752 THE SUBDIVISIONS OF THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 



some of its species pinnate and bipinnate leaves, in others cylindrical and needle- 

 shaped leaves. The flowers, which are crowded together, are sometimes surrounded 

 by an involucre of many scales reminding one of the involucre of Compositse. The 

 ovary is often borne on a special stalk. The style and stigma are very various. In 

 many species, as, for instance, in Banksia ericoides and B. littoralis (fig. 426^), 

 the style is hooked and breaks through the perianth-tube in consequence of the 

 excessive longitudinal growth of its lower region, but the capitate extremity remains 

 between the anthers, which are adherent to the spoon-shaped extremities of the 

 perianth. Only when the perianth segments disunite and open back does the top of 

 the style become free. The pollen is often deposited upon the end of the style with- 

 out, however, immediately reaching the stigmatic surface, and in many species there 

 are special hairs or brushes for collecting the pollen, whilst pockets and recesses for 

 its temporary reception also occur. The Proteales flourish chiefly in regions where 

 a short rainy season alternates a long rainless period. Australia and the south-west 

 district of the Cape are richest in species; the alliance is represented by many fewer 

 species in the tropical region of South America, in Chili, in New Caledonia, in New 

 Zealand, in the tropical parts of Eastern Asia, in Madagascar, and in the mountains 

 of tropical Africa. Fossil remains of Proteacese occur in strata of the Tertiary 

 Period. The number of existing species is about 1000. 



Alliance XXXVII. — Daphnales. 



Families: Mceagnacece, ThymelacecB, Lav/racecB. 



Annual and perennial herbs, shrubs, and trees with green foliage, or leafless 

 parasites. Stipules absent. Flowers in fascicles (see fig. 427 ^); actinomorphic, her- 

 maphrodite, pseudo-hermaphrodite, or dioecious. Perianth of one or two whorls of 

 2, 3 or 5 leaves each, sepaloid or petaloid. Gynseceum 1-3 carpellary. Ovary 

 unilocular. Style single, free, at the bottom of a cup-shaped receptacle from the 

 margin of which spring the perianth-leaves (see fig. 427 ^). Ovule solitary. An- 

 droecium 1-4 whorls with 2-4 stamens in each inserted on the inner margin of the 

 cup-shaped receptacle. Fruit a one-seeded berry, drupe, or nut. The seed contains 

 no endosperm. The embryo is furnished with large, fleshy cotyledons. 



The Cassythse, belonging to the family Lauracese, are parasites poorly suppKed 

 with chlorophyll, with thin twining stems and squamiform leaves. Most of the 

 Daphnales, however, develop woody stems with leafy branches. The leaves of 

 Elaeagnacese are clothed with scaly covering-hairs (see vol. i. p. 322, fig. 78^). The 

 foliage-leaves of most Lauracese exhibit a curious distribution of the strands in the 

 laminae (see vol. i. p. 631, fig. 149*, and accompanying fig. 427 1). The majority of 

 Laurace^ contain ethereal oils and aromatic substances. Especially to be mentioned 

 in this connection are the Bay-Laurel (Laurus nobilis), the Cinnamon-tree (Cinna- 

 Tnomum Zeylanicum), and the Camphor-tree {Camphora officinarum). In the Sea 

 Buckthorn (Hvppophae, see p. 109, fig. 220), the perianth is 2- and the andrcecium 

 4-membered; in Ulceagnus the perianth and andrcecium are each composed of two 



