444 MANUAL OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



ern Europe, Africa, India, Australia, and 

 America. (Zygophyllece, Brown.) 



4. Family. — Quassias (Simarubacese). Trees or 



shrubs ; leaves alternate, exstipulate ; flowers 

 usually bisexual, whitish, green, or purple ; 

 calyx 4- 5-divided ; petals 4-5 ; stamens 

 double the number of the petals ; ovary 4-5- 

 lobed, 4-5-celled; style simple; stigma 4-5- 

 lobed ; fruit of four or five drupes, arranged 

 round a common receptacle, indehiscent ; 

 seeds exalbuminous. Natives of tropical 

 America, Africa, and Asia. Species of Quas- 

 sia and Simaruba are employed in medicine. 



5. Family. — Coriariads (Coriariacese). Shrubs ; 



leaves opposite, entire ; flowers racemose, ter- 

 minal and axillary, unisexual ; calyx 5-par- 

 tite, campanulate ; petals five, small, alternate 

 with calycine divisions ; stamens ten ; ovary 

 of five or six carpels ; stigmas five, subulate ; 

 fruit of five crustaceous carpels, covered by 

 the membranous sepals and fleshy petals, 1- 

 seeded, indehiscent. A small family, inhabit- 

 ing Southern Europe. 



6. Family. — Ochnads (Ochnace^). Under-shrubs 



or trees ; leaves alternate, stipulate ; flowers 

 racemose ; sepals five, persistent ; petals 5-10, 

 deciduous ; aestivation imbricate ; stamens 

 5-10; torus prolonged, succulent; carpels 

 equal in number to petals ; styles united in 

 one ; fruit of as many pieces as there were 

 carpels, succulent, indehiscent. Natives of 



