MANUAL OF NATURAL HISTORY. 485 



or herbs, often with acrid milk ; leaves oppo- 

 site or alternate, often stipulate ; flowers 

 axillary or terminal, variously arranged, 

 sometimes within an involucre ; perianth in- 

 ferior, with various glandular or petaloid, 

 scaly, internal appendages, sometimes want- 

 ing ; stamens definite or 0, distinct or 

 monadelphous ; anthers 2-celled ; ovary ses- 

 sile or stalked, 1-2-3, or many-celled; ovules 

 definite, suspended, anatropal ; styles equal 

 to the cells, distinct or combined ; stigma 

 compound, or single with several lobes ; fruit 

 usually tricoccous ; radicle superior. A very 

 extensive family, especially abundant in 

 equinoctial America, but occurring also in 

 India and Africa, North America, and Europe. 

 Among the products are euphorbium, man- 

 chineel, cascarilla, castor and croton oils, 

 tapioca, cassava, bottle India-rubber, gum-lac, 

 boxwood, African teak, turnsole, &c. (Eu- 

 phorbiacece, Juss.) 



VII. ORDEB.— Urticals (Urticales). 



Flowers scattered, monochlamydeous ; carpels 

 single, superior ; embryo large, in a small quantity 

 of albumen. 



1. Family. — Plames (Platanacese). Trees or shrubs ; 

 leaves alternate, stipules sheathing, scarious, 

 deciduous ; flowers in globose catkins, naked, 

 the sexes in distinct catkins ; stamen one, 

 with scales ; anthers 2-celled ; ovary 1 -celled ; 



