MANIHOT. ] EUPHORBIACEM. 117 



A handsome tree with polymorphous leaves and white flowers. It is 

 a native of the Malay Archipelago, whence it was introduced into 

 India and is now largely grown in gardens. The edible seeds 

 contain a large quantity of oil, which is used for cooking as well as 

 medicinally. 



MANIHOT TTTILISSIMA, Pohl is the Bitter Cassava plant, from the 

 pounded roots of which mandioc or cassava meal is prepared, also 

 tapioca. It is a tall plant with tuberous roots and palmate leaves. 

 It wa introduced from S. America by the Portuguese and is occa- 

 sionally cultivated in Indian gardens. 



C. URTICACEJE. 



Herbs shrubs or trees. Leaves usually alternate, often oblique ; 

 stipules various. Flowers cymose or in clusters, usually minute, 

 inonoacious or dioecious and sometimes 2-sexual or polygamous, 

 often crowded on the surface of a fleshy flat concave or globose 

 receptacle or (in Ficus) on the inner walls of a closed receptacle ; 

 bracts usually small or none, but sometimes 2 4 or more in an in- 

 volucre ; bracteoles small or none, but sometimes conspicuous. 

 Perianth simple, calycine, regular or irregular, equally or unequally 

 toothed lobed or partite, segments imbricate or valvate. Disk 

 hypogynous, obscure or none. Stamens as many as and opposite 

 the perianth-lobes, rarely fewer or more, filaments usually free at 

 the base, anthers 2-celled. Pistillode in male flowers small or none. 

 Ovary superior, 1 -celled, style often eccentric, simple or 2-ficl, 

 with stigmatose arms, or stigmas sessile, plumose or penicillate, 

 ovule solitary. Fruit simple, as a drupe or samara, or of small 

 free achenes, or compound in a confluent mass of perianths and 

 pericarps. Seed erect, lateral or pendulous, testa membranous ; 

 albumen copious scanty or none, embryo straight or curved. 

 Species 1,500 or more, chiefly in tropical and sub-tropical regions 

 of the world. 



Plants with watery juice : 



Anthers in bud erect ; style 2-fid. ; ovule 

 pendulous : 



Flowers usually 2-sexual or polygamous 

 Trees or shrubs with penninerved decid- 

 uous leaves : 

 Fruit dry, samaroid L HOLOPTELEA. 



