46 



A SYNOPSIS OF THE PLANT KINGDOM 



exalbuminous; embryo variously curved or spiral, 

 rarely straight. 



This family has 55 genera and about 650 species, 

 generally distributed in the tropics, but reaching to 

 Texas and California in North America, and Port 

 Natal in Africa. They are most abundant in the tropi- 

 cal forests of South America. The family is closely 

 related to the Zvgophyllaceae, Sapindacese, and Ery- 

 throxylacese, as snown by the lobed and winged fruit, 

 or clawed petals. The glandular calyx, clawed petals, 

 the outer stamens opposite the petals, peculiar anthers, 

 queer fruit, and curved embryo are together distinctive. 



The family is of little economic importance. Various 

 coloring matters and astringent tannins are contained 

 in the bark, for which reason some of the Malpighiacese 

 have been used for dysentery and intermittent fever. 

 Some are used as a remedy for snake-bites. The fruits 

 of certain Malpighiacese are sour, juicy and refreshing. 



Few species are in cultivation in North America, 

 all in California, Florida or the West Indies. Gal- 

 phimia and Stigmaphyllon are ornamental; Malpighia 

 glabra is the Barbadoes cherry, cultivated in the West 

 Indies for the cherry-like fruit. 



115. Tremandraceae (from the genus Tremandra, 

 which is from the Latin tremble and the Greek male, 

 probably in allusion to the anthers). TREMANDRA 

 FAMILY. Fig. 32. Shrubs or sub-shrubs, with opposite, 

 whorled or alternate leaves: flowers bisexual, regular; 

 sepals 4-5, rarely 3, valvate; petals of the same number 

 as the sepals and alternating with them, colored, entire, 

 separate induplicate-valvate; stamens 8 or 10, rarely 

 6, hypogynous, in 1 or 2 whorls; anthers opening by a 

 transverse terminal valve, or more or less prolonged 

 into a beak with terminal pores; ovary superior, 

 2-celled; style 1; stigma 1: fruit a capsule; seeds 1 or 2 

 in each cavity. 



In this family are 3 genera and about 23 species, of 

 which 20 belong to the genus Tetratheca. All are 

 native of south and west Australia. The family is very 

 similar to the Polygalacese, and separated from that 



32. TBEMANDHACE.E: 1. Platytheca, floral diagram. POLT- 

 OALACE.E: 2. Polygala, a. flower; b, flower, vertical section; c, floral 

 diagram. EUPHORBIACE^;: 3. Euphorbia, a, involucre and flowers; 

 b, involucre, vertical section. 4. Croton, a, flower; fc, floral dia- 

 gram, male flower; c, floral diagram, female flower. 



family only by the regular flowers. Platytheca is 

 remarkable in having the four anther cells all in one 

 plane. 



Two genera are in the American trade, both tender 

 heath-like plants: Platytheca, and Tetratheca. 



116. Polygalacese (from the genus Polygala, an old 

 Greek name applied later to this genus by botanists 

 because of the supposed stimulative action of the plant 

 on the lactation of cattle). MILKWORT FAMILY. Fig. 32. 



Herbs, shrubs, or small troos, sometimes climbing or 

 twining: leaves mostly alternate: flowers bisexual, irreg- 

 ular; sepals 5, imbricated, separate or somewhat coher- 

 ent, the 2 inner largest and often winged or petaloid ; 

 petals rarely 5, commonly 3, at least the 2 upper, and 

 sometimes all more or less coherent with each other and 

 with the stamen-tube, inner petal concave and often 

 with a fringed crest (keel) ; stamens 8, rarely fewer, in 2 

 whorls, hypogynous, usually adherent to the keel petal 

 and coherent into a tube which is slit down and open 

 behind; anthers usually opening by terminal pores or 

 slits; ovary superior usually 2-celled; ovule usually 

 1 in each cell; style 1, dilated above; stigmas 1-4: 

 fruit usually a capsule, rarely a drupe or samara; seeds 

 pendulous, albuminous. 



Polygalacea has 10 genera and about 500 species, 

 450 of which belong to the genus Polygala; widely dis- 

 tributed over the earth but absent in New Zealand, 

 Polynesia, arctic North America and arctic Asia. The 

 family is not closely related to any other. The peculiar 

 perianth and stamens, and the 2-celled ovary, are to- 

 gether very distinctive. The floral parts, though simu- 

 lating those of the Leguminosa;, are not homologous. 



A bitter principle gives the Polygalaceae tonic and 

 astringent properties. Some species are emetic. The 

 root of Polygala Senega (North America), so-called 

 "Senega or Seneca snakeroot," is used as an emetic 

 and cathartic, but more especially as an expectorant. 

 This and many other species of Polygala are reputed 

 antidotes for snake-bites, hence the name "snakeroot." 



Only the genus Polygala is in cultivation in N. Amer- 

 ica, of which 9 or 10 species are grown for ornamental 

 purposes. Some are shrubs and 1 is an evergreen trailer. 



117. Euphorbiaceas (from the genus Euphorbia, 

 named in honor of Euphorbus, physician to King Juba). 

 SPURGE FAMILY. Fig. 32. Herbs, shrubs or trees, of 

 greatly varying habit, sometimes fleshy and cactus-like, 

 often with milky juice: leaves mostly alternate: flowers 

 monoecious or dioecious, regular or irregular; both 

 calyx and corolla present, or the latter absent, or 

 both absent, or both much reduced, valvate or imbri- 

 cated; the parts free, rarely united; intrastaminal 

 disk usually present in the staminate flowers, often 

 changed to glands; stamens as many as the sepals, or 

 twice as many, or reduced to 1, separate or monadel- 

 phous; hypogynous disk in the pistillate flowers 

 annular or cup-shaped or in the form of glands; ovary 

 superior, usually 3-celled, rarely 1-, 2-, or 4-cclled; 

 style and stigma various; ovules 1-2 in each cavity, 

 side by side, suspended, anatroppus; micropyle external, 

 covered with a caruncle: fruit splitting into three 

 portions, leaving a central column, rarely indehiscent 

 and berry-like, or drupaceous; seeds albuminous. 



The 208 genera and about 4,000 species are widely 

 distributed, mainly in the tropics, but extend into 

 temperate regions. The largest genera are Euphorbia 

 with about 700 species, Croton with 500-600 species, 

 and Phyllanthus with 400 species. The family is 

 related to the Geraniales, as shown by the fruit. The 

 only constant characters of this great polymorphic 

 family are the collateral anatropous ovules with micro- 

 pyle external, the caruncle, the usually persistent axis 

 of the fruit, and the albuminous seeds. In Euphorbia, 

 some sessile staminate flowers and a pedicelled pistillate 

 flower are inclosed in a common involucre which bears 

 various horn-like, or gland-like, or petaloid appendages. 

 The variation in the inflorescence and floral structure 

 throughout the family is very intricate. 



The family is of great economic importance. Only 

 the most important plants can be mentioned here. The 

 following are used in medicine: The juice of Euphorbia 

 Esula, E. Cyparissias, E. Lathyris, E. helioscopia, and 

 others, is purgative, as is also that of Mercurialis. Cro- 

 ton Tiglium yields the purgative croton oil. Ricinus 

 communis yields castor oil. Jatropha Curcas (physic 

 nut) is purgative. Euphorbia Hybema, Jatropha 



