212 The Horticulturist' s Rule- Book. 



StPtistiCo oi the Vegetablb Kingdom, continued, 

 esculent plants and many poisons. Here belong the potato, 

 tomato, egg-plant, red pepper, and strawberry or husk tomato ; 

 also tobacco, belladonna and nightshade. There are 66 genera 

 and from 1,200 to 1,500 species. The genus solanum alone, 

 to which the potato and egg-plant belong, contains from 700 to 

 900 species. Lycopersicum, the tomat^ genus, has lesc than a 

 half dozen speciss. 



There aro about 140 genera and 2,600 species in the Labiatae 

 01 Mint family. The order comprises a few tree-like and a few 

 climbing plants. The species are aromatic, ana most of cur 

 cultivated sweet herbs, and all the mints, belong to the family. 

 It comprises many ornamental species, among the most promi- 

 nent being species of coleus, ot which about 50 species are 

 described. 



The Nettle family or Urticaceae comprises many dissimilar 

 plants. Here belong the nettles, mulberry, fig, bread-fruit, 

 hack-berry osage-orange, elm, hemp and hop. The family has 

 in the neighborhood of 1,500 species, and the accepted genera 

 are 108. 5 elms and 2 mulberries are native to North America, 

 and 3 wild figs grow in Southern Florida. 



Five genera and about 30 species belong to the Juglandaceae 

 or Walnut family. All the hickories, 8 or 10, are natives of 

 Noith America. There are 2 walnuts and i butternut in the 

 United States. 



Cupuliierae, the Oak family, numbers 400 species and 10 

 genera. It gives us the oaks, about 300 in the world and 44 in 

 the United States ; chestnuts, beeches, hazels and filberts, 

 birches, alder, hornbeam and ironwood. The United States 

 has 2 chestnuts, i beech, about 8 birches and 6 alders. 



The Pine or Spruce family is known as the Coniferas, or 

 cone-bearing family. It includes plants of very dissimilar 

 kinds. Most of the species have needle-like and evergreen 

 leaves, but some are deciduous, and the ginkgo has broad and 

 flat leaves. There are some over 30 genera and about 300 

 species in the family. Of pines there arc about 70, and 35 of 

 them are native to the United States. 



