish, dithecal, with longitudinal dehiscence. Female 

 flowers: Ovary free, seated on a fleshy disk, 3- 6- or 9-celled ; ovules 

 solitary, anatropal, ascending ; style 1 ; stigma with as many radii as 

 there are ovarian cells. Fruit a nuculanium, seated within the per- 

 sistent perianth. Seeds solitary in each nucule, ascending; embryo in 

 the axis of fleshy albumen ; radicle inferior. Heath-like shrubs, with 

 alternate or somewhat verticillate, evergreen, exstipulate leaves. They 

 inhabit chiefly Europe and North America. The fruit of some is 

 slightly acid Empetrum nigrum, the black Crowberry, is common on 

 the mountainous and northern parts of Europe. The fruit is watery, 

 and very sh'ghtly acid and astringent. Lindley notices 4 genera, and 

 4 species. Examples Empetrum, Corema. 



1014. Order 165. EuphorMaceie, the Spurge Family. (Diclin.} 

 Flowers unisexual, sometimes enclosed within an involucre (fig. 707). 

 Perianth lobed, inferior (figs. 314 c, 317 c), with various glandular or 

 petaloid, scaly, internal appendages (figs. 314 p a, 405); sometimes the 

 flowers are naked (fig. 708). Male flowers (fig. 101 frnfm): Stamens 

 definite or 00, distinct (fig. 708) or monadelphous (fig. 314, 1), or poly- 

 adelphous (fig. 317) ; anthers bilocular, sometimes with porous dehis- 

 cence (fig. 323). Female flowers (figs. 405, 707//): Ovary free, 

 sessile or stalked, 1-2-3- or many-celled (fig. 709) ; ovules solitary or 

 twin, suspended; styles equal in number to the cells (figs. 314, 2, 

 709 s), distinct or combined, sometimes ; stigmas several, or 1 with 

 several lobes. Fruit usually tricoccous (figs. 447, 453), with the cocci 

 separating in an elastic manner, and opening by 2 valves (figs. 710, 

 711), or indehiscent and fleshy. Seeds solitary (fig. 712) or in pairs, 

 suspended, often arillate (fig. 453 gg)', embryo enclosed in fleshy albu- 



