BARBERRY FAMILY. 49 



V. BERBERIDACRffi, BARBEKKY FAMILY. 



Flowers perfect, a petal before each sepal, and a stamen 

 before each petal, anthers opening lengthwise or by a pair of 

 valves like trap-doors, hinged at the top (Lessons, p. 103, Fig. 

 308), pistil single, simple. (But No. 1 has monoecious flowers ; 

 No. 7 has numerous stamens ; 6 and 7 have more petals than 

 sepals.) Commonly bracts or outer sepals behind the true 

 ones. All blossom in spring or early summer. 



* Woody twiner ; flowers imperfect ; berry many-seeded. 



1. AKEBIA. Flowers purple in few-flowered axillary racemes ; petals ; leaves digitate, 



of about 5 leaflets. 



* Woody, erect ; flowers perfect ; berry few-seeded. 



2. BEEBERIS. Flowers yellow or reddish tinted, in racemes ; petals with two deep colored 



spots at the base. Leaves simple, or simply pinnate. Wood and inner bark yellow. 

 Leaves with sharp, bristly or spiny teeth. 



8. NANDINA. Flowers white, in panicles ; anthers opening lengthwise. Leaves twice or 

 thrice pinnate. 



* * * Perennial herbs. 



+- With 1 to 3 twice or thrice ternately compound leaves. 



4. EPIMEDIUM. Stamens 4. Petals 4 hollow spurs or hoods. Pod several-seeded. 



Leaflets with bristly teeth. 



5. CAULOPHTLLUM. Stamens 6. Petals 6 broad and thickish bodies much shorter 



than the sepals. Ovary bursting or disappearing early, leaving the two ovules 

 to develop into naked, berry-like, or rather drupe-like, spherical seeds on thick 

 stalks. 



t- -i- With simply 2-9-parted leaves, and solitary white flowers ; sepals falling when the 

 blossom opens. Seeds numerous, parietal. Pistils rarely more than one. 



6. JEFFEESONIA. Flower on a scape, rather preceding the 2-parted root-leaves. Petals 



(oblong) and stamens mostly 8. Fruit an ovate pod, opening by a cross-line half-way 

 round, the top forming a conical lid. Seeds with an aril on one side. 



7. PODOPHTLLUM. Flower in the fork between the two peltate 5-9-parted leaves ; root- 



leaf single and peltate in the middle, umbrella-like. Petals 6-9, large and broad. Sta- 

 mens usually 12-18. Fruit an oval, large, and sweet, edible berry ; the seeds imbedded 

 in the pulp of the large parietal placenta. 



1. AKEBIA. (Japanese : Akebi.} Flowers monoecious ; sepals 3, $ 

 flowers ; stamens 6, 9 flowers ; carpels 3-9, ripening (only occasion- 

 ally) into oblong, purplish, mottled berries (4'-6')> which split open, dis- 

 closing the black seeds. 



A. quinata, Decne. Leaflets 6, oval or obovate, notched at end, nearly 

 or quite evergreen. An excellent hardy climber. Flowers, spring. 

 Japan. 



2. BERBERIS. BARBERRY. (Medieval Latin name.) The 2 sec- 

 tions have sometimes been regarded as distinct genera. (Lessons, Fig, 

 308.) 



GRAY'S F. F. & G. BOX. 4 



