MERCURIALIS.] EUPUORBIACE^. 361 



diverging, stigmatic on the sides in front. Capsule small, tubercled, hispid. 

 Seeds brown, reticulate. DISTRIB. Europe, N. Africa, W. Asia. Leaves 

 boiled and eaten as a pot-herb. 



ORDER LXIX. URTICA'CEJE. 



Herbs, shrubs, or trees. Leaves opposite or alternate usually stipulate. 

 Flowers 1- rarely 2-sexual, small, green. Perianth of male 3-8-lobed or 

 3-5-partite, of female tubular or 3-5-cleft, or of a scale-like sepal. Stamens 

 as many and opposite the perianth-lobes, filaments straight with erect 

 anthers, or inflexed in bud with reversed anthers. Ovary sessile, 1- rarely 

 2-celled ; style 1 or with a capitate stigma, or styles 2 papillose ; ovules 

 solitary in the cells, erect and orthotropous, or pendulous and anatropous. 

 Fruit indehiscent. Seed pendulous or erect, albumen or fleshy, radicle 

 superior. DisTRiB. All climates; genera 108; species over 1,500. 

 AFFINITIES. With Malva'cece and Euphorbia' cece. PROPERTIES. Very 

 various. 



TRIBE I. ULME'.ffi. Flowers usually 2-sexual. Perianth 3-8-lobed or -partite. 

 Filaments slender, straight in bud. Ovary 1-2-celled, ovules pendulous. 

 Albumen 0; embryo straight. Trees. 

 Samara stalked, winged. Cotyledons flat 1. Ulmus. 



TRIBE II. URTICE'/E, Flowers 1-sexual. Perianth of male 4-5-partite, of 

 female tubular or 4-5-cleft. Filaments inflexed in bud with reversed 

 anthers. Ovary 1-celled ; style simple or ; ovule erect, orthotropous. 

 Albumen fleshy or 0; embryo straight. Herbs or shrubs. 



Leaves opposite, with stinging hairs 2. Urtica. 



Leaves alternate, with simple hairs 3. Parietaria, 



TRIBE III. CANNABINE'.ffi. Flowers dioacious, males panicled, females, 

 clustered or spicate. Perianth of male 5-partite, of female 1 scale-like 

 sepal. Filaments straight in bud. Ovary 1-celled ; styles 2, ovule pendu- 

 lous. A Ibumen fleshy ; embryo curved. 

 Stem twining. Embryo spiral 4. Humulus. 



1. UL'MUS, L. ELM. 



Trees or shrubs ; juice watery. Leaves alternate, simple, distichous, 

 oblique, scabrid ; stipules caducous. Flowers 2-sexual, fascicled, lateral. 

 Perianth campanulate, 5- rarely 4- 8- or 9-fid, imbricate in bud, persistent. 

 Stamens usually 5, filaments adnateto the perianth- tube ; anthers extrorse. 

 Ovary free, 1-2-celled ; styles 2, subulate, stigmatic on the inner face ; 

 ovule 1 in each cell, pendulous, anatropous. Fruit a 1 -seeded samara. 

 Seed pendulous, testa thin, albumen ; embryo straight, cotyledons large 

 flat or folded, radicle superior. DISTRIB. N. temp, zone ; species 16. 

 PROPERTIES. Bitter, mucilaginous, astringent. 



