EOSALES. 



531 



Africa. Some of the latter bear edible fruits. The bark of Brazilian 

 trees of the genera Licania and Couepia is said to contain such consid- 

 erable quantities of silica, that it is burnt by the natives and used in 

 the manufacture of pottery. 



Order Leguminosee. The Pulse Family. Herbs, shrubs, and 

 trees, with alternate and usually compound leaves ; flowers for the most 

 part zygoinorphic ; stamens usually twice as many as the petals ; pistil 



FIGS. 480-6. ILLUSTRATIONS op PAPILIONACKJE. 

 (480-5, Lathynts odoratus.) 



PIG. 48i. FIG. 486. 



Fig. 481. Diagram of flower. 



Fig. 4*3. Stamens and pistil. Mag. 



Fig. 480. Section of flower. Magnified. 



Fi?. 482. Calyx. Magnified. 



Fig. 484. Ripe fruit. Fis:. 485. Part of fruit, with, a seed. 



Fig. 486. Section of seed of Tetragonolobus. Magnified. 



monocarpellary and free ; seeds generally wanting an endosperm. A 

 vast order of 6500 species, distributed throughout the world. 



The species are usually disposed in three sub-orders, each containing 

 many tribes. 



Sub-Order I. Papilionacece, with zygomorphic flowers ; sta-' 

 mens generally ten, monadelphous or diadelphous. This sub-order 

 contains a large number of plants of great economic importance. 



The food plants include the Pea (Pisum sativum), the so-called English 

 Bean ( Vicia faba), the Pole Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), the Field Bean 



