34 



A SYNOPSIS OF THE PLANT KINGDOM 



Montpellier in the 17th century.) MAGNOLIA FAMILY. 

 Fig. 22. Woody plants with alternate, entire or lobed 

 leaves, and usually large stipules, each pair of which 

 forms a hood over the young growth above, the outer 

 pair of stipules serving as bud-scales, and each pair leav- 

 ing a scar which completely encircles the stem : flowers 

 usually bisexual, regular, hypogynous, the parts 

 spirally arranged except sometimes the sepals and 

 petals ; sepals 3 ; petals 6 to many, separate ; stamens very 

 numerous; carpels usually many and usually separate; 

 ovary 1-celled, 1- to several-seeded, arranged spirally or 

 in a whorl (Illicium) at the top of the receptacle: fruit 

 a follicle, or samara, or indehiscent and fleshy. 



Ten genera and about 80 species are distributed 

 principally in the subtropical and temperate portions of 

 Asia and America, but are absent in Africa, Europe and 

 the arctic regions. The Magnoliaceas are most closely 

 related to the Annonacese and Calycanthacese. The 

 peculiar stipules, the spiral structure of the hypogyn- 

 ous flower, and the separate carpels are distinctive. 

 In Magnolia, the outer seed-coat is fleshy and red; 

 when ripe the seeds fall out buo remain suspended by 

 the uncoiled spiral vessels of the raphe and funiculus. 



The wood is generally valuable for timber, while all 

 parts, such as leaves and bark, contain a bitter resin, 

 which in some species is fragrantly aromatic. Michelia 

 Champaca is cultivated in tropical Asia for its sweet 

 flowers which are carried about as a perfumery. Its 

 aromatic and acrid bark and buds are used in rheuma- 

 tism. The bark of Talauma elegans is used in Java as a 

 stomachic. The seeds of Magnolia Yulan have been 

 used from prehistoric times in China as a febrifuge. It 

 is said that the aromatic bark of the tulip tree is a 

 substitute for cascarilla and quinine. Drimys Winteri 

 has long been used as a stimulant in Central and South 

 America, and, by importation, in Europe. The fruit 

 of Illicium verum, a Chinese shrub, is very pleasantly 

 aromatic, resembling anise, from which, and its remark- 

 able star-like whorled carpels, it is called "star anise." 

 It is much used as a condiment in oriental countries. 

 The bark of Illicium anisatum (I. religiosum) was 

 formerly burned as incense in the temples of Japan. 

 For a long period the name Illicium anisatum was 

 thought to apply to the star anise, but this mistake was 

 rectified in the B. M. 7005. Liriodendron Tulipifera 

 furnishes the valuable "whitewood" or "yellow poplar" 

 of commerce. The wood of various species of Mag- 

 nolia is used in cabinet-work. 



Several genera are in cultivation in America, all except 

 Illicium as ornamental trees and shrubs. Among these 

 are: Illicium (Star Anise); Liriodendron (Tulip Tree); 

 Magnolia (Magnolia, White Bay, Beam Tree, Cucumber 

 Tree) ; and Schizandra, a procumbent warty shrub. 



80. Calycanthaceae (from the genus Calycanthus, 

 derived from the Greek, which means a cup and flower, 

 referring to the peculiar receptacle). CALYCANTHUS 

 FAMILY. Fig. 22. Shrubs with opposite leaves and aro- 

 matic bark : flowers bisexual, regular, perigynous, spirally 

 constructed; parts of the perianth numerous, petaloid, 

 not clearly differentiated into calyx and corolla; 

 stamens 10-30 (5 in Meratia) ; carpels numerous, sepa- 

 rate, inserted on the inner face of the hollow receptacle, 

 each 1-2-ovuled, in fruit forming 1-seeded achenes, 

 which are completely inclosed by the fleshy recep- 

 tacle; seeds, exalbuminous; cotyledons spirally rolled. 



Calycanthus, with 4-6 species, is confined to the south- 

 ern United States and California; Meratia has two 

 species in China and Japan. The family is related to 

 the Magnoliacese and the Annonaceaa in the spiral 

 structure of the flowers, but differs in the exalbuminous 

 seed, the perigynous flowers and the opposite leaves. 

 By some authors the family has been placed near the 

 Rosacesc because of the perigynous flowers, but the 

 spiral arrangement is not that of this latter family. 

 The aromatic bark, the magnolia-like flowers, and the 

 peculiar rose-like fruits are distinctive. 



The bark of Cdlycanthus floridus is used in America 

 as a tonic under the name Carolina allspice. 



All the species are in cultivation in the northern 

 United States as ornamental shrubs. 



81. Annonacese (from the genus Annona, which is 

 from Menona, its Banda name). CUSTARD- APPLE 

 FAMILY. Fig. 23. Trees or shrubs, with simple and en- 

 tire alternate leaves: flowers usually bisexual, regular, 

 hypogynous; sepals 3; petals usually 6, commonly 

 valvate, rarely imbricated; stamens spirally arranged; 

 numerous; carpels usually numerous and separate 

 (united in Monodora), 1- to sevcral-ovuled : fruit berry- 

 like, rarely capsular, often constricted between the 

 seeds. 



From 500-600 species in 46 genera are found 

 mostly in the tropical regions of Asia, Africa and Amer- 

 ica, the majority occurring in the Old World. Only 



23. ANNONACEA:: 1. Asimina; a, flower; 6, floral diagram. 2. 

 Annona, fruit. MyRi8TicACE/e: 3. Myristica; a, male flower; b, 

 female flower; c, seed with arillus. MONIMIACE: 4. Monimia; a, 

 male flower; b, female flower. LAORACE.E: 5. Cinnamomum; a, 

 flower; 6, floral diagram. 6. Benzoin, female flower. 



the genus Asimina is extra-tropical in Atlantic North 

 America and in Australia. The family is most closely 

 related to the Magnoliacese; but also to the Myristj- 

 cacese, Menispermaceae, Calycanthaceae and Dilleni- 

 acese. The plan of 3 in calyx and corolla, the nu- 

 merous spiral stamens, the usually separate carpels, the 

 berry-like fruit and ruminate endosperm are dis- 

 tinctive. There is great structural diversity in the 

 family. 



The Annonacese is rich in useful plants. The Malayans 

 use the bark of several species for rheumatic pains, 

 and the fruit of others as a stomachic. With the 

 flowers of Uvaria they prepare an ointment to ward off 

 fevers. European women in India formerly used the 

 scented flowers of this plant in hair-oil. Many species 

 of Annona and Asimina produce edible fruit, as for 

 example, the sweet-sop (Annona squamosa), the sour- 

 sop (Annona muricata), the custard-apple (Annona 

 reticulata), and the northern papaw (Asimina triloba). 



A few genera are in cultivation in America, mostly 

 in Florida and southern California: Annona, cultivated 



