U6 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



in number, and the Lythrariacece have not the intra-axillary stipules 

 of Macarisiece, The Melastomacece are also near neighbours of the 

 Lythrariacece ; but the latter have not the characteristic anthers of 

 the former. There are, moreover, in the Lythrariacece, some cha- 

 racters which, though not constant, are very frequent. These are : 

 the opposition of the leaves, the thinness of the receptacle and of the 

 disk, which is often even wanting, the consistence of the pericarp, 

 often dry, thin and dehiscent, and the absence of albumen in the 

 seeds. Other characters, less important and still more variable, are : 

 the number of parts of the flower and of the androecium, the presence 

 of striae or ribs on the receptacle, the mode of imbrication or coitu- 

 gation of the petals, the direction straight or curved of the floral 

 tube, the situation of the placentas in the internal angle or at the 

 base of the cells, the form of the fruit at maturity, naked or enve- 

 loped by the sac formed by the receptacle. On these variations are 

 based the following series, very artificial doubtless, admissible in 

 this family : 



I. Lythre^. — Trees or shrubs, with regular or irregular generally 

 hermaphrodite flowers, receptacle elongated to a tube or in form of a 

 large cup, coriaceous or herbaceous, with longitudinal ribs or striae. 

 Petals ordinarily developed, corrugate, of large size like the flowers 

 themselves. — 18 genera. 



II. Crypteronieje. — Trees or shrubs, with regular, polygamous, 

 dioecious flowers, petals none or but little developed, not corrugate, 

 receptacle a shallow cup, smooth and rather thick. Fruit free. — 2 

 genera. 



III. Ammannie^. — Herbaceous plants, generally small, creeping, 

 often aquatic. Flowers scarcely visible, petals none or small flat. 

 Receptacle membranous, without striae or ribs. — 2 genera. 



Uses. — Most authors remark, with reason, that the properties of 

 the Lythrariacece, often imperfectly determined, are extremely vari- 

 able. Some are astringent and contain tannin; others resinous 

 matter ; others again, irritant, vesicant, purgative, vomitive, or diu- 

 retic substances. Some contain a colouring principle; the flowers 



lyon, X. 201), given by the author as a new a Combretacea, Lunmitzera racemosa W. 



genus of Lythrariacece, and which appears to be ^ Endl. Eitchirid. 644. — Lindl. Veg. Kiugd. 



a Crossostylis. Pokornya of the same author 575; FL Med. 150.— Eosenth. Synops. Plant, 



{Mem. Acad. Sc. Lyon^ x. 201), referred also to Diaplior, 910. 

 the Lythranacecdf is evidently (B. H. Gen. 776) 



