MAGNOLIACEiH. 



627 



fruits are distinct or united, fleshy or dry and 

 dehiscent. The seeds have a crustaceous tegu- 

 ment, covering a fleshy endosperm, in which is 

 a very small erect emhryo, placed towards its 

 base. 



To this family belong the genera tetracera, 

 davilla, delima, pachynema, pleurandra, dillenia, 

 Idbbertia, &c. It is distinguished from the mag- 

 noliaceiE and anonacese by the quinary number 

 of the parts of its flower. 



They are generally astringent, but their pro- 

 perties are not much known. Dillenia spearsa 

 is an elegant tree of India, with large yellow 

 flowers, not inferior to the magnolia. Hibbertia 

 volubilis has also beautiful flowers, which have 

 a foetid smell. 



Magnoliace^, Jussieu. This family is com- 

 posed of large trees, or elegant shrubs, adorned 

 with beautiful alternate leaves, often coriaceous 

 and persistent, and furnished at their base with 

 foliaceous stipules. The flowers, which are 

 often very large, and diifuse a sweet scent, are 

 generally axillar. The calyx is composed of 

 from three to six caducous sepals. The petals 

 vary from three to twenty-seven, and are dis- 

 posed in several series. Tlie stamina, which are 

 very numerous and free, are disposed in several 

 series, and attached to the receptacle which beai-s 

 the petals. The pistils are numerous, sometimes 

 collected in a circular form and in a single series 

 in the centre of the flower, sometimes forming a 

 more or less elongated capitulum. These pistils 

 are composed of an unilocular ovary, containing 

 one or more ovules, of a hardly distinct style, 

 and a simple stigma. The fruits are composed 

 of dry or fleshy carpels, aggi-egated circularly 

 and in a stellate form, or disposed in capitula, 

 and sometimes all united together. Each carpel 

 is indehiscent, or opens by a longitudinal suture; 

 and the seed is sometimes supported upon a 

 Butural filiform trophospenn, which hangs at the 

 exterior when the fmit opens. These seeds have 

 their embryo erect in a fleshy endosperm. 



The family is subdivided into — 



Iliicie^e : carpels verticillate, rarely soli- 

 tary, through abortion : leaves marked with 

 transparent dots, as illicium, drimys, tasmannia. 



Magnoliace^ : carpels disposed in capitula; 

 leaves not dotted, as magnolia, micJielia, talauma, 

 liriodendron, &c. 



This famil}' is very nearly allied to the ano- 

 naceiE, from which it differs especially in its sti- 

 pules and the continuous structure of its endo- 

 sperm. It is also allied to the dilleniaceiE, which 

 differ from it in the quinary number of the parts 

 of the flower. 



The bark oimagnolia, liriodendron, and indeed 

 of all the genus, is bitter and tonic. The flowers 

 of the former are fragrant, but produce sickness 

 and headache. All the species are exclusively 

 natives of America or Asia. 



Anonace^, Jussieu. The anonacese are trees 

 or shrubs having simple, alternate leaves, desti- 

 tute of stipules, by which character they are dis- 

 tinguished from tlie magnoliacese. Their flowers 

 are commonly axillar, sometimes terminal. The 

 calyx is persistent, with three deep divisions. 

 The corolla is formed of six petals, disposed yd 

 two series. The stamina are very numerous, 

 forming several series ; their filaments short, 

 their anthers almost sessile. The carpels, which 

 are generally aggregated in great number in the 

 centre of the flower, are sometimes distinct, 

 sometimes connected ; each of them has a single 

 cell, which contains one or more ovules attached 

 to their inner suture, and often forming as many 

 distinct fruits (rarely one only in consequence 

 of abortion); sometimes they are united toge- 

 ther, and form a kind of fleshy and scaly cone. 

 The seeds have their integument formed of two 

 laminese. Their horny endospei-m is deeply 

 grooved, and contains a very small embryo situ- 

 ated near the point of attachment of the seed. 



This family, in which are placed the genera 

 anona, hadsura, asimina, uvaria, &c., is very 

 closely allied to the magnoliaceas, from which it 

 diff^ers especially in the absence of stipules, in 

 the petals, the number of wliich never exceeds 

 six, and in having the endospemi deeply and 

 irregularly grooved. 



They are generally aromatic. The fi-uit of 

 several species is saccharine and mucilaginous. 

 That of the cherimonyer is esteemed next 

 to the mangostan. The hard fruits of the uva- 

 ria are highly aromatic, that of one species 

 furnishes the piper cEthiopicum of the shops. 

 They are all tropical plants. 



Beebeeibe^, Jussieu. These consist of herbs 

 or shrubs, with alternate, simple, or compound 

 leaves, accompanied at their base by stipules, 

 which are often persistent and spinbus. Their 

 flowers are generally yellow, and disposed in 

 spikes or racemes. They have a calyx of from 

 four to six sepals, rarely of a greater or of a less 

 number, accompanied externally with several 

 scales. The petals are of the same number as 

 the sepals, flat or concave and irregular, but 

 always opposite to the sepals. They are often 

 furnished at their inner base with small glands 

 or glandular scales. The stamina are equal in 

 number to the petals and opposite to them. The 

 anthers, which are sessile or supported by a fila- 

 ment of variable length, have two cells, each of 

 which opens by a kind of valve, similar to those 

 in the family of laurineie. The ovary has a 

 single cell, which contains from two to twelve 

 ovules, which are erect or laterally attached to 

 the inner wall, there forming one or two 

 rows. The style, which is sometimes lateral, is 

 short, thick, or wanting. The stigma is gene- 

 rally concave. The fniit is dry or fleshy, unilo- 

 cular and indehiscent. The seeds are composed 



