•20 



A SYNOPSIS OF THE PLANT KINGDOM 



K\in wixhH is of use in the crafls. Tho nuuilasinous 

 bark of slipporyclm ( (Vmii-s/H/iyi) is iisi'il for povilliccs 

 and (x>uglis. The fragrant wood of Planera Abelicca of 

 Cit>to is fulso sandalwood. 



Then' :ux' st-voral Roncra in cultivation in Aniorioa. 

 Among these art>: Apliaiiantlu", ornaiiiintal; Celtis (Net- 

 tle TrvH'. Haekberry, -Sugarberry ), hardy, ornajiiental; 

 Planera (Water Elm), ornamental; riiinis (l';i]ii), orna- 

 mental, and for timber; Zelkova, orniuneutal. 



"i7. Moracese (from the genus Moni.'<, the cla-ssical 

 name*. Mulbkrry Family. Fig. U>. Herbs, .';hrub.'!, or 

 trees, sometimes climbing: juice milky: leaves alternate: 

 flowers dia?cious or monoxMous, regular, small, mostly 

 in heads or spikes, or lining the hollow [>yriform fleshy 

 axis of the inflorescence (Ficus); perianth single, of 4, 

 rarely 2-6, imbricated parts, more or less united ,ind 

 fleshy in the pistillate flower; stamens of the same num- 

 ber and opposite the sepals, usually indexed in the bud 

 and elastic; ovary superior, sessile or stipitate, 1-celled, 

 l-ovuletl; the ovule suspended, aniphitropous, rarely 



16. Fagace.c: 1. Quercos, a, male flowers; 6. female flower; 

 e, diagram female flower; d, fruit. 2. Castanea, a, diagram female 

 flower; 6, involucre and 3 fruits. Ulmack.«: 3. Ulmus, a, flower; 



6, fniit. MoHACE.t:: 4. Morus, a, male flower; b, fruit. 5. Humu- 

 lus. a, female flower; 6, vertical section fruit. C. C'udrania, pi.Htil. 



7. Ficu."*. vertical section female inflorescence (for explanation of 

 letters see Fig. 1-5). 



basal; stigmas 1-2: fruit an achcne or drupe envel- 

 oped by the fleshy perianth, or on a fleshy gyno- 

 pnore, or composed of achenes in a fleshy hollow com- 

 mon receptacle. 



Moracea contains 55 genera and about 950 species, 

 mostly of tropical distribution, 6 species of which are 

 native in the ea.ilem United Statas. 'I"he largest genus is 

 Fictis with WX) species. The family is fre(|ueritly miited 

 with the T'rticacea; and differs from that family only 

 in the presence of milky juice, in the two stigmas, and 

 in the iwually suspended .seed. From the Uimacese it 

 differs in the inflexed elastic stamens 



The fruit of the black mulberry IMnrus nigra) has 

 been eaten .since earliest times. Those of M. rubra (red 

 mulberrj'), and M. alhn are also used for foofl. The 

 brea/l fruit (Arlorarfms incUa) of the South Sea 

 Islands is now cultivated for food everywhere in the 



tropics. The leaves of Morus indica are eaten in India; 

 t.lK)se of M. ruhra in America. M. scrmla is cultivated 

 for fodder. The flg is (he fleshy receptacl(^ of the inflo- 

 rescence of Ficiis ('(irira. For the structure and pollina- 

 tion of this renuu'k;il)le iilant see Kerner and ()liver's 

 "N;itur;d History of Plants." The leaves of Morus are 

 diuretic and [inlhelmintic. The iu'wi; o( A iiUiiris toxi- 

 cariii IS used l)v the .lavanese to poison arrows. Ilopa 

 .are used in medicine, lUso to fkivor beer. Hashi.sh, 

 bhang or Cannabis indica is obtained from Cannabis 

 saliva, and is much used in the East as a narcotic to 

 chew and smoke like o])iuiu. The fibers of ('. saliva are 

 hemp. The bark of Hrou.s.sonctia furnishes clothing to 

 the South Sea Islanders. The wood of Madura auran- 

 tiaca is flexible; the yellow juiiv of the fruit of this 

 plant was u.sed by t,he Indi:ins to paint t,heir faces. 

 Cuilrania jaimni iisis yields :i dye. The milky juice of 

 Ficuji elaalica and other species yiekl commercial rub- 

 ber. F. indica is a banyan tree of India. F. religi- 

 osn is the sacrerl fig. The li>aves of various species of 

 mulberry are u.sed to feed silkworms. Shellac is ob- 

 tained from a small hemijjterous insect which lives on 

 F. larcift-ra and F. rcligiosa in India. 



Several genera are in cultivation in America, the 

 majority in the far South. Among these are: Arto- 

 carpus (Bread F'ruit, Jack Fruit), cultivated in the 

 West Indies and in botiinical gardens; Brosimum 

 (Bread Nut), tropical; Broussonetia (Paper Mul- 

 berry), ornamental, semi-hardy; Caimabis (Hemp), 

 grown for fiber or ornament; Cudraiiia, grown for 

 hedges; l''icus (Fig, India Rubber Plant, Banyan 

 Tree, Creeping Fig, Peepul Tree), grown in warm re- 

 gions and in the greenhouses; Hamulus (Hops), grown 

 for the fruit; Alaclura (Osage Orange), for hedges; 

 Morus (Mulberry), for fruit, and leaves for silkworms, 



58. Urticacese (from the genus Urtica, the classical 

 Latin name of the plant, signifying lo bunt). Nettle 

 FAMn.,v. Fig. 17. Herbs, shrubs or trees, rarely climb- 

 ing: leaves alternate or opposite: flowers unisexual, 

 regular; perianth single, rarely 0, usually green, con- 

 sisting of 4-5, rarely 2-3, separate or united parts, im- 

 bricated or valvate; stamens as many, and opposite 

 the segments, inflexed and uncoiling elastically; ovary 

 sessile, or pedicelled, or rarely united with the perianth, 

 1-celled, 1-ovuled; style 1; stigma feathery: fruit an 

 achene or drupe; seeds basal, orthotropous; embryo 

 straight. 



The 41 genera and about 475 species are mainly 

 tropical, a few in North America and fewer in Europe. 

 The largest genus is Pilea, with 100 species. The family 

 is very closely related to the Moracea; and Ulmacese, 

 with which it was formerly united. The apetalous 

 anemophilous flowers, with elastic stamens opposite 

 the sepals, and the 1-celled ovary, with a single basal, 

 orthotropous seed, are distinctive. Many of the Urti- 

 caccuE are covered with stinging hairs containing formic 

 acid. The common nettles are examples. Cystoliths 

 are common in the leaves. 



Parictaria diffusa and P. erecta contain niter, and 

 have been used as diuretics. Nettles were used by 

 doctors to flog patients in order to produce a counter 

 irritation of the skin, a practice called "urtication." 

 Other species have been used locally as medicine. 

 Laporlea slimulans h;is been used as a fish-jjoison. The 

 bast fibers of many species are useful; e.g., Urtica dioica, 

 U . cannabinn , Laportea canadensis, and especially the 

 ('hina grass or ramie (Bahmeria niwa). The fibers of 

 this kittcr h.ave longbet'n u.sed in the Netherlands. The 

 young foliage of many llrticacea; is used as spinach. 

 The tuberous root of PouzoUia luberosa is eaten. 



The following an; in cultivation in America; three of 

 them are ornamental: Pellionia, a greenhouse creeper; 

 Pilea (Artillery Plant), a garden and greenhouse plant; 

 and Urera, a greenhouse shrub. The other genus, 

 Urtica (Nettle), is grown for fiber, and Boehmeria 

 occurs occasionally in cultivation. 



