76 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



Id the Haloragece,^ the flower of which has many analogies mth that 

 of the Cornecej the raphe is dorsal as in the latter ; but the habit is 

 different ; the fruit, finally dry and indehiscent, 2-4-merous like the 

 ovary, and the flowers, nearly always diplostemonous,^ very often 

 polygamous or monoecious. It has been seen that we divide this 

 family into two series : — 



I. Corner. — Flowers 4, 5-merous, rarely 6-merous, hermaphro- 

 dite or unisexual, with simple or double perianth.^ Ovarian cells 

 complete and placentas axile. Seeds without aril. Inflorescence in 

 ramified or capitate cymes. — 7 genera. 



II. Garrye^.^ — Flowers 4-merous, unisexual, with simple perianth 

 (corolla ?). Ovarian cells incomplete and placentas parietal. Seeds 

 arillate. Inflorescence amentiform. — 1 genus. 



Uses.* — The plants of this family are generally rich in tannic 

 substances,^ particularly in their bark, more rarely in their leaves and 

 green fruit ; which has led to their being extolled as astringent, tonic, 

 febrifuge. This property is "especially developed in the bark of 

 Gornus florida^ (fig. 46), which, in N. America, is esteemed as equal 

 to that of the Cinchonas. Its wood, of a brown chocolate colour, is 

 of great hardness. C. mas'' (fig. 47-51), an indigenous species, with 

 precocious yellow flowers, was formerly employed as an astringent ; 

 its leaves and bark were chiefly esteemed. Its elongate, drupaceous 

 fruit ^ has a flesh at first harsh, then sweet and acidulous, also em- 



by some (B. H. Gen. 939) among the Araliacece, he connects with the HamamelidecB. 



beside Meryta, cannot be near the latter, which * Enul. Enchirid. 397. — Lindl. Veg. Eingd. 



has the raphe ventral. Decaisne places Hel- (1846)782. — KosByfrn. Si/nops.Pl.Diapkor.569. 



wingia " in relation with the Araliacece," not ^ Geigek {Ann. C/iem. und. Fharm. xiv, 266) 



very clearly, as might be expected of one who has extracted a bitter sxibstance, in needle-like 



{Bull. Soc. Bot. Fr. ii. 87) in 1855 took Folgosma crystals, called cornine or comic acid. 



for Cornece ? (See Bull. Soc. Linn. Far. 139.) ^ L. Spec. 1661.— Catesb. Carol, t. 27.— Mer. 



1 DucHARTRE {Elem. edit. 2, 1123) distin- et Del. Bid. Mat. Med. ii. 436.— Curt. Bot, 

 guishes the latter by their pluriovulate cells. Mag.i. 526. — Bigel. Med. Bot. ii. t. 28. — Guimp. 



2 The only exception is in the genus Fro- Abb. Holz. t. 19. — Rafin. Med. Bot. t. 28. — 

 serpinaca the andrcecium of which is isoste- Schm. (Estr. Baumz, ii. t. 52. — DO. Frodr. iv. 

 monous. 273, n. 14. — Lindl. Fl. Med. 81 {Bogivoodbark). 



^ Garryace<B Lindl. Bot. Reg. t. 1686; Veg. 7 L. Spec. 171. — Sibth. Fl. Grcec. t. 151. — 



Kwgd. (1846) 295, Ord. 97.— Endl. Gen. 288. Turp. Diet. Sc. Nat. Atl. t. 103.— DC. Frodr. n. 



Decaisne wrongly retains the genus -Sjjjtmow^^&ia 13. — Gren. et Godr. Fl. de Fr. ii. 2, — Guib. 



in this group, of which he gives other erroneous Brog. Simpl. edit. 6, iii. 199. — C. mascula Auctt. 

 characters, particularly of the ovary, and which » j^g,^^ violet, wliite or yellow. 



