400 LXVII. UETICACEiE. [Plecospermui 



Order LXVII. URTICACEiE. 



Trees shrubs or herbs with alternate, rarely opposite stipulate leaves. 

 Flowers apetalous, dioicous or monoicous, more rarely bisexual or poly- 

 gamous, inconspicuous, solitary or variously disposed. Perianth simple, 

 3-5-lobed or -partite, or reduced to 1 or 2 segments, in the female flower 

 occasionally tubular and undivided, or wholly wanting. Male fl. : stamens 

 usually as many as perianth-segments and opposite to them. Female fl. 

 ovary free rarely adherent, 1- rarely 2-celled ; styles often 2, connate at 

 base, usually laterally stigmatose or stigma sessile ; ovule solitary, erect 

 and orthotropous, or laterally affixed or pendulous with a superior micro- 

 pyle. Fruit a nut or small drupe, in Morece and Artocarpece usually 

 consolidated in a syncarpium, in Ulmus samaroid ; seed with or without 

 albumen ; embryo various, radicle superior. Eoyle 111. 333, 335, 341. 



This Order is here taken in a wide sense, including the following Tribes, 

 which are commonly regarded as separate Orders : 



Urticece. Fl. unisexual ; stamens equal in number to perianth-lobes ; fila 

 ments inflected in bud, uncoiling elastically when the fl. opens ; style 

 1, simple Boehmeria, Girardinia, Urtica, Laportea, Pouzolzia, Sar- 

 cochlamys, Debregeasia, Villebrunea, Maoutia. 



Morece. Fl. unisexual, usually in dense spikes or heads ; stamens equal 

 in number to perianth-lobes, filaments inflected in bud; style 1, 

 oftener 2, connate at the base Plecospermum, Morus, Broussonetia, 

 Strebhis, Taxotrophis, Phyllocldamys. 



Artocarpece. Fl. unisexual, in dense spikes or heads, often with fleshy 

 axis, or enclosed in a fleshy receptacle ; stamens as many as perianth 

 lobes or fewer, not inflected in bud ; trees or shrubs with milky juice, 

 leaves convolute in bud and amplexicaul stipules Ficus, Cudrania, 

 Antiaris, Artocarpus, Castilloa, Brosimum. 



Celtidece. Fl. unisexual or polygamous in axillary or lateral cymes ; fila 

 ments short, erect or slightly incurved in bud; styles 2, ovary 1- 

 celled ; fruit drupaceous Celtis, Sponia. 



Ulmacece. Fl. mostly bisexual; stamens not inflected in bud; styles 2 

 ovary 1 -2-celled; fruit dry, usually winged Ulmus. 



Stamens inflected in bud ; style one, simple. 



A shrub, armed with axillary thorns; female flowers in 

 globose heads ; perianths connate, tubular with a small 

 4-dentate mouth ; fruit a fleshy compound berry with 



few large seeds 1. Plecospermum. 



Trees or shrubs without thorns ; female fl. in heads, spikes, 

 or panicles ; perianths not connate. 

 Stigma long linear ; fruit dry. 



Flower-heads in spikes or panicles ; stigma persistent . 2. Boehmeria. 

 Flower-heads sessile, axillary ; stigma articulate . 3. Pouzolzia. 



Stigma sessile, tufted ; fruit of numerous small berries in 



globose heads 4. Debregeasia. 



Female perianth none ; stigma penicillate ; flower-heads 



in axillary panicles 5. Maoutia. 



