574 



THYMELEACEAE. 



VOL. II. 



Family 94. THYMELEACEAE Reichenb. Consp. 82. ^1828. 

 MEZEREUM FAMILY. 



Shrubs or trees (rarely herbaceous), with tough fibrous or reticulated inner 

 bark, and simple entire exstipulate leaves. Flowers fascicled, capitate, racemose, 

 or rarely solitary, regular, mostly perfect. Calyx inferior, its tube cylindric or 

 urn-shaped, 4~5-lobed or entire. Petals none in our genera, present in many 

 exotic ones. Stamens borne on the calyx, twice as many as its lobes, or rarely 

 fewer, often in two series; filaments long or short; anthers erect, 2-celled, the 

 sacs longitudinally dehiscent. Ovary i-celled, i-ovuled (2-celled and 2-ovuled 

 in some Asiatic and Australasian genera); ovule anatropous, pendulous; style 

 short or elongated ; stigma terminal, mostly capitate. Fruit a berry-like drupe in 

 our plants. Seed-coat mostly crustaceous; embryo straight; cotyledons fleshy; 

 endosperm little or none, or copious in some exotic genera. 



About 37 genera and 425 species, widely distributed, most abundant in Australia and South 

 Africa. 



Calyx-lobes 4, large ; stamens included ; style very short. 

 Calyx-limb almost wanting ; stamens and style long, exserted. 



1. Daphne. 



2. Dirca. 



i. DAPHNE L. Sp. PI. 356. 1753. 



Erect or spreading shrubs, with alternate deciduous or evergreen leaves, and small purple 

 pink or white flowers in fascicles, heads or racemes, borne in the following species at the 

 leafless nodes of twigs of the preceding season. Perianth tubular, its 4 lobes spreading. 

 Stamens 8, in 2 series on the perianth-tube, included, or the upper 4 slightly exserted; fila- 

 ments very short. Disk none. Ovary sessile or nearly so, i-celled ; style very short ; stigma 

 large, capitate. Drupe ovoid, or oblong, the calyx deciduous or persistent. [Mythological 

 name.] 



About 40 species, natives of Europe and Asia. Type species : Daphne Gnidium L. 



i. Daphne Mezereum L. Spurge Laurel. Lady 

 Laurel. Mezereon. Fig. 2993. 



Daphne Mesereum L. Sp. PI. 356. 1753. 



A shrub i-4 high, the young twigs somewhat pubes- 

 cent. Leaves thin, deciduous, oblong-lanceolate or ob- 

 lanceolate, acute or obtusish at the apex, 3'-s' long, 

 4"-io" wide, narrowed into short petioles ; flowers in 

 sessile fascicles of 2-5 at the nodes of twigs of the 

 preceding season, very fragrant, expanding before the 

 leaves or with them ; perianth-tube appressed-pubescent, 

 rose-purple or white, 6" long or less, the ovate acute 

 lobes nearly as long; drupe red, oval-ovoid. 3"-4" long. 



Escaped from cultivation, Quebec to Massachusetts, New 

 York and Ontario. Native of Europe and Asia. Spurge- 

 flax or -olive. Dwarf bay. Paradise- or mysterious plant. 

 Wild pepper. April-May. 



2. DIRCA L. Sp. PI. 358. 1753. 



Branching shrubs, with tough fibrous bark, alternate thin short-petioled deciduous leaves, 

 and yellowish flowers in peduncled fascicles of 2-4 from scaly buds at the nodes of twigs of 

 the preceding season, branches subsequently developing from the same nodes. Perianth 

 campanulate or funnelform, its limb undulately obscurely 4-toothed. Stamens 8, borne on the 

 perianth, exserted, the alternate ones longer; filaments very slender. Disk obsolete. Ovary 

 nearly sessile, i-celled; style filiform, exserted; stigma small, capitate. Drupe red, oval- 

 oblong. [Named from a fountain in Thebes.] 



Two known species, the following typical : D. occidentals A. Gray, in California. 



