2io The Horticulturist' s Rule- Book. 



Statistics of the Vegetable Kingdom, continued, 

 dyes, medicines, and ornamental plants. Many of the species 

 are extremely important in agriculture because of the great 

 amount of nitrogen which they contain. Peas, beans, clover, 

 locuscs, acacias, sensitive plant, belong in this family. It com- 

 prises about 400 genera and 6,500 species. 



The Rosaceae or Rose family may be called the fruit family 

 of the north temperate zone. Apples, pears, quinces, June- 

 berries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, peaches, plums, 

 apricots, almonds, cherries, all belong here. Prunus, which 

 includes the stone fruits, has about 80 species in various parts 

 of the world, and n are North American. Pyrus, including 

 apple, pear, quince and mountain ash, has about 40 species, of 

 which 5 are in North America. Of roses, over 250 have been 

 described, but late authorities consider that there are only 

 about 30 good species. Of strawberries, there are 3 or 4 species, 

 and of spiraea about 50. The whole family has about 1,000 

 species and 70 genera. 



Vitis, the grape and its allies, has some 230 species. There 

 are two or three other genera, and about a score of other species 

 in the family, vitaceae or ampelideae, to which it belongs. 



The Cucurbitaceae includes the squashes, pumpkins, cucum- 

 bers, melons, and gourds. The species are c.bout 500 in num- 

 ber, and are mostly tropical or sub-tropical. Some 25 species 

 are described as cucumis, to which the cucumber and musk- 

 melon belongs, and 2 as citrullus or watermelon. The pump- 

 kins and squashes belong to cucurbita, of which about 10 

 species are known, several of them perennials. The family 

 comprises about 70 genera. 



About 350 species of Begonia are known. 



Of Cacti, there are about 1,000 species and 13 genera, all 

 but one species native of the New World. 



Umbelliferae, comprising over 150 genera and about 1,300 

 species, includes the parsnip, parsley, carrot, celery, caraway, 

 anise, dill and others. In Africa some of the species a-ttain 

 the size of trees. 



