202 SYSTEMATIC BOTANY. 



Menisperms. From the former they differ in their diclinous flowers, 

 monadelphous stamens, sutural dehiscence of the anthers, and more 

 numerous ovaries. From the latter they differ in their more numerous 

 ovules and small embryo in copious solid perisperm. Illustrative Genera : 

 Hollboellia, Wall. ; Stauntonia, DC. ; Lardizabala, Ruiz et Pav. 



The species are mostly from the cooler parts of Asia and South 

 America. The berries of some are edible. Hollboellia and Stauntonia 

 (Nepal) have been introduced as greenhouse evergreen climbers, and are 

 hardy in the south of England. 



SCHIZANDRACE^E form a small family regarded by Bentham and 

 Hooker as a tribe of Magnoliacete, from which they differ merely in their 

 climbing habit, exstipulate leaves, diclinous flowers, and fleshy 2 3-seeded 

 carpels. Illustrative Genera : Kad-sura, Juss. ; Schizandra, L. C. Rich. 



The species belong to India, Japan, and the S. United States. They 

 are insipid and mucilaginous. Schizandra coccinea (North America) is a 

 handsome greenhouse plant ; Sphcerostema (Nepal) has been introduced 

 in stoves. 



SABIACE/E are a small Order of East-Indian plants, related to the 

 Anacardiacese, and particularly to the Menispermacea3, in the circum- 

 stance that the sepals, petals, stamens, and ovaries are all superposed to 

 each other, but they have 5-merous hermaphrodite flowers and a syncar- 

 pous pistil. By Bentham and Hooker they are placed near Sapindaceee. 



BERBERIDACE^E. THE BEEBEEEY OEDEE. 

 Coh. Ranales, Benth. et Hook. 



Diagnosis. Shrubs or herbs, with regular hermaphrodite flowers, with 

 the sepals and petals both imbricated in the bud in 2 or more circles of 

 2-4 each (fig. 343) ; hypogynous stamens as many as the petals and 

 superposed to them ; anthers opening by 2 recurved valves. Carpel soli- 

 tary, free ; fruit baccate or dry ; embryo straight in perisperm. Illustra- 

 tive Genera : Berberis, L. ; Epimedium, L. 



Affinities, &c. To Ranunculacere this Order is related closely by Jeffer- 

 sonia and Podophyllum. Epimedium allies the order to Fumariacese. The 

 apparent superposition of parts is here due to 

 the decussation of whorls (tig. 343). The con- Fig. 343. 



nexion with the Anonacese through Bocayea has 

 been referred to above. They differ from Meni- 

 sperms, to which their floral arrangements ally 

 them, in their heniaphrodite flowers and small 

 embryo. The remarkable mode of dehiscence 

 of the anthers connects this Order in that respect 

 with Lauraceae and Atherospermaceee among the 

 Monochlamydese. Caulophyllum thalictroides a D . of 

 North- American plant, is interesting from the medium-, a, a, bracteoles. 

 development of its fruit: the pericarp dehisces 



very early, and the two seeds burst out and ripen into naked berry-like 

 bodies with a succulent testa. The leaves of these plants are simple or 



