26 



A SYNOPSIS OF THE PLANT KINGDOM 



Elm wood is of use in the crafts. The mucilaginous 

 bark of slippery elm ( Uimusfulva) is used for poultices 

 and coughs. The fragrant wood of Planera Abelicea of 

 Crete is false sandalwood. 



There are several genera in cultivation in America. 

 Among these are: Aphananthe, ornamental; Celtis (Net- 

 tle Tree, Hackberry, Sugarberry), hardy, ornamental; 

 Planera (Water Elm), ornamental; Ulmus (Elm), orna- 

 mental, and for timber; Zelkova, ornamental. 



57. Moraceae (from the genus Morus, the classical 

 name). MULBERRY FAMILY. Fig. 16. Herbs, shrubs, or 

 trees, sometimes climbing: juice milky: leaves alternate: 

 flowers dioecious or monoecious, regular, small, mostly 

 in heads or spikes, or lining the hollow pyriform fleshy 

 axis of the inflorescence (Ficus); perianth single, of 4. 

 rarely 2-6, imbricated parts, more or less united and 

 fleshy in the pistillate flower; stamens of the same num- 

 ber and opposite the sepals, usually inflexed in the bud 

 and elastic; ovary superior, sessile or stipitate, 1-celled, 

 1-ovuled; the ovule suspended, amphitropous, rarely 



16. FAOACE^E: 1. Quercus, a, male flowers; 6, female flower; 

 c, diagram female flower; d, fruit. 2. Caatanea, o, diagram female 

 flower; fc, involucre and 3 fruits. ULMACE.E: 3. Ulmus, a, flower; 



6, fruit. MORACE.E: 4. Morus, a, male flower; b, fruit. 5. Humu- 

 lus, a, female flower; 6, vertical section fruit. 6. Cudrania, pistil. 



7. Ficus, vertical section female inflorescence (for explanation of 

 letters see Fig. 15). 



basal; stigmas 1-2: fruit an achene or drupe envel- 

 oped by the fleshy perianth, or on a fleshy gyno- 

 phore, or composed of achenes in a fleshy hollow com- 

 mon receptacle. 



Moracese contains 55 genera and about 950 species, 

 mostly of tropical distribution, 6 species of which are 

 native in the eastern United States. The largest genus is 

 Ficus with 600 species. The family is frequently united 

 with the Urticacese and differs from that family only 

 in the presence of milky juice, in the two stigmas, and 

 in the usually, suspended seed. From the Ulmacese it 

 differs in the inflexed elastic stamens. 



The fruit of the black mulberry (Morus nigra) has 

 been eaten since earliest times. Those of M . rubra (red 

 mulberry), and M. alba are also used for food. The 

 bread fruit (Arlocarpus incisa) of the South Sea 

 Islands is now cultivated for food everywhere in the 



tropics. The leaves of Morus indica are eaten in India; 

 those of M. rubra in America. M . serrata is cultivated 

 for fodder. The fig is the fleshy receptacle of the inflo- 

 rescence of Ficus Carica. For the structure and pollina- 

 tion of this remarkable plant see Kerner and Oliver's 

 "Natural History of Plants." The leaves of Morus are 

 diuretic and anthelmintic. The juice of Anliaris toxi- 

 caria is used by the Javanese to poison arrows. Hops 

 are used in medicine, also to flavor beer. Hashish, 

 bhang or Cannabis indica is obtained from Cannabis 

 saliva, and is much used in the East as a narcotic to 

 chew and smoke like opium. The fibers of C. saliva are 

 -hemp. The bark of Broussonctia furnishes clothing to 

 the South Sea Islanders. The wood of Madura auran- 

 tiaca is flexible; the yellow juice of the fruit of this 

 plant was used by the Indians to paint their faces. 

 Cudrania javanensis yields a dye. The milky juice of 

 Ficus elastica and other species yield commercial rub- 

 ber. F . indica is a banyan tree of India. F. religi- 

 osa is the sacred fig. The leaves of various species of 

 mulberry are used to feed silkworms. Shellac is ob- 

 tained from a small hemipterous insect which lives on 

 F. laccifera and F. religiosa in India. 



Several genera are in cultivation in America, the 

 majority in the far South. Among these are: Arto- 

 carpus (Bread Fruit, Jack Fruit), cultivated in the 

 West Indies and in botanical gardens; Brosimum 

 (Bread Nut), tropical; Broussonetia (Paper Mul- 

 berry), ornamental, semi-hardy; Cannabis (Hemp), 

 grown for fiber or ornament; Cudrania, grown for 

 hedges; Ficus (Fig, India Rubber Plant, Banyan 

 Tree, Creeping Fig, Peepul Tree), grown in warm re- 

 gions and in the greenhouses; Humulus (Hops), grown 

 for the fruit; Maclura (Osage Orange), for hedges; 

 Morus (Mulberry), for fruit, and leaves for silkworms. 



58. Urticaceae (from the genus Urtica, the classical 

 Latin name of the plant, signifying to burn). NETTLE 

 FAMILY. Fig. 17. Herbs, shrubs or trees, rarely climb- 

 ing: leaves alternate or opposite: flowers unisexual, 

 regular; perianth single, rarely 0, usually green, con- 

 sisting of 4-5, rarely 2-3, separate or united parts, im- 

 bricated or valvate; stamens as many, and opposite 

 the segments, inflexed and uncoiling elastically; ovary 

 sessile, or pedicelled, or rarely united with the perianth, 

 1-celled, 1-ovulcd; style 1; stigma feathery: fruit an 

 achene or drupe; seeds basal, orthotropous; embryo 

 straight. 



The 41 genera and about 475 species are mainly 

 tropical, a few in North America and fewer in Europe. 

 The largest genus is Pilea, with 100 species. The family 

 is very closely related to the Mpracese and Ulmacese, 

 with which it was formerly united. The apetalous 

 anemophilous flowers, with elastic stamens opposite 

 the sepals, and the 1-cclled ovary, with a single basal, 

 orthotropous seed, are distinctive. Many of the Urti- 

 cacea; are covered with stinging hairs containing formic 

 acid. The common nettles are examples. Cystoliths 

 are common in the leaves. 



Parietaria diffusa and P. erecla contain niter, and 

 have been used as diuretics. Nettles were used by 

 doctors to flog patients in order to produce a counter 

 irritation of the skin, a practice called "urtication." 

 Other species have been used locally as medicine. 

 Laportea stimulans has been used as a fish-poison. The 

 bast fibers of many species are useful; e.g., Urtica dioica, 

 U. cannabina, Laportea canadensis, and especially the 

 China grass or ramio (Bashmerin nivea). The fibers of 

 this latter have long been used in the Netherlands. The 

 young foliage of many Urticaceae is used as spinach. 

 The tuberous root of Pouzolzia tuberosa is eaten. 



The following are in cultivation in America; three of 

 them are ornamental: Pellionia, a greenhouse creeper; 

 Pilea (Artillery Plant), a garden and greenhouse plant; 

 and Urera, a greenhouse shrub. The other genus, 

 Urtica (Nettle), is grown for fiber, and Boehmeria 

 occurs occasionally in cultivation. 



