Umbellifercz. 213 



Other members of this order, noteworthy for their orna- 

 mental foliage, are : Archangelica atropurpurea, Molopo- 

 spermum dcutarium, Ndrthex Asafcetida, Smyrnium spp., 

 Silaus spp., Meum athamdnticum, etc. 



OKDER LV. ARALIACE-S1. 



Erect or climbing shrubs or trees, very rarely herbaceous, 

 often clothed with a stellate pubescence, occasionally armed 

 with spines. Leaves alternate, or very rarely opposite, entire, 

 toothed, lobed, or palmately or pinnately divided ; stipules 

 various, rarely none. Flowers hermaphrodite or unisexual, 

 regular, usually small, capitate, umbellate, racemose or pani- 

 culate. Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary ; limb small. Petals 

 3 or more, often 5, usually valvate. Stamens of the same 

 number, rarely more. Fruit inferior, drupaceous or baccate, 

 1- or more celled ; cells 1-seeded. Very near the Umbelliferce 

 in structure. The species are estimated at about 350, dis- 

 tributed into 35 genera. They are chiefly from tropical 

 countries, but there are a few hardy species familiar in our 

 gardens. 



1. ARALIA. 



Perennial herbs or deciduous shrubs, often spiny. Leaves 

 digitate, or once or more pinnate ; leaflets serrulate. Flowers 

 in umbellate racemes or panicles, rarely in compound umbels. 

 Petals 5, imbricate. Fruit laterally compressed, 2- to 5-celled. 

 Pedicels articulated with the flowers. About thirty species 

 are referred here, nearly all from the northern hemisphere and 

 a few from temperate North America and Asia. The origin of 

 the name is unexplained. 



1. A. spinosa. Angelica Tree. This is, after the Ivies, the 

 most familiar species of the order. It is a shrub or small tree 

 with simple stout stems and very large tripinnate leaves com- 

 posed of numerous serrulate leaflets. The stem and petioles are 

 usually spiny. Inflorescence terminal. A handsome and distinct 

 shrub from North America. 



2. A. Chinensis, syn. A. Mandshurica, Dimorphanthus. 

 Near No. 1, but with very hairy and prickly usually bi pinnate 

 leaves and less regularly toothed leaflets. A native of North 

 China, etc. 



A. nudicaulis, racembsa^hispida, and Ginseng, syn. Panax 

 Ginseng, are North American herbaceous species, possessing 



