468 FOURTH GROUP. — SEED-PLANTS. 



Order 2. Piperineae : Flowers very small, in compact spikes subtended by bracts, 

 without a perianth ; the small embryo lies surrounded by endosperm in a depression 

 of the copious perisperm. Herbs and shrubs, often with verticillate leaves. 



Families : i. Pipereae, 2. Saurureae, 3. Chloranthaceae. 



Order 3. Urticineae : Perianth calyx-Iike, simple, trimerous to pentamerous, 

 sometimes wanting ; stamens superposed on the perianth-leaves ; flowers herma- 

 phrodite or unisexual and then the male and female dissimilar (Cannabineae), usually 

 in crowded inflorescences, the female in spikes, umbels, capitula (Platanaceae) or some- 

 times panicles (Cannabineae), often developing into peculiar pseudocarps {Morus, 

 Ficus, Dorsfenia, Artocarpus) ; fruit usually unilocular, rarely bilocular, loculi with 

 one, seldom two ovules ; usually with endosperm. Large shrubs or trees, leaves stalked 

 usually with stipules. 



Families : i. Urticaceae, 2. Platanaceae, 



Urticeae, 3. Cannabineae, 



Moreae, 4. Ulmaceae (with Celtideae). 



Artocarpeae, 



II. Centrospermae ' (Carj'ophyllineae). 

 Corolla usually wanting ; stamens fewer or usually more in number than the 

 sepals, in the latter case often double the number (Amarantaceae, Phytolaccaceae, 

 Portulaceae) ; ovary usually superior, unilocular, with one or more basilar often 

 campylotropous ovules, rarely plurilocular with central placentation. 

 Families : i. Polygonaceae, 7. Caiyophylleae, 



2. Nyctagineae, a. Paronychieae, 



3. Chenopodiaceae, b. Sclerantheae, 



4. Amarantaceae, c. Alsineae,. 



5. Phytolaccaceae, d. Sileneae. 



6. Portulaceae, 



III. Aphanoeyclae. 



Flowers with parts arranged spirally, hemicyclic or cyclic, floral leaves usually free 

 or coherent only in the gynaeceum, those of the perianth usually clearly distinguished 

 into calyx and corolla ; the numbers of the parts in the four floral whorls very variable, 

 stamens usually more than the leaves of the perianth ; carpels generally forming one, 

 several or very many monomerous ovaries, in Schizandreae an unilocular, bilocular or 

 plurilocular superior ovary; ovules occasionally springing from the inner surface of the 

 carpels. 



Order i. Polycarpicae : Parts of the flower arranged spirally or in whorls; 

 whorls usually dimerous or trimerous, there being usually more than one whorl of each 

 series of organs of the flower; rarely with four pentamerous whorls (Dilleniaceae) ; 

 gynaeceum of one, several or many monomerous ovaries ; ovules one to many; 

 embryo small ; endosperm none in Menispermaceae, copious or very large in 

 Laurineae. 



Families : i. Ranunculaceae, 6. Calycanthaceae, 



2. Dilleniaceae, 7. Berberideae, 



3. Schizandreae, 8. Menispermaceae, 



4. Anonaceae, 9. Laurineae, 



5. Magnoliaceae, 10. Myristiceae. 



Order 2. Hydropeltidineae : Water-plants with usually large lateral solitary 

 flowers ; perianth-leaves and stamens varying in number, arranged spirally ; ovaries 



' The name comes from the ventral or basilar position of the seeds and placenta. 



