204 



Vni. BEEBERIDEiE. 



Sepals 3-4-9, 1-3-seriate. Petals hypogynous, 4-6-8-9- co, 1-2-S-seriate. 

 Stamens as many as the petals, hypogynous. Anthebs extrorse, usually opening by 

 valves, bursting from below upwards. Carpel solitary, 1-celled, several-ovuled. Fetjit 

 a herry or capsule. Seeds albuminous. Embeto dicotyledonous, small, axile. 



Heebs or SHETTBS 'witli cylindric stem and branches, juice watery. Leaves 

 sometimes simple (1-foliolate), or pinnate, with, usually spiny teeth, occasionally 

 reduced to simple or branching spines [Berberis), sometimes 2-3-pinnate {Epime- 

 dium, Nandina, Leontice, &c.), sometimes palmilobed {Diphylleia, Jeffersonia) ; stipules 

 2, petiolar., minate, caducous. Flowees ? , regular, very rarely without perianth 

 {Aehlys), axillary, solitary {Jeffersonia, Podophyllum), or in racemes [Berberis, Bpime- 

 dium, Leontice), panicles (Bongardia), cymes {Diphylleia), or spikes {Aehlys). Calyx 

 of 3, 4, or 9 1-3-seriate sepals, often petaloid, quite distinct, sestivation imbricate. 

 Petals inserted on the receptacle, as many as' the sepals in the several-seriate 

 calyces, double in the 1-seriate calyces, biglandular at the base {Berberis), or with a 

 nectariferous pore at the claw {Bongardia), or nectariform {Leontice, Caulophyllum,), 

 or hooded or lengthened into a spur (Epimedium), .or like the sepals {Aceranthus, 

 Diphylleia). Stamens inserted on the receptacle, usually ae many as the petals, 

 very rarelj'- twice as many {Podophyllum) ', filaments free, short, flattened, often irri- 

 table ; anthers 2-celled, extrorse, opening by two valves raised from below upwards, 

 or sometimes by two longitudinal slits {Nandina, Podophyllum). Caepbl solitary,' 

 1-celled ; style terminal, very short, often .0 ; stigma usuallj^ large, peltate, umbili- 

 cate ; ovules numerous, ascending from a parietal placenta, or few, erect and basal or 

 sub-basal, anatropous. Beeet or capsule fleshy or membranous, indehiscent, some- 

 times dehiscent {Epimedium, Vancouveria, Jeffersonia) ; sometimes the ovary breaks 

 up .after fertilization, and disappears when ripe, leaving the drupe-like seeds exposed 

 {Caulophyllum). Seeds ovoid or globose, erect or horizontal; testa crustaceous, mem- 

 branous or fleshy ; hilum sublateral, near the base, sometimes carunculate ; albumen 

 fleshy, or sub-horny. Embeto straight, axile ; cotyledons flat, elliptic ; radicle longer 

 than the cotyledons. 



' The very anomalous Chilian genus Berberidopsis parietal placentas. It is referred to Bixacecs by 

 is a climter with three carpels connate into a 1-cellecl 

 ovary, with many almost orthstropous ovules on three 



parietal placentas. 

 Baillon. — Ed. 



