ELMAGNACEJ2. 485 



and in the female flowers it surrounds a gyngeceum formed like that 

 of the Oleasters. The fruit, too, is an achene resembling that of 

 Shepherdia or Blaagnus, with the persisting accrescent lower part of 

 the perianth forming a drupaceous indusium. 1 The two known 

 species 2 of this genus inhabit Europe and Middle Asia ; they are 

 shrubs with alternate leaves and sessile solitary flowers axillary to 

 the lower appendages of the young branches, which, as in the last 

 genus, expand at the end of the winter before the leaves are full- 



grown. 



II. AEXTOXICON SERIES. 



Aextoocicoff has dioecious flowers. The ill developed receptacle 

 bears an imbricated perianth, internal to which is an androceum 

 with a rudimentary gynreceum in the males, a pistil surrounded by 

 a sterile androceum in the females. The perianth consists of a 

 somewhat variable number of leaves, modified as follows from 

 without inwards. Outside is a rather coriaceous sac covered with 

 peltate hairs, globular in the bud, and bursting irregularly and falling 

 off on anthesis. 4 Next come five 5 imbricate 6 glabrous concave rounded 

 scarious leaves, with their ribs radiating like a fan. 7 Quite inside, 

 alternating with these last come five others, 8 much longer, narrower, 

 petaloid, tapering at the base, traversed by a thick fleshy mid- 

 rib and unequally rounded at the apex, which is imbricated 

 and crumpled in aestivation. The androceum usually consists of 



1 The inner layer of this indusium is not thick- Hook., Icon., i. t. 12. — Ende., Gen., n. 5S81.— 

 ened as in Flceagnus ; it forms a sort of sac, the Benth., in Rook. Journ. (1854), 372.— H. Bx., 

 whole of whose inside is covered with hairs, Ft. Gen. du Gr. des Euphorbiac, GOO, t. 27, 

 especially copious above. The withered style fig. 26-33. — Schlecutl., in DC. Prodr., xiv. 

 often protrudes through the mouth of this sac. 616. — A. DC, Prodr., xvi. 640. — JEgotoxicum 

 The pericarp is glabrous thin translucent, appa- Dcne., in Bull. Soc. Bof.^ v. (1858), 211; in 

 rently homogeneous, except down two vertical Ann. Sc. Nat., ser. 4, ix. 279. 



lines which are rather thickened and contain 4 This has been described as an involucre ; 



much vascular tissue. The seed is not quite free some authors, perhaps rightly, suppose it an 



from albumen, though it is only around the radi- outer perianth-leaf, more developed than the 



cle that it deserves to be so called. It is there rest; on anthesis it pretty frequently tears into 



white and fleshy, but higher up it only forms two unequal parts. 



a membrane accessory to the true seed-coats. " Wore rarely four or six. 



2 L., Spec., ed. 2, 1452.— Schkuhb, llandb., 6 Often quincuncial. 



Hi. 463, t. 321. — Scop., Fl. Carniol., ii. 261 "' They pretty commonly tear at the edges, in 



(Osyris]. — Ledeb., Fl. Boss., iii. 552. — REICHB., the intervals between the ribs. They usually 



Icon., t. 549, fig. 1165. — Don., Prodr. Fl. fall early, with the involucre. 



Nepal., 68.— Royle, III,, 323.— Loud., Encycl., s More rarely six, or four in the female 



6-J9.— Geen. & Gode., FL de Fr., iii. 69. flowers. 

 3 R. & r.w., Prodr., Fl. Per., 131, t, 29.— 



