MONOECIA— POLYANDRIA. Carpinus. 155 



cylindrical, obtuse ; the barren ones lateral ; fertile terminal. 

 Sea /es of the latter 3-lobed, 3-flowered, permanent. Stigmas 

 red. 

 Few plants are more important to the inhabitants of any country 

 than this is to the poor hardy Laplanders, out of whose limits 

 it was scarcely known, till Linnseus rendered it celebrated. His 

 history of the plant, in the Amoen. Acad, and Fl. Lapp, is com- 

 plete. Frequent mention of the Dwarf Birch occurs likewise in 

 his Lapland Tour, published at London in 1811. 



445. CARPINUS. Hornbeam. 



Linn. Ge7i. 497. Juss. 409. Fl. Br. 1029. Tourn.t. 34S. Lam. 

 t. 780. Gccrtn. t. 89. 



Nat. Ord. see n. 442. 



Ban-. Jl. CatJcin cylindrical, lax, imbricated every way, 

 with ovate, acute, concave, fringed, single-flowered scales, 

 accompanied by 3 small inner ones. Cor. none. Filam. 

 10 or more, capillary, much shorter than the scale. Anth. 

 roundish, compressed, of 2 lobes. 



Fert. Jl. in a bracteated cluster, aggregate. Cal. double ; 

 outer one inferior, of several oblong, deciduous, unequal, 

 upright scales, 2- or 3-flowered; inner superior, in 3 deep, 

 erect, sharp segments, permanent. Cor. none. Germ. 

 ovate, crowned by the inner calyx, externally tumid and 

 ribbed. Styles very short, permanent. Stigvi. 2, awl- 

 shaped, erect, deciduous. Nut ovate, angular, coriaceous, 

 not bursting, of 1 cell, crowned by the inner calyx, and 

 base of the style. Kernel 1, " with flat, fleshy, obovate 

 cotyledons, without any separate albumen; embryo at the 

 top of the seed, with a very minute plumula." Gcertner. 



Trees of humble stature, with hard xwod; alternate, stalked, 

 simple, ovate, serrated, plaited, veiny, deciduous leaves ; 

 and drooping, solitary catkins of barren ^o'M;£'r5 / the fer- 

 tile ones in drooping, bracteated clusters, resembling cat- 

 kins/ their bracteas subsequently much enlarged, per- 

 manent, enveloping the mits. The analogy of other ge- 

 nera, in this natural order, justifies the foregoing view of 

 the flowers oi' Carpinus, which is different from that given 

 by Linnaeus and others. See Engl. Bot. 2032. 



1. C. Betulus. Common Hornbeam. 

 Bracteas of the fruit flat, oblong, serrated, with two lateral 

 lobes. 



