304 



SYSTEMATIC BOTANY. 



archipelago ; Storax from St. officinale in Syria j other species yield similar 

 resins. ISymplocos furnishes dyes or mordants ; the leaves of S. tinctoria 

 (Sweet-leaf, or Horse-sugar, North America) are sweet, and are eaten by 

 cattle. Halesia tetraptera, another North-American plant, is called the 

 Snowdrop tree on account of its numerous white bell-shaped blossoms. 



The following Orders, sometimes placed in this subdivision, are of 

 doubtful position, or rather their affinities are very various : OLACACE^E 

 constitute an Order of tropical trees and shrubs, often climbers, apparently 

 nearly related to Santalaceae, but having distinct, rarely united, petals 

 and a free ovary. The stamens are frequently superposed to the petals. 

 ICACINACE^E, separated from the preceding by Miers and Eichler, have 

 the stamens alternate with the petals. In both the aestivation of the 

 petals is valvate ; while CYRILLACE^E, a group of American shrubs, have 

 imbricate petals and a disk surrounding the ovary ; they are placed next 

 Aquifoliaceee by Bentham and Hooker. HUMIRIACE^E are tropical Ame- 

 rican trees or shrubs with balsamic juice, free petals, and monadelphous 

 stamens, each having an enlarged fleshy connective ; they appear to be 

 related to the Olacacese and Linaceae, having also affinities to the Styra- 

 caceae and Aurantiacese. The systematic position and, in some cases, the 

 exact limitations of these groups is unsettled ; as is also that of CANEL- 

 LACE^E, a little group of plants connected with Clusiaceae by some authors, 

 by others with Olacaceee and their allies, placed by Bentham and Hooker 

 near Bixacese and Violaceas, but more nearly allied in structure and bitter 

 aromatic properties to Magnoliaceee. 



Series 3. DICAEPI^E. 



Ovary usually superior. Stamens alternate and isoinerous with 

 the lobes of the corolla or fewer. Carpels 2, rarely 1-3. The 



typical formula isS5|P5A5G-2. 



OLEACEvE. THE OLIVE AND ASH OEDEE. 



Coh. Jasrninales, jBenth. et Hook. 



Diagnosis. Trees or shrubs with opposite and pinnate or simple leaves j 

 flowers with a 4-cleft (or sometimes 



obsolete) calyx; a regular 4-cleft or 

 nearly or quite 4-divided, hypogynous 

 corolla, the lobes of which are valvate 

 in the bud, or sometimes apetalous ; 

 stamens 2-4, mostly 2, and fewer than 

 the lobes of the corolla (figs. 408, 409) j 

 ovary 2-celled, with 2 suspended ovules 

 in each cell : fruit fleshy or capsular, 

 often 1-seeded by abortion ; seeds with 

 abundant fleshy nerisperm ; radicle su- 

 perior. Illustrative Genera : Tribe 1. 

 OLE^. Fruit fleshy. Olea, Ttiurnef. 

 Tribe 2. FEAXINE^. Fruit dry, some- 

 times samaroid. Fraxinus, Tournef. 



Fig. 408. 



Fig. 409. 



Fig. 408. Diagram of flower of Lilac 

 (Syringa) : x, bract ; a, a, 

 bracteoles. 



Fig. 409. Achlamydeous flower of Fraxi- 

 nus. 



