EMPETEACEyE — EUPHOEBIACE^. 579 



Order 161. — EMPETEACEiE, the Crowberry Family. (Apet. 

 Biclin.) Flowers unisexual. Periatitli bud-like, consisting of per- 

 sistent imbricated scales, in 2 or 4 alternating rows, the inner row- 

 often petaloid. Male flowers : stamens 2-3, equal in number to the 

 scales in each row, and alternating with the innermost, hypogyuous ; 

 anthers roundish, dithecal, with longitudinal dehiscence. Female 

 flowers : ovary free, seated on a fleshy disk, 3- 6- or 9- celled ; ovules 

 solitary, anatropal, ascending ; style 1 ; Stigma with as many radii as 

 there are ovarian cells. Fruit a nuculanium, seated witliin the per- 

 sistent perianth, with 2 or more 1 -seeded pyrenes. Seeds solitary in 

 each nucule, ascending ; embryo in the axis of fleshy albimien ; 

 radicle inferior. — Heath-like shrubs, with alternate or somewhat ver- 

 ticillate, evergreen, exstipulate leaves. They inhabit chiefly Europe 

 and North America. By some this order is placed in an alliance with 

 Celastracese, Aquifoliacese, and Olacacese. The order has also some 

 affinity with Ericaceae. The fruit of some is slightly acid. Empetrwm 

 nigrum, the black Crowberry, is common on the mountainous and 

 northern parts of Europe. The fruit is watery, and very slightly 

 acid and astringent. G-enera, 3 ; species, 4. Examples — Empetrum, 

 Oorema. 



Order 162.^Euphoebiaoe^, the Spurge Family. (DicKn.) 

 Flowers unisexual, sometimes enclosed within an involucre (fig. 817). 

 Perianth lobed, inferior (figs. 346 c, p. 218 ; 349 c, p. 219), with 

 various glandular or petaloid, scaly, internal appendages (figs. 346 p a, 

 p. 218 ; 439, p. 248) ; sometimes the flowers are naked (fig. 818). 

 Male flowers (fig. 817 fm fm) : stamens definite or 00, distinct (fig. 

 818) or monadelphous (fig. 346, 1, p. 218), or polyadelphous (fig. 349, 

 p. 219) ; anthers bilocular (fig. 862, p. 223 ; fig. 358, p. 222), some- 

 times with porous dehiscence (fig. 355, p. 222). Female flowers 

 (figs. 439 //, p. 248 ; 817) : ovary free, sessile or stalked, 1-2-3- or 

 many-celled (fig. 819); ovules solitary or twin, suspended ;■ styles 

 equal in number to the cells (figs. 346, 2, p. 218 ; 819 s), distinct or 

 combined, sometimes ; stigmas several, or 1 with several lobes. 

 Fruit usually tricoccous (figs. 543, p. 304 ; 549, p. 305), with the 

 cocci separating in an elastic manner, and opening by 2 valves (figs. 

 820, 821), or indehiscent and fleshy. Seeds solitary (fig. 822) or in 

 pairs, suspended, often arillate (fig. 549 g g, p. 305) ; embryo en- 

 closed in fleshy albumen (fig. 579, p. 329) ; cotyledons flat (fig. 605, 

 p. 339) ; radicle superior (fig. 823). — Trees, shrubs, and herbs, often 

 abounding in acrid milk, with opposite or alternate, often stipulate 

 leaves, sometimes none. Some look on this order as apetalous, with 

 a tendency to develop a corolla, while others consider it pol3rpetalous, 

 with a tendency to have the corolla suppressed. In European plants 

 of the order there are usually no petals present, but in those of 

 tropical countries the corolla is frequently well marked. In the 



