Classification of Plants 



321 



Order SAPINDACE^. 



Flowers regular, or often zygomorphic, with the ovary at 

 one end of a boat-shaped flower, and a disk at one 

 side of the ovary, between the stamens and petals. 

 The flowers are perfect or dioecious. The staminodes 

 in the pistillate flowers are often so well developed as 

 to be taken for perfect stamens. Stamens 4 to 10, 

 more or less united at the base. Ovary usually a 

 few-seeded capsule. Leaves alternate, simple, or 

 compound, frequently stipulate. Trees, shrubs, or 

 half shrubs. 



Aitonia. Dear to the children's hearts is the H stame'iis 

 " Christmas Tree " of the Oudtshoorn, Uitenhage, and P' 5 . 1 ' 1 

 and Albany districts. Flowers more or less regular, ( F r o ni 

 t. with 8 monadelph- 



ous stamens bending 

 toward one side of 

 the flower. The 

 scalloped disk is 

 surrounded by the 

 stamens. Flowers purple. 



Of even more interest 

 than the flowers are the gay 

 clusters of balloon-like fruits, 

 hanging purple and yellow 

 and red among the narrow 

 evergreen leaves. Such bright 

 little lanterns are just the 

 thing for lighting' Christmas 

 trees. The simple, entire 

 leaves come from clusters of 

 dwarf cushion-like branches. 



Melianthus may be mis- 

 taken for Aitonia from the 

 similarity of the inflated fruit, 

 but the leaves are compound, 

 FIG. 29 8.-AXon^c<,?eHsis, L./. (the the pet j o i e usually winged 



21 



Edmonds 

 and Mar- 

 1 o t h ' s 

 "Elemen- 

 tary Bot- 

 any for 

 South Af- 

 rica".) 



