A SYNOPSIS OF THE PLANT KINC.DOM 



so species. Tlie family is related to the Seropluilari- 

 acex; but the peculiar fruit witli winded seeds and the 

 alwenee of eiuiospernl are distinctive. 'I'lie elimbing 

 sjwcies may or may not lia\e foliar tendrils. These, 

 when present, terminate in adherent disks. The woody, 

 tropical, dimhing Hinnoniacea" are fiuned for the 

 peculiar cjunhiuin growth which produces secondary 

 thickening of such a nature as to give to the cross- 

 section very oild and very diverse patterns, some of 

 which are ahnost geometrical in their regularity. The 

 wiKid in these patterns may be either divided into 

 four wedges at right angles to eadi otlier, or four 

 winlges may be superimposed on a smaller circle of 

 wiKni, or the wedges may be di\ided toward the 

 periphery into peculiar finger-like portions, or there 

 may be concentric rings of wood. 



Catalpa anil Tecoma have been used in medicine 

 but are not officinal. Caraboa (Jaaininda Copaiii) 

 contains an aromatic resin of the odor of coumarin. 

 Many arc orniunental plants with large, handsome 

 flowers. 



About 20 genera are in cultivation in North America, 

 all :is orniunental plants. Among these are: Bignonia 

 (Trumpet Flower, Cross Vine, Quarter Vine), mostly 

 greenhouse climbers; Catalpa, semi-hardy or hardy 

 trees; Chilopsis (Desert Willow, Flowering Willow, 

 Mimbres) cultivated in the South; Crescentia (Cala- 

 bash Tree), cultivated South. Others are Carapsis 

 (Trumpet Creeper, T. Vine, T. Honeysuckle); Tecoma 

 (Yellow Elder); Pandorea (Wonga-Wonga Vine; Bower 

 Plant of Australia); Tecomaria (Cape Honeysuckle, 

 climbing or erect shrubs or trees, cultivated mostly 

 in the South, only one of which is fully hardy North. 



200. Pedaliacese (from the genus PedaUum, signify- 

 ing a rudder, in reference to the winged angles of the 

 fruit). Ped.^liv.mF.^.mily. Fig. .52. Herbs, rarely shrubs, 

 covered with pecuhar slime-secreting glands: leaves 

 opposite, or alternate above: flowers bisexual, irregular; 

 calyx 5-cleft ; corolla 5-lobed, gamopetalous, more or 

 less cur\-ed but indistinctly if at all 2-hppcd; stamens 

 4, didynamous, often with an extra staminodium, sub- 

 epipetalous; hypogynous disk inequilateral; ovary su- 

 perior or rarely inferior, 2-4-celled or falsely 1-celled; 

 style 1; stigmas 2-4: fruit a capsule, or a hard indehis- 

 cent structiu-e which is often covered with stiff or 

 hooked spines or wings; seeds 1 to several, attached to 

 central placenta;. 



In this fiimih' are 14 genera and about 50 species, of 

 tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Arabia, 

 farther India, Ceylon, Australia, and East Indies. 

 They are mostly strand or xerophytic plants. The 

 family is most closely relateil to the Scrophulariacea-, 

 and to the Martyniacea', with which latter family it 

 is often united. The peculiar slime-glands, the queer 

 fruit, and the axial seeds are important characters. 



The seeds of Sesamnm imliruin yield an oil called 

 benne oil or oil of sesame, which is used as ff)od after 

 the manner of olive oil. The oil is al.so used as a cos- 

 metic and as a medicine. This plant has .been culti- 

 vated for agra in the orient, and is now cultivated in 

 other lands, the oil being used in the manufactture of 

 soap. Hfirpagophytum procumhciiH is the famous 

 grapple-plant of South Africa, the fruits of whi(^h are 

 difficult to separate from wool and clothing. The fruits 

 of s<rveral species of I'ncarina are almost as bad. A 

 mucilaginous medicinal drink is made from the leaves 

 of I'eiUilium Murex in India. These leaves are. also 

 used to thicken milk, to which they give a rich appear- 

 ance. 



The genera in cultivation in N. yVmerica are: Cera- 

 totheca, ornamental greenhouse plants, and grown in 

 Florida, with indi.stinctly hooked capsules; Se.samum, 

 grown for oil, medicine, or ornament, outdoor annual, 

 capsule not hooked, 



201. Martyniacex ffrom the genus Marlynia, in 

 honor of i^of. John Martyn of Cambridge, England). 



Mautvni.\ F'amily. Fig. 53. Annual or perennial, glan- 

 dular-hairy herbs: leaves o[)i)osite, or alternate: flowers 

 bisexual, irregular, but not bilabiate; calyx .5-cleft; 

 corolla 5-lobed, gamopetalous, hypogynous; stamens 4, 

 didynamous, rarely 2, the others staminodial, epipetal- 

 ous, alternating with the corolla-lobes; hypogynous disk 

 present, regular; ovary superior, of 2 carpels but 



S3. M.\rtyniace.e: 1. Martynia, a, flower; 6, floral diagram; 

 c, fruit. Gesneriace*i: 2. Gesneria, flower. 3. Achimenes, flora! 

 diagram. Lent]bulariace.e: 4. Ulricularia, a, part of leaf with 

 bladder; 6, fiower; c, flower diagram. Globulariace.e: 5. Glob- 

 ularia, flower. 6. Cockburnia, vertical section ovary. 



1-ceUed; placentiE parietal; ovules several; style 1; 

 stigmas 2: fruit a more or less long, curved, beaked cap- 

 sule, with a fleshy pericarp, becoming falsely 4-celled. 



About 3 genera and 10 species inliabit tropical and 

 subtropical America. One species reaches southern 

 Indiana. The family is closely related to the PedaU- 

 accEE, with which it has generally been united. The 

 horned fruit, 1-celled ovary, parietal placenta and 

 less slimy pubescence, are distinctive characters. 



The turnip-like root of Craniolaria annua, known ia 

 South America as escorzonera, is cooked with sugar 

 or eaten as a vegetable. The fruits of Martynia (or 

 Proboscidea) louisiana {M. proboscidea) are sometimes 

 used a-s pickles. 



One genus is in cultivation in this country, namely 

 Martynia (Unicorn Plant, Probo.scis Flower), of which 

 3 or 4 s])ecies are grown. The Craniolarias of the trade 

 s(!em to be Martynias. 



202. Gesneriaceae (from the genus Gesneria, named 

 after the early botanist Conrad Gesner of Zurich). 

 Gksnekia F'amily. F'ig. .53. Herbs, rarely shrubs or 

 small trees, sometimes clunbing: leaves usually oppo- 

 site or whorled, simple: flowers bisexual, irregular, 

 often bilabiate; calyx 5-parted; corolla 5-lobeil, gamo*, 

 petalous, hypogynous, often gibbous below, imbricated; 

 stamens rarely 5, usually 4 and didynamous, rarely 2, 

 the sterile usually present as staminodia, epipetalous; 

 hypogynous disk present, diverse; ovary superior or 

 inferior, of 2 carpels but 1-celled with 2 parietal pla- 

 centa, often falsely 2-4-celled; ovules numerous; style 1; 

 8tigm;is 1-2: fruit fleshy with puljiy placenta;, or cap- 

 sular, or silique-hke with twisted valves. 



