MANUAL OF NATURAL HISTORY. 425 



or shrubs ; leaves alternate, stipulate ; flowers 

 in spikes ; calyx 5-cleft, with an inflated 

 tube ; petals five ; stamens episepalous ; 

 ovary 3-5-celled; styles 3-5; stigmas simple ; 

 fruit of from 3 to 5 indehiscent pieces ; co- 

 tyledons short, obtuse. A small Australian 

 family. 



4. Family. — Spindle-trees (Celastracese). Small 



trees or shrubs ; leaves mostly alternate, sti- 

 pules small, deciduous ; flowers in axillary 

 cymes, small, white, green, or purple, occa- 

 sionally unisexual ; sepals and petals 4-5 ; 

 imbricate ; stamens alternate with pe- 

 tals ; ovary 2-5-celled ; fruit 2-5-celled, 

 capsular or drupaceous; radicle short; coty- 

 ledons flat. Inhabit chiefly extratropical 

 countries. Found in Europe, Asia, North 

 and South America, at the Cape of Good 

 Hope, and in New Holland. 



5. Family. — Hippocrateads (Hippocrateaceae). 



Shrubs, arborescent or climbing, almost al- 

 ways smooth ; leaves opposite, stipules small, 

 deciduous ; flowers in axillary racemes, 

 small ; sepals five, very small ; petals five ; 

 aestivation imbricate ; stamens three, mona- 

 delphous ; style one; stigma 1-3; fruit of 

 three samaroid carpels, or berried. Princi- 

 pally a South American family, but a few 

 occur in Africa, the Mauritius, and the East 

 Indies. Some yield edible fruits. 



6. Family. — Chailletiads (Chailletiaceae). Trees 



