MANUAL OF NATURAL HISTORY. 425 



or shrubs ; leaves alternate, stipulate ; flowers 

 in spikes ; calyx 5-cleft, with an inflated 

 tube ; petals five ; stamens episepalous ; 

 ovary 3-5-celled; styles 3-5; stigmas simple ; 

 fruit of from 3 to 5 indehiscent pieces ; co- 

 tyledons short, obtuse. A small Australian 

 family. 



4. FAMILY. Spindle-trees (Celastracese). Small 



trees or shrubs ; leaves mostly alternate, sti- 

 pules small, deciduous ; flowers in axillary 

 cymes, small, white, green, or purple, occa- 

 sionally unisexual ; sepals and petals 4-5 ; 

 imbricate ; stamens alternate with pe- 

 tals ; ovary 2-5-celled ; fruit 2-5-celled, 

 capsular or drupaceous; radicle short; coty- 

 ledons flat. Inhabit chiefly extratropical 

 countries. Found in Europe, Asia, North 

 and South America, at the Cape of Good 

 Hope, and in New Holland. 



5. FAMILY. Hippocrateads (Hippocrateacese). 



Shrubs, arborescent or climbing, almost al- 

 ways smooth ; leaves opposite, stipules small, 

 deciduous ; flowers in axillary racemes, 

 small ; sepals five, very small ; petals five ; 

 aestivation imbricate ; stamens three, mona- 

 delphous ; style one; stigma 1-3; fruit of 

 three samaroid carpels, or berried. Princi- 

 pally a South American family, but a few 

 occur in Africa, the Mauritius, and the East 

 Indies. Some yield edible fruits. 



6. FAMILY. Chailletiads (Chailletiaceae). Trees 



