402 MANUAL OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



tubular ; petals usually four ; stamens mostly 

 four or eight ; ovary 2-4-celled ; ovules hori- 

 zontal or ascending ; fruit baccate or capsular ; 

 cotyledons flat, larger than the radicle. Na- 

 tives of temperate regions, chiefly American. 

 Some as various species of Fuchsia, yielding 

 edible fruit, others, as the Water-Chesnut 

 (Trapa natans), edible seeds. 



7. Family. — Mares -Tails (Haloragaceae). Herbs 



or under-shrubs, often aquatic ; leaves alter- 

 nate, opposite, or whorled ; flowers axil- 

 lary, mostly sessile, occasionally apetalous ; 

 calyx open, minute; stamens definite; ovary 

 plurilocular, adherent to calyx; ovules pen- 

 dulous ; fruit dry, indehiscent ; cotyledons 

 minute. Distribution pretty general in damp 

 places. 



8. Family. — Fringe- Myrtles (Chamaelauciacese). 



Shrubs, heath-like ; abound in glandular 

 oily cysts ; leaves evergreen, acerose, flat, 

 opposite, dotted ; flowers racemose or corym- 

 bose, yellow, red, violet or white ; calyx 

 adherent to ovary ; ovary 1 -celled ; fruit a 

 dry indehiscent pericarp ; embryo homo- 

 geneous. Natives of New Holland. 



9. Family. — Alangiads (Alangiacese). Trees or 



shrubs ; branches often spiny ; leaves alter- 

 nate, exstipulate, dotless ; flowers fascicled, 

 axillary; calyx campanulate ; petals 5-10; 

 anthers introrse ; ovary globose, 1-2-celled ; 

 ovules pendulous ; fruit oval, fleshy ; cotyle- 



