CLASSIFICATION OF ANGIOSPERMS. 343 



A number of species of Opuntia yield edible fruits. The 

 Prickly pear is the fruit of Opuntia Tuna growing in the 

 West Indies and tropical America; Indian fig is derived from 

 Opuntia Ficus-Indica growing in Southern Europe, particularly 

 Sicily ; a fruit also known as Prickly pear or Indian fig is derived 

 from Opuntia vulgaris, a common Cactus growing in sandy soil 

 in the Eastern United States. The Cochineal insect which is 

 official under the name of coccus in a number of pharmacopceias 

 (Pseudo-coccus Cacti) lives on the following Cacti: Nopalea 

 coccinellifera of Jamaica and South America, Opuntia Tuna and 

 O. Dillenii both of tropical America, and Peireskia aculeata of 

 the Antilles. 



XXII. order myrtales or myrtiflor^. 



The plants are herbs or shrubs with complete flowersj rarely 

 apetalous, producing one or more ovules in each loculus. 



a. THYMEL^ACE^ OR MEZEREUM FAMILY.— The 

 characters of this family are illustrated by the Spurge laurel or 

 Mezereon {Daphne Mezereum) which is a small shrub about i M. 

 high, with oblong-lanceolate, acute, entire, sessile leaves, and small 

 groups of fragrant flowers, the perianth tube of which is purplish- 

 red or white. The fruit is an ovoid, reddish drupe. The bark of 

 Daphne Mezereum and other species of Daphne is used in 

 medicine (p. 536). 



The bark of Funifera utilis of Brazil contains a vesicating 

 principle. , A principle with similar properties is found in the 

 bark of Leather wood {Dirca palustris) of the Eastern United 

 States and Canada. The fruit and leaves of Gnidia carinata of 

 Cape Colony contain emetic and drastic principles. A poisonous 

 principle is found in Pimelea trichostachya of Australia. A 

 yellow coloring principle is found in several species oi, Daphne 

 and Thymelcea. The wood of Aquilaria Agallocha of India and 

 China is aromatic and resembles the " Aloe wood." A balsam is 

 obtained from the wood of Pimelea oleosa of Cochin China. The 

 bast fibers of quite a number of plants are used in the making of 

 paper, as of Daphne in India, Gnidia of Madagascar, Lagetta (L. 

 lintearia or Lace-tree) of Jamaica and St. Domingo, Thymelcea 



