MANUAL OF NATURAL HISTORY. 443 



1. Family. — Podostemads (Podostemacese). Herbs; 



no stomata nor spiral vessels ; leaves capil- 

 lary, linear, lacerated, or minute and imbri- 

 cated ; flowers axillary or terminal, bisexual, 

 naked, or with a more or less perfect perianth, 

 bursting through an irregularly lacerated 

 spathe; stamens definite or indefinite; ovary 

 2-3-celled ; styles or stigmas two or three; 

 fruit slightly pedicellate, capsular, 2 -3-valved. 

 Floating plants. Found on rocks, in rivers, 

 and still waters, in South America, and some 

 African Islands. 



2. Family. — Water-peppers (Elatinacese). Herbs, 



annual ; stems fistular, rooting ; leaves oppo- 

 site, stipulate \ flowers polypetalous ; sepals 

 3-5 ; petals alternate with sepals; stamens 

 equal to, or twice as many as, the petals ; 

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

 fruit capsular, 3-5-celled, 3-5 valved. Marshy 

 plants, generally distributed. 



3. Family. — Beancapers (Fabaginacese). Herbs, 



shrubs, or trees ; wood very hard ; leaves 

 opposite, stipulate ; flowers solitary, or in 

 pairs, or threes, white, blue, red, or yellow, 

 regular; calyx 4-5-parted, aestivation con- 

 volute ; petals alternate with segments of 

 calyx ; ovary 4-5-celled ; style 4 -5- furrowed; 

 stigma simple, or 4 - 5-lobed ; fruit capsu- 

 lar, rarely fleshy, few-seeded, sarcocarp not 

 separable from the endocarp. Chiefly live 

 in warm extra-tropical climes, in South- 



