400 LXVII. UETIOACE^. [Plecospermum. 



Order LXVII. URTICACE^ai. 



Trees shruts or herbs with alternate, rarely opposite stipulate leaves. 

 Flowers apetalous, dioicous or monoicous, more rarely bisexual or poly- 

 gamous, inconspicuous, solitary or variously disposed. Perianth simple, 

 3-5-lobed or -partite, or reduced to 1 or 2 segments, in the female flower 

 occasionally tubular and undivided, or wholly wanting. Male fl. : stamens 

 usually as many as perianth-segments and opposite to them. Female fl. : 

 ovary free rarely adherent, 1- rarely 2-ceUed; styles often 2, connate at 

 base, usually laterally stigmatose or stigma sessile ; ovule solitary, erect 

 and orthotropous, or laterally affixed or pendulous with a superior micro- 

 pyle. Fruit a nut or small drupe, in Morece and Artocarpece usually 

 consolidated in a syncarpium, in Ulmus samaroid ; seed with or without 

 albumen ; embryo various, radicle superior. — Eoyle 111. 333, 335, 341. 



This Order is here taken in a wide sense, including the following Tribes, 

 which are commonly regarded as separate Orders : — 



UrticecB. — Fl. unisexual ; stamens equal in number to perianth-lobes ; fila- 

 ments inflected in bud, uncoiling elasticaUy when the fl. opens ; style 

 1, simple — Boehmeria, Oirardinia, Urtica, Laportea, Pouzolzia, Sar- 

 coehlamys, Debregeasia, Villebrunea, Maoutia. 



Morece. — Fl. unisexual, usually in dense spikes or heads ; stamens equal 

 in number to perianth-lobes, filaments inflected in bud; style 1, 

 oftener 2, connate at the base — Plecospermum, Moms, Broussonetia, 

 Streblus, Taxotrophis, Phyllocldamys. 



Artocarpeoe. — Fl. unisexual, in dense spikes or heads, often with fleshy 

 axis, or enclosed in a fleshy receptacle ; stamens as many as perianth- 

 lobes or fewer, not inflected in bud ; trees or shrubs with milky juice, 

 leaves convolute in bud and amplexicaul stipules — Ficus, Cudrania, 

 Antiaris, Artocarpus, Castilloa, Brosimum. 



Celtidece. — Fl. unisexual or polygamous in axillary or lateral cymes ; fila- 

 ments short, erect or slightly incurved in bud ; styles 2, ovary 4- 

 celled ; fruit drupaceous — Celtis, Sponia. 



Ulmacece. — Fl. mostly bisexual; stamens not inflected in bud; styles 2, 

 ovary 1-2-celled ; fruit dry, usually winged — Ulmus. 



Stamens inflected in bud ; style one, simple. 

 A shrub, armed with axillary thorns ; female flowers in 

 globose heads ; perianths connate, tubular with a small 

 4-dentate mouth ; fruit a fleshy compound berry with 



few large seeds 1. Plecospeemum. 



Trees or shrubs without thorns ; female fl. in heads, spikes, 

 or panicles ; perianths not connate. 

 Stigma long linear ; fruit dry. 



Flower-heads in spikes or panicles ; stigma persistent . 2. Boehmeria. 

 Flower-heads sessile, axillary ; stigma articulate . 3. Pouzolzia. 



Stigma sessile, tufted ; fruit of numerous small berries in 



' globose heads . . _ 4. Debeegeasia. 



Female perianth none ; stigma penioillate ; flower-heads 



in axillary panicles ....... 5. Maoutia. 



