CAPRIFOLIACEjE. 



625 



Ipecacuan is the root of copliacUs ipecacuanha. 

 Several species oi psi/chotria possess similar pro- 

 perties. Coffee is the seed of cqfea arabica. 



CAPRiFOMACEiB, Rich. Shrubs with opposite, 

 rarely alternate, generally simple, more rarely 

 imparipinnate leaves, without stipules. The 

 flowers are axillar, solitary, or often geminate, 

 and in part united together by their calyx, dis- 

 posed in cymes, or collected into a kind of capi- 

 tulum. The calyx is always monosepalous, and 

 is adherent by its lower part to the ovary, which 

 is inferior. The limb has five persistent teeth. 

 The corolla is monopetalous, commonly in-egu- 

 lar; sometimes it is formed of five distinct 

 petals. The stamina are five in number, alter- 

 nating with the divisions of the corolla. The 

 ovary has from one to five cells, each containing 

 either a single pendent ovule, or several ovules 

 attached at its inner angle. The style is sim- 

 ple, terminated by a very small and scarcely 

 lobed stigma. The fruit is sometimes geminate, 

 that is, formed by the union of two ovaries. It 

 is fleshy, with one or two sometimes osseous 

 cells, each containing one or more seeds. The 

 seeds have a proper integument, sometimes 

 covered by a nuclevis and a fleshy endospeiin, 

 which contains an axile embryo, having the same 

 direction as the seed. 



This family may easily be divided into two 

 natural tribes, according as the cells of its ovary 

 are monospermous, or polyspermous. 



1. Hedeeace^ : cells of the ovary monosper- 

 mous. Hedera, cornus, sambucus, viburnum. 



2. LoNiCEREiE : cells of the ovary polyspex-- 

 mous. Lonicera, xyloslewm, symphoricarpos, &c. 



This family, which is allied to the rubiaceae, 

 differs from them especially in its irregular cor- 

 olla, and the absence of stipules between the 

 leaves. 



The leaves of sambucus nigra are emetic and 

 purgative. Some fruits of the genera cornus, 

 samhucus, and mhwnwm, are eatable. The bark 

 of cornus florida has been used in intermittent 

 fevers. Many of the genera are ornamental 

 shrubs, or useful as wood. 



LoRANTHE^, Rich. The lorantheae are mostly 

 perennial-herbaceous, and generally parasitic 

 plants. Their stem is woody and branched ; 

 their leaves simple and opposite, entire or toothed, 

 coriaceous, persistent, and destitute of stipules. 

 The flowers are variously disposed, sometimes 

 solitary, sometimes in axillar or tei-minal spikes, 

 racemes, or panicles. The flowers are generally 

 hermaphrodite, sometimes dioecious. The calyx 

 is adherent to the inferior ovary; its limb is 

 entire or slightly toothed. It is accompanied 

 externally by two bracteas, or by a second cup- 

 shaped calyx, sometimes entirely enveloping the 

 true one. The corolla is composed of from four 

 to eight petals, inserted towards the summit of 

 the ovary. These petals are occasionally united^ 



so as to represent a monopetalous corolla. The 

 stamina are of the same number as the petals, 

 and opposite to them ; the anthers sessile, or sup- 

 ported upon filaments varying in length. The 

 ovary is one-celled, and contains a reversed 

 ovule. It is crowned by an epigynous and anu- 

 lar disk. The style is often long and slender, 

 sometimes entirely wanting; the stigma often 

 simple. The fruit is generally fleshy, contain- 

 ing a single reversed seed, adherent to the pulp 

 of the pericarp, which is thick and viscous. The 

 seed contains a fleshy endosperm, in which is 

 placed a cylindrical embryo, having the radicle 

 directed towards the hilum. 



The principal genera are loranthus, viscum, 

 aucuba, &c. 



The bark is usually astringent. The missel- 

 toe is a well known parasitic plant. 



Rhizophore^, Brown. Extra-European trees, 

 with opposite, simple leaves, and interpetiolar 

 stipules, as in the rubiacea. Their calyx, which 

 is adherent to the ovary, has four or five valvar 

 divisions to its limb, which is persistent. The 

 corolla is composed of four or five petals. The 

 stamina vary from eight to fifteen. The ovary, 

 which sometimes is only semi-inferior, has 

 always two cells, each of which contains two or 

 a great number of pendent ovules. The style is 

 simple, the stigma bipartite. The fruit, which 

 is crowned at its summit by the calyx, is unilo- 

 cular, monospermous, and indehiscent. The 

 seed which it contains is composed of a large 

 embryo destitute of endosperm. The embryo 

 sometimes germinates and is developed within 

 the fruit, which it perforates at its summit. 



The genera rhizophora, bruguiera, and car- 

 allia, are aU that compose this family, which 

 differs from the caprifoliaceae, to which these 

 genera were formerly referred, in having the 

 corolla polypetalous, the fruit coriaceous, and 

 the embryo without endosperm ; and from the 

 lorantheae, in having the embryo destitute of 

 endosperm. 



Umbellifer^, Jussieu. The TJmbelliferiE, 

 which form one of the most natural families in 

 the vegetable kingdom, are herbaceous plants, of 

 which the stem is often internally hollow ; the 

 leaves are alternate, sheathing at their base, gene- 

 rally decompounded into numerous segments or 

 leaflets. The flowers, which are always very 

 small, white, or yellow, are disposed in umbels. 

 Sometimes there are seen, at the base of the 

 umbel, small leaflets, which collectively consti- 

 tute the involucre ; and, at the base of the um- 

 bellules, others which constitute the involucels. 

 Each flower is composed of a calyx, which is 

 adherent to the inferior ovary, and of which the 

 limb is entire, or scarcely toothed ; a corolla, 

 formed of five more or less spreading petals; five 

 epigynous stamina, alternating with the petals ; an 

 ovary with two cells, each containing a reversed 

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