342 MANUAL OF BOTANY 



so that insects which are imprisoned by them become ulti- 

 mately dissolved and absorbed lor their nourishment. 



Order 132. HAMAMELiDACBa:, the Witch-hazel Order. — 

 Character. — Small trees or shrubs, with alternate simple 

 leaves and deciduous stipules. Flowers in globular heads or 

 spicate, perfect or unisexual, polygamous or monoecious. Calyx 

 superior, 4- or 5-lobed. Petals 4 or 5, with an involute or 

 circinate sestivation, or altogether wanting. Stamens 8, half of 

 which are scale-like, sterile, and placed opposite to the petals, 

 and half fertile and alternate with them ; or numerous. Ovary 

 inferior, 2-celled ; ovules solitary or numerous ; styles 2. Fruit 

 capsular, 2-celled, with 1 seed in each cell ; seeds albuminous. 



Distribution and Numbers. — Natives of North America, 

 Asia, and Africa. Illustrative Genera: — Hamamelis, Linn.; 

 Liquidambar, Linn. There are about 25 species. 



Properties and Uses. — Chiefly remarkable for their fragrant 

 balsamic properties. Some have acrid bitter barks ; and the 

 leaves and bark of others are astringent. 



Order 133. Beuniace^, the Brunia Order. — Character. — 

 Heath-like shrubs, with small imbricate, rigid, entire, exstipulate 

 leaves. Calyx usually superior, or sometimes nearly inferior, 

 imbricate. Petals and_ stamens 5, inserted on the calyx, the 

 petals alternate with the divisions of the calyx and valvate ; 

 anthers 2-celled, extrorse, bursting longitudinally. Ovary 

 superior or half inferior, 1 — 3-celled, with 1 or 2 suspended 

 anatropous ovules in each cell ; style simple or bifid. Fruit 

 crowned by the remains of the calyx and a disc ; 1 — 2-celled, in 

 the first case indehisoent, in the latter dehiscent. Seeds with 

 a minute embryo, in fleshy albumen. 



Distribution and Numbers. — Natives of the Cape of Good 

 Hope, except one Madagascar species. Illustrative Genera : — 

 Brunia, Linn. ; Ophiria, Linn. There are about 60 species. 



Properties and Uses. — Unknown. 



Order 134. HALORAGACEa;, the Mare's-tail order. — Diagnosis. 

 Herhs or shrubs, generally aquatic. Flowers small, frequently 

 incomplete and unisexual. They are nearly allied to OnagracesE, 

 and, in fact, have been considered a degenerate form of that 

 order. They are distinguished from it by their minute calyx, the 

 limb of which is frequently obsolete ; and by having solitary 

 pendulous seeds, with fleshy albumen. 



Distribution and Numbers. — They are found in all parts of 

 the world. Illustrative Genera, . — Hippuris, Linn. ; Trapa, 

 Linn. There are about 70 species. 



