SAPOTEjE. 



621 



Many of these plants, however, are employed as 

 purgatives, diaphoretics, tonics, and febrifuges, 

 and others as articles of food. It is probable 

 that when their properties are better known, 

 they will be found to be of eminent service in 

 medicine and domestic economy. 



Sapotf.*, Jussieu. Trees or shrubs all extra- 

 European and for the most part inter-tropioal. 

 Their leaves are alternate, entire, persistent, and 

 coriaceous; their flowers hermaphrodite and 

 axillar. Calyx persistent, nionosepalous. Cor- 

 olla monopetalous, regular, with lobes equal in 

 number to those of the calyx, double or triple. 

 The stamina ai-e in definite number : some of 

 them, of the same number as the lobes of the 

 calyx, and opposite to the petals, are fertile ; the 

 rest, alternate with the others, sterile. The 

 ovary has several cells, containing each an erect 

 ovule. The style is terminated by a generally 

 simple, sometimes lobed stigma. The fruit is 

 fleshy, with one or several monospermous, some- 

 times bony cells. The embryo is erect, ^and is 

 contained in a fleshy endosperm, which is rarely 

 wanting. 



The genera of this family are achras, mimit- 

 sops, syderoxylon, imh-icaria, lacuma, &c. It is 

 closely allied to the ebenaceas, which differ from 

 it in having their flowers generally unisexual, 

 their stamina disposed in two series, their st3'le 

 divided, and their seeds pendent. 



The fruits of some species contain a thick oil 

 used for domestic purposes. Those of others are 

 sweet and used as food. To this family the 

 famous cow-tree of India is supposed to 

 belong. 



Myrsike^, Brown. Ardisiacece, Jussieu. 

 Ophiospermice, Ventenat. The myrsineae are ti-ees 

 or shrubs, with alternate, very rarely opposite 

 or ternate leaves, which are glabrous, coriaceous, 

 entire or toothed, and destitute of stipules. The 

 flowers are disposed in racemes or a kind of 

 umbels, or are simply grouped in the axilla of 

 the leaves, or at the summit of the twigs. They 

 are hermaphrodite, rarely unisexual. Their 

 calyx is generally persistent, with four or five 

 deep divisions. Their corolla is monojjetalous, 

 regular, with four or five lobes. The stamina, 

 equal in number to the lobes of the corolla, and 

 sometimes monadelphous, are attached to the 

 base of the lobes, and are opposite to them. 

 The filaments are short, the anthers sagittate. 

 The ovary is free, unilocular, containing a vari- 

 able number of ovules inserted upon a central 

 trophosperm, in which they are sometimes more 

 or less deeply immersed. The style is simple, 

 terminated by a simple or lobed stigma. The 

 fruit is a kind of dry drupe, or a berry contain- 

 ing from one to four seeds. The seeds are pel- 

 tate, with their hilum concave ; their simple 

 integument covering a fleshy or horny endo- 

 sperm, in which iscontained a cylindrical embryo, 



little curved, and placed transversely to the 

 hilum. 



This family is closely related to the sapote.-o 

 and ebenacese, in its general aspect, and in seve- 

 ral of its characters. On the other hand, the 

 structure of its ovary, and the circumstance of 

 the stamina being opposite to the lobes of the 

 corolla, give it some aflinity to the primulaceae. 

 The genera which compose the family of myr- 

 sineae are the following: myrsine, ardisia, jac- 

 quinia, samara, wallenia, and cegicera. These 

 species are natives of tropical climates, and are 

 showy plants in the greenhouse and stove. 



Ebena-Oe^, Rich. GuyacaneiB, Jussieu. This 

 family is composed of trees or shrubs, which are 

 not lactescent, and of which the wood is very 

 hard, and often of a dark colour in the centre. 

 Their leaves are alternate, entire, often ceriace- 

 ous, and shining. The flowers are generally 

 axillar, rarelj'' hermaphrodite, most commonly 

 polygamous. Their calyx is monosepalous, with 

 three or six equal and persistent divisions. The 

 corolla is regular, monopetalous, its limb with 

 three or six imbricated divisions. The stamina 

 are in definite number, sometimes inserted upon 

 the corolla, sometimes immediately hypogj'nous. 

 They are in double or quadruple the number of 

 the divisions of the corolla, very rarely in equal 

 number, and then alternating with them. Most 

 commonly the stamina are disposed in two rows, 

 and have their anthers linear-lanceolate, and two- 

 celled. The ovary is free, sessile, with several 

 cells containing each one or two pendent ovules. 

 The style is divided, more rarely simple ; the 

 stigmas are simple or bifid. The fruit is a glo- 

 bular berry, sometimes opening in a nearly regu- 

 lar manner, and containing a small number of 

 compressed seeds. Their tegument covers a car- 

 tilaginous endosperm, in which is an embryo 

 having the same direction as the seed. 



As now limited, the family of ebenacese is 

 composed of the genera diospyros, royena, para- 

 lea, &c. It is related to the sapotese, but these 

 have their stamina of the same number as the 

 divisions of the corolla, to which they are oppo- 

 site, and besides, present several other distinc- 

 tive characters. 



Diospyros mrginiana affords fruits which are 

 eatable M'hen perfectly ripe ; but the family, in 

 general, is remarkable only for the hardness of 

 the wood which it affords. 



Styrace^,, Rich. Symplocece, Jussieu. This 

 little family contains trees or shrubs with alter- 

 nate leaves, destitute of stipules, and axillar, 

 sometimes terminal flowers. The calyx is free, 

 or adherent to the inferior ovary, its limb entire 

 or divided. The corolla is monopetalous and 

 regular. The stamina, which vary from six to 

 sixteen, are free or monadelphous at their base. 

 The ovary is sometimes superior, sometimes 

 inferior, commonly with four cells, separated by 



