MANUAL OF NATURAL HISTORY. 445 



tropical India, Africa, and America ; also of 

 the Cape of Good Hope. 



7. Family. — Prickly-Ashes (Xanthoxyllaceae). Trees 



or shrubs ; leaves alternate or opposite, ex- 

 stipulate, dotted ; flowers axillary or termi- 

 nal, unisexual ; sepals 3-4-5, aestivation 

 imbricate ; petals 3-4-5, rarely 0, aestivation 

 imbricate or convolute ; stamens as many as, 

 or double the number of, the petals ; ovary 

 usually of as many carpels as there are petals, 

 more or less united; ovules sessile, pendu- 

 lous ; styles more or less combined ; fruit 

 baccate or membranous, pericarp separable 

 into distinct layers. Chiefly occur in Ame- 

 rica, but also in Africa, India, China, and 

 Australia. 



8. Family. — Ruetvorts (KutaceaB). Trees or shrubs, 



rarely herbs \ leaves opposite or alternate, 

 exstipulate, dotted ; flowers axillary or ter- 

 minal, bisexual ; calyx of 4- 5 segments, aesti- 

 vation imbricate ; petal equal to, and alter- 

 nate with, calycine divisions, or combined 

 below into a gamopetalous corolla, aBstivation 

 convolute or valvate ; stamens equal to pe- 

 tals, or twice or thrice as many, placed round- 

 a cup-shaped disk j ovary sessile or stalked ; 

 ovules sessile, pendulous ; styles adherent 

 above ; stigmas simple, dilated ; fruit of se- 

 veral carpels, combined partially or com- 

 pletely ; pericarp separable into two layers. 

 Found in Southern Europe, the Cape of Good 



