14 MENISPEBMACBJE. [Q^cfetf. 



female flowers : Sepals 3, lateral, with a bract below them. Carpel soUtaiy. 

 Stigma divided into 3 to 5 radiating subulate branches. Fruit of Stephania, 

 but less, compressed.— Climbers. Leaves mostly peltate. Stamens m axillary 

 panicles. 



A small genns confined to southern Asia. 



1. C. deltoidea, Miers in Km Journ. Bot. iii. 358. A glabrous climber, 

 with the peltate broadly ovate or triangulai- leaves of Stephania hernandifolia, 

 from which it is at once known by the paniculate not umbellate inflorescence. 

 Leaves under 3 in. long. Panicles narrow, almost reduced to racemes, and 

 scarcely longer than the leaves. Corolla saucer-shaped, scarcely lobed, half 

 as long as the calyx. 



In a ravine of Mount Victoria, Champion. ; also Wright. Not gathered as yet out of the 

 island. 



Oeder VI. BERBERIDE^. 



Sepals 6 or 4, in two series, or 3, Petals equal in number to the sepals and 

 opposite them, or double the number, or rarely wanting. Stamens hypogymous, 

 usually definite in number and opposite to the petals. Anthers in the typical 

 genera opening with recurved valves, in others with longitudinal slits. Car- 

 pels solitary, or 3, rarely more, freCj with several ovules. Styles usually very 

 short or reduced to a sessile stigma. Eipe carpels usually pulpy indehiscent 

 berries, or rarely follicular or capsular. Albumen copious. Embryo axile or 

 minute, with the radicle next the hilum. — Shrubs, climbers, ov herbs of vari- 

 ous habit. Leaves usually compound. 



An Order spread over the temperate or mountain regions of the northern hemisphere and 

 along the great chain of American mountains to their southern extremity. The only Hong- 

 kong species belongs to the somewhat anomalous tribe or suborder Lardizabaleis, which has 

 not the characteristic anther-valves of many of the typical genera, and in which there are 

 always 3 carpels. 



1. STATTNTONIA, DC. 



Flowers monoecious. Sepals 6. Petals none. Male fl. : Stamens 6, united 

 at the base. Anthers opening longitudinally, terminating in a point. Female 

 fl. : Sterile stamens 6. Carpels 3. Ovules several, intermixed with hairs. 

 Berries globular. — Woody climbers. Leaves digitate. 



A genus only containing one Japanese species besides the Chinese one. 



1. S. chinensis, iJO. P/o(^. i. 96. A glabrous woody climber. Leaves 

 veiy variable in size, usually consisting of about 5 obovate or oval-oblong 

 leaflets, about 3 in. long, on petiolules of | in., but the lower ones often 

 with 6 or 7 oblong acuminate leaflets, 3 or 4 in. long, or the upper leaves 

 with only 3 leaflets. Peduncles several together at the base of the young 

 shoots, in tte axils of the old leaves, slender, 1 to 3 in. long, bearing a 

 sho^l loose raceme of 3 or 4 flowers of a greenish-purple colour, and emitting 

 a nauseous small. Sepals broadly lanceolate, aciuninate, quite small when 

 first open, varying in the specimens from 4 to 9 lines in length, but probably 

 at different stages of growth. 



