BARBERRY FAMILY. 49 



V. BEKBERIDACILfi, BARBERRY FAMILY. 



nowers perfect, a petal before each sepal, and a stamen 

 before each petal, anthers opening lengthwise or by a pair of 

 valves like trap-doors, hinged at the top (Lessons, p. 103, Fig. 

 308), pistil single, simple. (But No, 1 has monoecious apetalous 

 3-sepaled flowers : No. 7 has numerous stamens ; 6 and 7 have 

 more petals than sepals.) Commonly bracts or outer sepals 

 behind the true ones. All blossom in spring or early summer. 



• fFoody twiner ; flowers imperfect ; berry many seeded. 



1. AKEBIA. Flowers purple in few-flowered axillary racemes ; petals 0; leaves digitate, 



of abuut 6 leaflets. 



• • Woody, erect ; flowers perfect ; berry few seeded. 



2. BEKBEEIS. Flowers yellow or reddish tinted, in racemes ; petals with two deep colored 



spots at the base. Leaves simple, or simply pinnate. Wood and inner bark yellow. 



Leaves with sharp, bristly or spiny teeth. 



8. NANDINA. Flowers white, in panicles ; anthers opening lengthwise. Leaves twice or 



thrice pinnate. 



» » » Perennial herbs. 



^- With \toS twice or thrice ternately compound leaves. 



4. EPIMEDIUM. Stamens 4. Petals 4 hollow spurs or hoods. Pod several-seeded. 



Leaflets with bristly teeth. 

 6. CAULOPHVLLUM. Stamens 6. PeLals 6 broad and thickish bodies much shorter 



than the sepals. Ovary bursting or disappearing early, leaving the two ovules 



to develop into naked, berry-like, or rather drupe-like, spherical seeds on thick 



stalks. 



■t- + With simply 'l-^-parted leaves, and solitary white flowers ; sepals falling when the 

 blossom opens. Seeds numerous, parietal. Pistils rarely more tlian one. 



6. JEFFERSONIA. Flower on a scape, rather preceding the 2-parted root-leaves. Petals 



(oblong) and stamens mostly 8. Fruit an ovate pod, opening by a cross-line half-way 

 round, the top forming a conical lid. Seeds with an aril on one side. 



7. PODOPHYLLUM. Flower in the fork between the two peltate 5-9-parted leaves ; root- 



leaf single and peltate in the middle, umbrella-like. Petals 6-9, large and broad. Sta- 

 mens usually 12-18. Fruit an oval, large, and sweet, edible berry ; the seeds imbedded 

 in the pulp of the large parietal placenta. 



1. AKEBIA. (Japanese : Akebi.') Flowers S-sepaled, nioncEcious, the 

 $ with 6 stamens and tlie 9 with 3-9 carpels, ripening (only occaaiou- 

 ally) into oblong, purplish, mottled berries (4'-6'), which split open, dis- 

 closing tlie black seeds, 



A. quinata, Decne. Leaflets 5, oval or obovate, notched at end, nearly 

 or quite evergreen. An excellent hardy climber. Flowers, spring. 

 Japan. 



2. BERBERIS, BARBERRY. (Medieval Latin name.:. The 2 sec- 

 tions have sometimes been regarded as distinct ffanera. ^Lessons. Fig. 

 308.) 



OBAT'S F, y. ft G. BOT. — 4 



