56 MAGNOLIACE.-E, WINTERED. 



ner integument). Embryo very minute, at the base of the 

 fleshy and oily, homogeneous albumen. 



Shrubs or low trees, entirely glabrous, spicy-aromatic ; the 

 evergreen leaves alternate or irregularly crowded and oppo- 

 site, petioled, oblong, entire, coriaceous, minutely pellucid- 

 dotted under a lens. Stipules entirely absent. Peduncles 

 from axillary or terminal buds, one-flowered. Flower dark 

 red-purple in I. Floridanum, hi the others yellowish. 



Etymology. From illicio, to entice; — perhaps from the properties of 

 the Anisette de Bordeaux, which is flavored by the fruit of the Chinese I. ani- 

 satura, the Star-Anise of the shops. 



Properties. Spicy-aromatic and carminative, especially the bark, leaves, 

 and fruit. The latter yields a fragrant oil like that of Anise, for which it is 

 substituted. The foliage of the Japanese I. religiosum is said to be poison- 

 ous; and I. parviflorum has the same reputation in Alabama (where it is 

 called " Poison Bay"), probably without good reason. 



Geographical Distribution. Of the four known species, two are na- 

 tives of China and Japan, and two of the southeastern extremity of the Unit- 

 ed States. 



Note. The buds of I. religiosum, according to the figure and description 

 by Zuccarini, are perulate, and the ovule rises from the very base of the cell. 

 The leaf-buds of I. Floridanum are perfectly naked, green, and acute ; and 

 the ovule is attached to the inner angle of the cell above the base. 



PLATE 21. Illicium Floridanum, Ellis; — a flowering branch, natu- 

 ral size ; from a plant cultivated in the Cambridge Botanic Garden. 

 1. A sepal, detached. 

 2-6. Petals of the several series, beginning with the exterior and broader. 



7. A stamen, magnified, viewed from within or above. 



8. A grain of pollen, highly magnified, showing a triple band. 



9. Vertical section through the receptacle and whorl of the pistils, laying 



open one of the ovaries, and displaying the ovule ; enlarged. 



10. The mature fruit ; natural size. 



11. Seed, of the natural size. 



12. The same, magnified, with the testa partly broken away, to show the 



uneven surface of the inner integument. 



13. Vertical section of the same, through the albumen, showing the minute 



embryo. 



