434 



ORDER MYRTACE^E, OR MYRTLE TRIBE. 



the number four predominating ; but it is not the number cha- 

 racteristic of the group. The leaves of the Myrtle and its allies 

 are characterised by the same structure as that which has been 

 noticed in the Orange (. 563), being studded closely with little 

 receptacles, which contain a volatile oil ; so that, if they be held 

 up to the light, they look as if pierced with holes closed up by 

 a green transparent substance; and if bruised they emit a 

 fragrant aromatic odour. In the common Myrtle, as in most of 

 the order, the calyx consists of five sepals, which adhere so 

 as to form a tube ; and within this, there is a corolla consisting 

 of five small petals ; the latter, however, is absent in some species. 

 Within the corolla, we find a considerable number of stamens, 

 inserted on the summit of the tube of the calyx ; their number 

 is generally a multiple of that of the sepals, and they are some- 

 times united into bundles. The ovary of the Myrtle is divided 

 into three cells, each of which contains a good many ovules ; on 

 this is mounted a single style, which ends in a very small stigma. 

 The fruit is a purple berry, very much resembling that of the 

 Fuchsia ; but it contains only three cells instead of four. 



602. In some species, however, the ovary is only two-celled, 



whilst the parts of the flower 

 are arranged in fours. This is 

 the case in the Caryophyllus^ a 

 tree of which the unripe flower- 

 buds are known as Cloves. 

 This tree is a native of the 

 Moluccas and other islands in 

 the Indian Ocean, from which 

 it has been transported to seve- 

 ral parts of the continent of 

 Asia, and also to the West 

 Indies. It is only within a 

 very limited range of climate, 

 however, that the Clove ac- 

 quires its full aromatic flavour, 

 so as to be useful as a spice ; 

 for even when grown in some of the larger islands near the 



FIG. 158. BRANCH OF CLOVE TREE, WITH 

 FLOWERS AND BUDS. 



