FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS 237 
Fic. 205. Wild Lousewort or Wood Betony (Pedicularis Canadensis). 
After Britton and Brown, Ill. Fl. Northeast U. S. 
This is the only Scrophulariaceous tree seen in temperate climates; it 
bears large pyramidal clusters of lilac-purple flowers, succeeded by ovoid 
capsules which are persistent on the tree through the winter. It is 
commonly planted in our parks, and escaped in many places. It is a 
native of China and Japan. 
Family Bignoniaceae. Bignonia Family. Consists of climbing 
shrubs or trees, with usually opposite compound leaves and showy 
flowers. Calyx 4-5-toothed, sometimes completely cleft on one side, 
forming a sort of spathe. Corolla 4-5-lobed, somewhat irregular. 
Stamens 5, unequal, one or two generally abortive. Ovary 2-celled, 
becoming in fruit a 2-celled, pod-like capsule; seeds numerous and 
winged. 
There are about 50 genera and 450 species in this family; they are 
found principally in the tropics of both hemispheres, but predominate 
in the eastern. In equatorial jungles they constitute a large part of the 
so-called “lianas,” which are flexible, woody vines, whose rope-like 
stems form loops in all directions, clambering over the tall forest trees 
and making progress impossible. 
There are many genera, like Bignonia, whose showy flowers render 
them desirable for greenhouse cultivation. Two species of Bignonia 
and two of Tecoma are found within our borders, in the Southern States. 
The tropical calabash tree (Crescentia) with large, gourd-like fruits, used 
for dishes and water-botiles, belongs to this family. 
