52 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



GENERA. 



I. PHYTOLACCEiE. 



1. Phytolacca T. — Flowers hermaphrodite or more rarely 

 dioecious (Pseudolacca) calyx 5-partite ; lobes herbaceous or 

 petaloid, in fruit subaccrescent, persistent erect or reflexed. 

 Stamens rarely 5, alternisepalous, oftener 10 alternating by pairs 

 with the sepals, or 15-30; interior 5-20 oppositisepalous ; fila- 

 ments subulate ; anthers introrse 2-locular longitudinally rimose. 

 Carpels 4, 5, verticillate, or 10, of which 5 are alternisepalous, more 

 rarely 8-15, free (Pircunia) or more or less connate at the 

 base. Styles same in number, recurved at the apex, stigmatiferous 

 within ; ovules 1 in each ovary, subbasilar ascendant campylotropous ; 

 micropylc inferior and exterior. Fruit in carpels 4-10 (or rarely more) 

 fleshy or baccate, constant, either quite free (Pircuniastrum), or at 

 the base (Pseudolacca), or thence nearly to the apex connate into a 

 depressed globose berry, costate (Euphytolacca) or ecostate (Omalopsis). 

 Seed solitary in each cell, suberect, campylotropous sublenticular, 

 glabrous ; testa crustaceous ; embryo annular peripheral, radicle de- 

 scending; cotyledons narrow incumbent; albumen central, copious 

 farinaceous. — Herbs, undershrubs or rarely shrubs, sometimes climb- 

 ing. Roots napiform or fusiform ; leaves alternate entire petiolate ; 

 flowers in terminal racemes oppositifolius or lateral; sometimes 

 erect (E/tjjl/ytolacca, Pircuniastrum) , sometimes pendulous (Pseu- 

 dolacca) or at apex nutant ; bracts 1 -flowered ; bractlets 2, inserted at 

 a greater or less height on the pedicel (All the Tropical and Sub- 

 tropical regions of the Globe). See p. 23. 



2? Ercilla A. Juss. — Flowers* nearly of Phytolacca ; calyx mem- 

 branous, finally patent. Stamens 5-10 ; carpels free, torus stipi- 

 form finally subbaccate. Other characters of Phytolacca. Glabrous 

 shrubs ; stem volubilis ; leaves alternate entire ; flowers in 

 racemes; bractlets 2, inserted at the summit of the pedicel 

 (Peru, Chili). See p. 26. 



