ORDER 42. CELASTRACE^E. 289 



ginate scale above the base ; the 2 lower remote from the stamens, 

 their scales crested ; stamens 8, unequal ; style trifid ; capsule mem- 

 branous, inflated. Climbing herbs with biternate Ivs. Lower pair of 

 pedicels changed to tendrils. 



C. Haliacabum L. Plant nearly glabrous ; Ifts. ovate-lanceolate, inciscly lobed and 

 dentate; fr. pyriform-globous, large, bladder-like. Native on the Missouri and 

 its branches, Torr. & Gr. Naturalized in the Western States, Mead. A curious 

 vine, 4 to Gf in length, with remarkably, large, inflated, membranous cap- 

 sules. Jl. 



4. STAPHYLEA, L. BLADDER-NUT. (A Greek word, meaning a 

 cluster of grapes ; from the form of the fructification.) Fls. ; calyx 

 of 5, colored, persistent sepals ; petals and stamens 5 ; styles 3 ; cap- 

 sules 2 to 3-celled, thin, and inflated ; seeds not ariled. Shrubs with 

 opposite, 3 to 7-foliatc Ivs. and caducous stipules. 



S. trifolia L. Lvs, ternate ; rac. pendulous ; pet. ciliate below ; fr. ovate. A hand- 

 some shrub, 6 to 8f high, in moist woods and thickets, Can. to Car. and Tenn. 

 Lfts. oval-acuminate, serrate, pale beneath, with scattered hairs. Fls. white, very 

 elegant, in a short, drooping raceme. The most remarkable feature of the plant 

 is its large, inflated capsules, which are 3-sided, 3-parted at top, 3-celled, contain- 

 ing several hard, small nuts or seeds, with a bony, smooth and polished testa. 

 May. 



ORDER XLII. CELASTRACE^E. STAFF TREES. 



Shrubs with simple leaves alternate or opposite, with flowers small, regular, 4 or 

 5-merous, perigynous, sepals and petals both imbricated in aestivation, star$,ens alter- 

 nate with the petals and inserted on a disk which fills up the bottom of the calyx; 

 carpels 2 to 5, styles united. (Fig. 460.) Fruit free from the calyx with 2 to 5 cells. 

 Seeds ariled, few, albuminous. 



An order closely related to the last, embracing about 80 genera and 200 species, chiefly inhab- 

 iting the temperate zone of each hemisphere. They possess acrid and bitter properties, some- 

 times emetic and stimulant. 



i. CELASTRUS, L. STAFF-TREE. Flowers often imperfect; calyx 

 flat, of 5 united sepals ; corolla spreading, of 5 sessile petals ; capsule 

 subglobous, or 3-angled, 3-celled ; seeds with an arillus, 1 to 2 in each 

 cell. Climbing shrubs, with alternate, deciduous Ivs. and minute, de- 

 ciduous stipules. 



C. scandens L. Unarmed; st. woody, twining; Ivs. oblong, acuminate, serrato; 

 rac. terminal; fls. dioecious. A climbing shrub in woods and thickets, the stems 

 twining about other trees or each other, ascending to a great height. Lvs. alter- 

 nate, stipulate, petiolate, smooth. Fls. in small racemes, greenish white. Sds. 

 covered with a scarlet aril, and contained in a 3-valved capsule, continuing upon 

 the stem through the winter. Jn. 



3. EUONYMUS, Tourn. SPINDLE TREE. (Gr. ev, good, ovo^d, 

 name.) Flowers perfect; calyx flat, of 5 (sometimes 4 or 6) united 

 sepals; corolla flat, inserted on the outer margin of a glandular disk; 

 stamens 5, with short filaments ; capsule colored, 5-angled, 5-celled, 

 5-valvcd; seeds ariled. Shrubs erect or trailing, with opposite, ser- 

 rate Ivs. 

 1 B. atropurpfcreus Jacq. SPINDLE TREE. BURNING BUSH. Branches smooth ; 



Ivs. elliptic-ovate, petiolate, acuminate, finely serrate, puberulent beneath; ped. 



compressed, many-flowered; fls. usually 4-merous; capsule smooth, lobed. A 



smooth shrub, 4 to 1 Of high, in shady woods, U. S., E. of the Miss. Lvs. 2 to 5' 



19 



