CLASSIFICATION OF ANGIOSPERMS. 627 



mintic properties, as also that of certain species of Rhipsalis and 

 Opuntia. A caoutchouc-like exudation is obtained from Opuntia 

 vulgaris and other species of Opuntia growing- in the West Indies. 

 An astringent principle is found in the root and bark of Opuntia 

 Kanvinskiana of Mexico. A tragacanth-like gum is found in 

 Peireskia Guacamacho of Venezuela, Opuntia rubescens of Brazil 

 and O. Tuna of the West Indies, Mexico and South America. An 

 alcoholic beverage is made by the Indians of Sonora from the 

 fruit-juice of Ccrcus Thunbergii. 



A number of species of Opuntia yield edible fruits. The 

 PRICKLY PEAR is the fruit of Opuntia Tuna growing in the West 

 Indies and tropical America ; INDIAN FIG is derived from Opuntia 

 Ficus-Indica growing in Southern Europe, particularly Sicily; a 

 fruit also known as 'Prickly pear or Indian fig is derived from 

 Opuntia vulgaris, a common Cactus growing in sandy soil in the 

 Eastern United States. The COCHINEAL INSECT which is official 

 under the name of coccus in a number of pharmacopoeias (Coccus 

 Cacti) feeds upon various of the Cactacecc, more especially the 

 Nopal plant, Nopalea (Opuntia} coccinellifera, a native of Mex- 

 ico and Peru. (See Kraemer, Amer. Jour. Pharm., 1913, p. 344.) 



XXII. ORDER MYRTALES OR MYRTIFLOR^E. 



The plants are herbs or shrubs with complete flowers, rarely 

 apetalous, producing one or more ovules in each loculus. 



a, THYMEL.EACE^ OR MEZEREUM FAMILY. The 

 characters of this family are illustrated by the Spurge laurel or 

 Mezereon (Daphne Mezercum), which is a small shrub about I M. 

 high, with oblong-lanceolate, acute, entire, sessile leaves, and small 

 groups of fragrant flowers, the perianth tube of which is purplish- 

 red or white. The fruit is an ovoid, reddish drupe. The bark of 

 Daphne Mezereum and other species of Daphne is used in 

 medicine. 



The bark of Funifera utilis of Brazil contains a vesicating 

 principle. A principle with similar properties is found in the 

 bark of Leather wood (Dirca palustris) of the Eastern United 

 States and Canada. The fruit and leaves of Gnidia carinata of 

 Cape Colony contain emetic and drastic principles. A poisonous 

 principle is found in Pimelca trichostachya of Australia. A 



