CLASSIFICATION OF ANGIOSPERMS. 329 



The flowers of the European Linden (Tilia europaa) contain 

 a fragrant volatile oil and are used in medicine. The flowers of 

 other species of Tilia also contain volatile oils, and the flowers of 

 Tilia tomentosa of Southern Europe are used to flavor champagne. 

 The leaves of Tilia europcea contain the glucoside tiliacin. Sev- 

 eral species of Grewia are used as fish poisons. A purgative 

 principle is found in the seeds of Corchorus olitorius of Southern 

 Asia, Africa and South America. A bitter principle occurs in 

 the seeds of Corchorus tridens of Arabia, India and Egypt. A 

 reddish-colored, fatty oil known as Apeiba oil is obtained from 

 the seeds of Apeiba Tibourbon of Guiana. The root of Grewia 

 scabrophylla is used as a substitute for Althaea in India. Mucilage 

 is found in the flowers and fruits of a number of genera. The 

 leaves of Corchorus siliquosus are used in Panama as a substitute 

 for tea. A number of the fruits of this family are edible, as of 

 Muntingia and Apeiba. The bast fibers of several species of Cor- 

 chorus, particularly C. capsularis of China and India, constitute 

 jute, which is used in the making of cordage. The fiber is sep- 

 arated by cold retting in stagnant water. 



c. MALVACE^ OR MALLOW FAMILY.— The plants are 

 mostly herbs or shrubs with alternate, simple leaves, and regular, 

 perfect, large flowers, with the stamens united into a column which 

 encloses the styles (Fig. 82, E), and a capsular fruit. The culti- 

 vated ornamental Hollyhock and Althaea belong to this family. 



Althcea officinalis or marshmallow is a perennial herb about i 

 M. high with broadly ovate, petiolate, acute, dentate and lobed, 

 pubescent leaves ; the flowers are 2 to 4 in number in the axils of 

 the leaves and have rose-colored petals. The bractlets are linear 

 and the fruit consists of 15 to 20 indehiscent carpels.- The root 

 is official (p. 450). 



GossYPiUM species. — The plants are herbs or shrubs with 

 3- to 5-lobed leaves, and large axillary flowers ; the fruit is a 5-loc- 

 ular, dehiscent capsule (Fig. 166) ; the seeds are spherical or 

 somewhat angular and covered with long i -celled hairs, which 

 latter constitute cotton (p. 440). 



There are three important cultivated species. (r) Sea 

 Island Cotton is obtained from Gossypium barbadense, a plant 

 which is principally cultivated in the Southern United States and 



