564 



BOTANY 



PART II 



Spiked Loosestrife, Lythrum Salicaria, a plant growing, like most of the family, 

 in wet meadows and swamps, is an interesting representative of this family on 

 account of its heterostyled (trimorphic) flowers. 



Family Punicaceae. — Comprising only the genus Tunica, with two species. 



Punica Granatum, the Pomegranate, is a small tree with scattered, entire leaves ; 

 it grows wild in the East, but is frequently cultivated in Southern Europe. The 

 flowers are epigynous ; they have fleshy, red receptacles, five to eight, also red 

 and fleshy sepals, and an equal number of bright red petals, which are crumpled in 

 the bud ; numerous stamens ; numerous united carpels disposed in two whorls. 

 The fruit is a berry ; it retains the persistent calyx, and is filled with numerous 

 seeds, whose sueeulent testa represents the edible portion of the fruit. 



Officinal. — Punica Granatum, from which 'is obtained Cortex Granati. 



Family Melastomataceae. — Flowers like those of the Onagraceae, or perigynpus ; 

 anthers usually with appendages and opening by pores ; leaves with curved, 

 longitudinal nerves. A very large family of tropical plants, particularly abundant 

 in South America, where they are represented by a number of beautiful flowering 

 shrubs. 



Family Myrtaeeae. — Flowers epigynous, actinomorphic, with four- 

 to five-merous perianth and usually NUMEROUS stamens Evergreen 

 woody plants containing ethereal OILS (Fig. 542). 



The plants comprised 

 in this family are shrubs 

 or trees, which are pro- 

 vided in all their organs 

 with roundish glands 

 containing ethereal oils, 

 which give them an aro- 

 matic odour. The pos- 

 session of ethereal oils 

 is the most distinctive 

 characteristic of the 

 family. The leaves are 

 opposite, entire, and of 

 an elliptical shape. The 

 flowers, which always 

 have both a calyx and 

 corolla, are solitary or 

 clustered, and often very 

 conspicuous. The corolla 

 is usually white ; it is 

 sometimes reduced, and its function as an organ of attraction is assumed 

 by the androscium, which acquires for this purpose a bright, usually 

 red colour. Some species have haplostemonous or obdiplostemonous 

 androscia ; from such species, as is apparent from the transitional forms, 

 those with polyandrous androscia have been developed by the division 

 of the stamen-rudiments. The fruit is succulent or capsular, rarely 

 nut-like. 



Fiq. 542. — Eugenia caryophyllata. 1, ^lowering branch ; 2. 

 flower cut through longitudinally ; 3, fruit. — Officinal. 

 (After Wossidlo.) 



