CLASSIFICATION OF ANGIOSPERMS. 257 



noides of New Granada and several other species of Brazil, Bro- 

 simiim spurium of Jamaica, Cecropia peltata of the West Indies 

 and South America, and Castilloa elastica of Mexico and the West 

 Indies. Fie us benghalensis of India and tropical Africa, and 

 Ficus Tsicla of India, yield gum-lac. Ficus altissima and F. 

 rcligiosa of tropical Asia yield shellac on puncture of the stems 

 by a hemipterous insect {Coccus lacca). 



A yellow coloring principle is found in Cudrania javancnsis 

 of tropical Asia and Africa, Chlorophora tinctoria of Mexico, 

 Madura aurantiaca {Toxylon pomiferum) or osage orange, a 

 hedge plant of North America ; Ficus tinctoria of the Friendly 

 Islands and F. asperrima of India. A fatty oil is obtained from 

 Artocarpus Blumei of Java. 



A large number of the plants of the Moraceae yield edible 

 fruits besides the fig tree already described, as the bread-fruit 

 trees {Artocarpus incisa) of the Sunda Islands and the jack-tree 

 {A. integrifolia) of the East Indies, the white mulberry {Morus 

 alba) and the black mulberry {Morus nigra). 



The leaves of the white mulberry {Morus alba) indigenous 

 to China and cultivated since the twelfth century in Europe and 

 now in cultivation to a limited extent in the United States, are 

 the chief food of the silkworm. 



c. FAMILY URTICACE^.— The plants belonging to the 

 Urticacese or Nettle Family are chiefly herbs with mostly petiolate, 

 stipulate, simple leaves. The flowers are small and with 2 to 5 

 distinct or more or less united sepals. The fruit is an akene ; 

 the embryo is straight and surrounded by an oily endosperm. 

 The stems and leaves of several of the genera are characterized 

 by stinging hairs, this being especially true of the sub-group to 

 which the genus Urtica or stinging nettle belongs. Of the sting- 

 ing nettles the following are used in medicine : Urtica dioica of 

 Europe and naturalized in the United States, U. spatulata of 

 Timor, Laportea crenulata of tropical Asia, L. moroides of 

 Queensland, and Girardinia pahnata of India. In the small 

 nettle {Urtica urens) of Europe and the United States an alka- 

 loid has been found, and Laportea stimulans has been used as a 

 fish poison. Boehmcria cordata of Brazil is used as a substitute 

 for Arnica. The fibers of a number of the Urticacese have been 



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