CELASTRINE^B.] EHAMNE^. 87 



ORDER XXII. CELASTRI'NEJE. 



Trees or shrubs, sometimes spinous or climbing. Leaves opposite and 

 alternate, simple, stipulate or not. Flowers small, cymose. Calyx small, 

 4-5-lobed, imbricate in bud, persistent. Petals 4-6, short, imbricate in 

 bud. Stamens 4-6, inserted on the flat tumid or lobed disk, filaments 

 subulate honeyed. Ovary sessile, 3-5-celled ; style entire or 3-5-fid, 

 stigmas terminal ; ovules 2 in each cell, basal, erect, anatropous, raphe 

 ventral. Fruit various, dehiscent or not. Seeds erect, usually arillate 

 (the aril produced from the exostome, an arillode], albumen fleshy or ; 

 cotyledons large, foliaceous. DISTRIB. Temp, and trop. ; genera 40 ; 

 species 400. AFFINITIES. With Ampelidece, Sapindacece, llieinece, and 

 Ehamnece. PROPERTIES. Purgative and emetic. 



1. EUON'YMUS,. SPINDLE-TREE. 



Shrubs or trees. Leaves opposite, persistent ; stipules caducous. 



Flowers small, in axillary cymes, proterandrous. Calyx 4-6 -fid. Petals 



and stamens 4-6, inserted on a broad, fleshy, 4-6-lobed disk. Ovary 



confluent with the disk, 3-5-celled ; style short, stigma 3-5-lobed. 



Capsule 3-5-lobed and celled, angled or winged, loculicidal, cells 1-2- 



seeded. Seeds with a complete arillode, albumen fleshy ; embryo straight. 



DISTRIB. Temp. Europe, Asia, and 1ST. America ; species 40. ETYM. 



Euonyme, mother of the Furies, the fruit being reputed poisonous. 



E. europse'us, L. ; leaves ovate- or oblong-lanceolate serrulate. 



Copses and hedges, &c., from Eoxburgh southd. ; rare in Scotland ; local in 



Ireland ; fl. May-June. A glabrous foetid shrub or tree, 5-20 ft. ; bark grey, 



smooth, twigs 4-angled green. Leaves 1-4 in., acute or acuminate ; petiole 



short. Cymes dichotomous, 5-10-fld. ; peduncles 1-2 in. Flowers f in. diam., 



greenish white, polygamous. Capsule % in. deeply 4-lobed, pale crimson ; 



arillode orange. DISTHIB. Europe to the Caucasus, N. Africa, W. Siberia. 



Wood hard and tough, used for fine gunpowder, spindles, &c. 



ORDER XXIII. RHAM'NEJE. 



Trees or shrubs, often spiny, erect or climbing. Leaves simple, alter- 

 nate or opposite, often 3-5-nerved ; stipules small. Flowers small, some- 

 times unisexual, green or yellow. Calyx-tube coriaceous ; lobes 4-5, 

 triangular, valvate in bud. Petals 4, 5, or 0, inserted on the throat of 

 the calyx, minute, usually clawed, hooded. Stamens 4-5, inserted with 

 and opposite the petals which often enclose them, filaments subulate ; 

 anthers small, versatile. Disk large, annular, cupular or coating the 

 calyx-tube. Ovary 3-celled, sessile or sunk in the disk, free or adnate 

 to the calyx-tube ; styles short, simple or 3-lobed, stigmas terminal ; 

 ovules 1 in each cell, basal, erect, anatropous, raphe usually ventral. Fruit 

 various, free or girt with the calyx-tube. Seeds compressed, sometimes 

 arillate, albumen fleshy or ; embryo large, often green, cotyledons plano- 

 convex. DISTRIB. Chiefly in warm and temp, regions ; genera 37 ; species 



