338 LXI. ILICINE^J. 



[The above tribes are adopted from the ' Genera Plantarum ' of Bentham and Hooker, in 

 which work a fourth is added, often regarded as an order, but which is omitted in the original 

 of this book, i.e. 



TRIBE IV. PHYTOCRENE^E. Flowers and fruit of Icacincce. Embryo more developed ; 

 cotyledons broad, foliaceous or thick and fleshy. Stem climbing. Flowers dioecious. Phyto- 

 crene, Miquelia, Sarcostigma, Natsiatium, lodes. 



To this order the above authors have further appended the singular Indian and Javanese genus 

 Cardiopteris, a slender annual climbing glabrous herb with milky juice, imbricate sepals, and gamopetalous 

 five-lobed imbricate corolla. Stamens and ovary of Icacineee, but two short styles with capitate stigmas, 

 one (?) of which grows remarkably after impregnation. The one-celled superior ovary is succeeded by a 

 broadly two-winged coriaceous white fruit with a narrow central longitudinal cell containing one pen- 

 dulous seed with very minute embryo next the hilum, in a dense granular albumen. Of the two collateral 

 pendulous ovules one only is impregnated ; it consists of a naked nucleus, the embryo-sac of which is 

 exserlcd as a very slender long tube. 



About 170 species of Olacinefc are known, included in 3(5 genera ; they are dispersed over the tropical 

 and sub-tropical regions of the whole globe, but are rare in South Africa and Australia; Pennant in inhabits 

 New Zealand and extra-tropical Australia. Various species of Villarcsia advance into Chili. Fhytovrmecc 

 are tropical Asiatic and African. 



Olacinca; are so closely allied to Santalacetc and Cornacca that it is impossible to separate them by any 

 naturaj characters; and these, together with Lorantluiceoi, form one great family. Ilicincte are separated 

 from Olacinca solely by the complete cells of their ovary, Villaresia being in this respect quite intermediate. 

 C'urnaceai differ in their completely inferior ovary. 



Little is known of the properties of Olacineai. The drupes of Ximenia are eaten in Senegal, and said 

 to be sweet and aromatic, but rough to the palate. Ola.r zcyhinica has a foetid wood with a saline taste, 

 and is employed in putrid fevers ; its leaves are used as salad. The stem of Pht/tocretie is very curious, 

 being white and very porous, and discharging when cut a stream of limpid potable water. ED.] 



LXI. ILICINE^E. 



(RHAMNORUM genera, Jussieu. AQUIFOLIACE^E, D.C. ILICINE^E, Brongniart.) 



COROLLA sub-polyp <etalous or polypetalous, hypogynous, isostemonous, aestivation 

 imbricate. STAMENS inserted at the base of the petals, or on the receptacle. OVARY of 

 many \-ovuled cells. OVULES pendulous from the central angle of the cells. FRUIT a 

 drupe. EMBRYO minute, albuminous. RADICLE superior. STEM woody. 



TREES or SHRUBS with persistent or caducous leaves. LEAVES alternate or 

 opposite, simple, coriaceous, glabrous, sliming, exstipulate. FLOWERS g , or rarely 

 unisexual, small, solitary, or fascicled in the axils of the leaves, on simple peduncles, 

 sometimes branching into dichotomous cymes. CALYX 4-6-fid or -partite, persistent, 

 with obtuse segments. COROLLA inserted on the receptacle, of 5-4-3 free or nearly 

 free petals, aestivation imbricate. STAMENS 5-4-3, alternating with the petals, and 

 cohering to their base, or on the receptacle ; filaments filiform or subulate, shorter 

 than the petals ; anthers introrse, dorsally adnate, dehiscence longitudinal. OVARY 

 free, fleshy, sub-globose, 2-C-8-celled ; stigma subsessile, lobed ; ovules solitary in 

 each cell, pendulous from the top of the central angle, anatropous. DRUPE fleshy, 



