POPULAR FLORA. 



139 



30. STAFF-TEEE FAMILY. Order CELASTBACEiE. 

 Woody plants, with simple alternate or opposite leaves ; the divisions of the calyx and 

 the petals both overlapping in the bud ; the stamens as many as the petals (4 or 5) and 

 alternate with them, inserted on a thick expansion of the receptacle (disk) which fills the 

 bottom of the calyx. Pod colored, of 2 to 5 mostly one-seeded cells, showy when ripe in 

 autunm, especially when they open and display the seeds enveloped in a pulpy scarlet aril. 

 Flowers polygamous or nearly dioecious, white, in racemes: disk cup-shaped: style long. 

 Pod globular, orange-yellow. Leaves alternate. Our only species is a twin- 

 ing shrub, sometimes called Bittersweet, ( CeUsirus) Waxwokk. 

 Flowers perfect, flat, dull green or dark purple, in axillary racemes : disk flat, covering 

 the ovary, and bearing 4 or 5 very short stamens, the short style just rising 

 through it. Pods red, lobed. Shrubs: leaves opposite, (Eudnymus) Buening-bush 

 Pods smooth, strongly lobed, or Spindle-tbee. 

 Pods roundish, rough, (Eumymus) Strawbekey-bush. 



31. SOAPBERRY FAMILY. Order SAPINDACE^. 

 The proper Soapberry family belongs mostly to warmer climates ; but we have 



shrubs and trees belong- 

 ing to three of its sub- 

 families : 



I. BLADDEENUT Sub- 

 family. I'^lowers regular and 

 perfect. Stamens 5, as many 

 as the petals, and alternate 

 with them. Seeds bony. 

 Leaves opposite, pinnate or 

 with 3 leaflets, having stipules, 

 and also little stipules (siipds) 

 to the leaflets. 



Shrub: flowers white in racemes. Fruit of 3 bladdery 

 pods united. (Staphylia) Bladdernut. 



n. HOESECHESTNUT Subfamily. Flowers po- 

 lygamous, some of them having no good pistil, mostly 

 irregular and unsymmetrical. Calyx bell-shaped or 

 tubular, 6-toothed. Petals 4 or 5, with claws, on the 

 receptacle. Stamens generally 7, long. Style one. 

 Ovary 3-celled, with a pair of ovules in each cell, 

 only one or two ripening in the fruit ; which becomes 

 a leathery 3-valved pod. Seeds very large, like chest- 

 nuts. Fine ornamental trees, with opposite palmate 



3-14. Red Bnckeye, reflHced in size. 345. Flower 

 mlh calyx ami two petals tiiken away. 347. Mag 

 divided lenglhwiae. 348. Same, dlfiried crnsswiae. 



two ovules ill each eel.. 349. Saitle, partly grown, oi.ly one xtt leaves, and floWerS in tMck panioleS, 

 BTOwine. 350. Ripe pod burvting. ' * 



lified OT; 

 showing III 



growing. 350. Ripe pod bursting. 



Petals 5, spreading ; stamens declined : fruit prickly. Leaflets 7, 

 Petals 4, unlike, with long claws in the calyx. Leaflets generally B, 



10 



{j^sauhs) *HoESEOHESTNUT. 



(^iculvs, \,P.ima) Buckeye 



