52 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 
GENERA. 
I. PHYTOLACCEA. 
1. Phytolacca T.—Flowers hermaphrodite or more rarely 
diæcious (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 ; 
micropyle inferior and exterior. Fruit in carpels 4—10 (or rarely more) 
fleshy or baccate, constant, either quite free (Pircuniastrum), ox at 
the base (Pseudolacca), or thence nearly to the apex connate into a 
depressed globose berry, costate (Huphytolacca) 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 
farimaceous.—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 (Luphytolacca, Pircuniastrum), sometimes pendulous (Pseu- 
dolacca) or at apex nutant ; bracts 1-flowered ; bractlets 2, inserted at 
a greater or less height on the pedicel (47 the Tropical and Sub- 
tropical regions of the Globe). See p. 23. | 
2? Ercilla A. Juss.—owers nearly of Piytolacca ; 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. 
