496 ORDER 74. AQTJIFOLIACE^E. 



31. PTEROSTORA, Nutt. ALBANY BEECH-DROPS. (Gr. Trrepov, a 



wing, anopd. a seed ; alluding' to the wingad seeds.) Calyx 5-parted ; 



corolla, urceolate, roundish-ovoid, the limb 5-toothed and reflexed ; 



stamens 10, anthers peltate, 2-celled, 2-awned, opening lengthwise; 



capsule 5-celled, 5-valved ; seeds very numerous, minute, winged at the 



apex. 2 Plant leafless, brownish-red. Fls. racemed, white, resembling 



those of Andromeda. 



P. andromedea Nutt. In various parts of N. Y. and Yt., rare. First discovered 

 by Dr. L\ S. C. H. Smith, near Niagara Falls, 1816. Scape 12 to 30' high, dark 

 purple, clothed with short, viscid wool Rac. 6 to 12' long, with 50 or more 

 nodding fls. Pedicels irregularly scattered, 6 to 8" long, axillary to long, linear 

 bracts. Cor. shorter than the pedicels, somewhat campanulate, open at the throat. 

 Jl. (Monotropa procera Ea.) 



ORDER LXXIV. AQUIFOLIACEJ2. HOLLYWORTS. 



Shrubs or trees, with evergreen, alternate or opposite, simple, coriaceous, exstipu- 

 late leaves. Flowers small, axillary, sometimes dioecious. Sepals 4 to 6, imbricate 

 in bud, very minute. Cor. regular, 4 6-cleft or parted, hypogynous, imbricate in 

 sestivation. Sta. inserted into the very short tube of the corolla and alternate with 

 its segments. Anth. adnate. Ova. free from the calyx, 2 6-celled, with a solitary, 

 suspended ovule in each cell. Fr. drupaceous, with 2 6 stones or nucules. Albu- 

 men large, fleshy. 



Genera 11, opecif.s 110, natives of America and S. Africa, only one, Ilex the Holly. Ilex aqui- 

 folium, which gives name to the Order, being found in Europe. 



Properties. The bark and leaves of Prinos verticillatus (black alder) are eminently astringent 

 and tonic, as well as those of the Holly. The berries are emetic and purgative. The leaves of 

 Priuos glaber, and Ilex Paraguensis are used for tea, the latter well known as the Mate or Para- 

 guay Tea. 



The idea of uniting the two genera Ilex and Prinos was advanced by Dr. Win. Baldwin, in 

 1316 (" Reliquiae," p. 341) in consequence of discovering some of the deciduous species of Hex 

 which be at first mistook for Prinos. The suggestion has since been repeated by several authors, 

 and at length Prof. Gray (Manual, p. 263) includes both under one name (Ilex). The two groups, 

 however, seem to us quite as distinct as Gaylussacia and Vaccinium; and moreover, Nemo- 

 panthes is intermediate. 



GENERA. 



Habitually tetramerous. Drupe with 4, bony, sulcate nutlets ILEX. 1 



Habitually tetramerous. Drupe with 4, horny, smooth nutlets NKMOPANTIIES. 2 



Habitually hexamerous. Berry with 6 (7, 8) smooth, cartilaginous seeds PRINOS. 3 



1. ILEX, L. HOLLY. (The ancient name of the Holm Oat, the 

 derivation uncertain.) Fls. 4 (rarely 5)-parted, mostly perfect but many 

 abortive ; calyx 4-toothed, persistent ; corolla of 4 obtuse petals distinct 

 or scarcely united at base ; stamens 4 ; stigmas 4, or united into one ; 

 drupe red, with 4 bony nutlets, ribbed and furrowed on the convex 

 back. Lvs. alternate. Fls. small, white, lateral, single or clustered. 



Trees evergreen the leaves armed with spinous teeth No. 1 



Shrubs evergreen the leaves unarmed, serrate or entire Nos. 2 t 



Shrubs deciduous, the leaves thin, serrate or entire Nos. 5 7 



1 I. opaca L. AMERICAN HOLLY. Arborescent ; Ivs. oval, acute, with strong, 

 spiuous teeth, coriaceous smooth, and shining, fascicles lax, peduncles compound ; 

 cal. teeth acute ; drupe ovate, nutlets 5-ribbed on the back. A tree of middle 

 size, quite generally diffused throughout the U. S., from Mass, to G-a. and La. 

 It is chiefly interesting for its foliage, which is of an exceedingly rich, shining, 

 perennial green. Fls. in scattered clusters at the base of the new branchlets, 

 and the fertile ones are succeeded by red berries, which remain until late in 

 Autumn. Jn. 



j3. Lvs. mostly entire, a few of them with a single spinous tooth towards tho 

 apex. Macon, G-a., &c. Lvs. exactly oval, very different from I. Dahoon. 



