NETTLE FAMILY. 



291 



ORDER LXIV. URTICA'CEJS. (NETTLE FAMILY.) 



Herbs, shrubs or trees, with stipules and monoecious, dioecious or sometimes perfect flowers, 

 having a regular calyx, free from the 1-celled (rarely 2-celled) ovary, which forms a 1- 

 seeAed fruit. Embryo in the albumen, when this is present ; radicle pointing upwards. 

 Stamens as many as the lobes of the calyx and opposite to them, or sometimes fewer. 



A comprehensive and very important Order, containing plants of various, and, in some 

 instances, of remarkably dissimilar aspect and properties ; such as the Nettle and the 

 Mulberry the bitter Hop and the luscious Fig the nutritious Bread-fruit (Artocarpus 

 incisa, L. f.) and the deadly Upas (Antiaris toxicaria, Leschen). The celebrated Cow-tree 

 or Palo de Vaca fBrosimum Galactodendron, Don.), of South America, " which yields a 

 copious supply 01 rich and wholesome milk," belongs to this Order ; as also does the yel- 

 low dye-wood, called Fustic (Maclura tinctoria, Don) and the wide-spreading Banyan- 

 tree (Ficus religiosa, L.), of India. A species of Ficus (F. elastica, Roxb.) also yields 

 Caoutchouc, or Gum elastic. 



We follow Doctor Gray in the arrangement of this Order ; he places as sub-families of 

 this, several which have been considered as families. 



1. ELM SUB-FAMILY. 



Trees with watery juice, alternate leeaves and perfect or monoeciously polygamous flowers. 



Styles or stigmas 2. Fruit a samara or drupe. Seed suspended. 



Flowers mostly perfect. Anthers extrorse. Ovary 2-celled, 2-ovuled. 



Fruit 1-celled, dry, winged. 1. ULMUS. 



Flowers polygamous. Anthers introrse. Ovary 1-celled. 



Fruit a small drupe. 2. CELTIS. 



2. BREAD-FRUIT AND FIG SUB-FAMILY. 



Trees or shrubs with milky or colored juice and alternate leaves ; monoe- 

 cious or dioecious flowers, in catkin-like heads or spikes, the parts of 

 the fertile ones becoming fleshy in fruit, or both kinds in a fleshy 

 receptacle. Styles 1-2. Ovary 1- (rarely 2-) celled, ripening as a dry 

 akene. Inner bark often tough and fibrous. 

 Flowers minute, enclosed in a pear-shaped receptacle which is pulpy 



when ripe. 

 Flowers monoecious ; both kinds in separate catkin-like spikes, the calyx 



&c. , becoming berry-like in fruit. Stamens 4, styles 2. 

 Flowers dioecious ; the fertile ones collected in a close round head, 



which is fleshy in fruit. 

 Sterile flowers in spikes. Unarmed. 

 Sterile flowers in racemes. Branches spiny. 



3. Ficus. 



4. MORUS. 



5. BROUSSONETIA. 



6. MACLORA. 



3. NETTLE SUB-FAMILY. 



Herbs with a watery juice, a tough fibrous bark, and opposite or alternate 



leaves. Flowers monoecious or dioecious in spikes, racemes, &c. , not in 



catkins. Ovary 1-celled, forming an akene in fruit. Stylel. Stamens 



as many as the sepals. 



Sepals 4, in both sterile and fertile flowers. 



Plant beset with stinging bristles. 



7. URTICA. 



4. HEMP SUB-FAMILY. 



Herbs with a watery juice, a tough fibrous bark and mostly opposite 

 lobed or divided leaves. Flowers dioecious ; the sterile in panicles or 

 racemes, with 5 sepals and 5 stamens ; the fertile crowded, with only 

 one sepal which embraces the ovary. Stigmas 2, long. 

 Erect, annual. Fertile flowers in spiked clusters. 

 Leaves 5 -7 divided. 



Twining from a perennial root. Fertile flowers in short membranace- 

 ous catkins. Leaves 3 -5-lobed. 



8. CANNABB. 



9. HUMULUS. 



