MANUAL OF NATURAL HISTORY. 489 



able for the extreme causticity of their 

 juice 



8. FAMILY. Antidesmads (Stilaginacese). Trees or 

 shrubs ; leaves alternate, stipulate ; flowers 

 minute, in axillary, scaly spikes ; perianth 

 2- 3- 5-partite ; stamens two or more, arising 

 from a swollen receptacle ; filaments capillary ; 

 anthers 2-lobed, cells vertical, opening trans- 

 versely ; ovary 1-2-celled ; ovules two, pen- 

 dulous, anatropal; stigma sessile, 3-5-toothed; 

 fruit drupaceous ; embryo straight, albu- 

 minous ; radicle superior. Natives of the 

 East Indies and of Madagascar. 



VIII. ORDER. AMENTALS (Amentales). 



Flowers in catkins, achlamydeous or monochla- 

 mydeous ; carpels superior; embryo small; albumen 

 little or none. 



1. FAMILY. Oleasters (Elseagnacese). Trees or 

 shrubs ; leaves alternate or opposite, exstipu- 

 late ; flowers axillary, in catkins or panicles, 

 rarely bisexual ; 'male /Lowers amentaceous, 

 with 2-4 leaves forming the perianth ; sta- 

 mens 3- 4- 8 ; anthers introrse ; female and 

 hermaphrodite flowers, perianth tubular ; 

 ovary 1 -celled ; ovule solitary, ascending, 

 anatropal ; style short ; stigma subulate, glan- 

 dular ; fruit a crustaceous achsenium, enclosed 

 within the enlarged succulent perianth ; ra- 

 dicle inferior. Occur throughout the entire 

 northern hemisphere. 



T 5 



