MANUAL OF NATURAL HISTORY. 457 



sometimes arillate; albumen ruminate. In- 

 habit tropical countries in both hemispheres. 

 Some yield edible fruits, as the Custard-apples 

 from species of Anona. Lance-wood is ob- 

 tained in Guiana from Dwgwetia quitarensis. 

 7. Family, — Magnoliads (Magnoliaceae). Trees or 

 shrubs ; leaves alternate, stipules deciduous, 

 convolute ; flowers solitary, often odoriferous ; 

 sepals 2-6, deciduous ; petals 2-30, imbricate; 

 stamens distinct ; carpels numerous, 1-celled; 

 ovules anatropal ; styles short ; fruit dry or 

 succulent, of numerous carpels, which are dis- 

 tinct or partially cohering ; albumen fleshy ; 

 seeds frequently arillate. Principally inhabit 

 North America, but also South America, the 

 West Indies, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, 

 China, and the -East Indies. The most im- 

 portant product is " Winter's-Bark/' which 

 is used medicinally. 



IX. ORDER— Nymphals (Nymphales). 



Flowers dichlamydeous ; stamens indefinite ; pla- 

 centae axile or sutural ; embryo on the outside of 

 abundant albumen, or if exalbuminous, the seeds 

 have a large plumule. 



1. Family. — Sacred-Beans (Nelumbiacese). Herbs; 

 leaves peltate, floating ; trunk prostrate ; 

 flowers showy; sepals 4-5; petals numer- 

 ous ; stamens in several rows ; filaments pe- 

 taloid ; torus large, fleshy, elevated, enclos- 

 ing in hollows of its surface numerous 1- 



