BOTANY. 105 
Orper 69. Exaacnacre®, the Oleaster Family. Flowers usually unisex- 
ual, rarely hermaphrodite. Male flowers amentaceous, with two to four leaves 
forming the perianth ; stamens three, four, or eight; anthers nearly sessile, 
dithecal, introrse, and dehiscing longitudinally. In the female and hermaph- 
rodite flowers, perianth tubular, persistent, with an entire or two- to four-toothed 
limb. Disk fleshy. Ovary superior, one-celled; ovule solitary, ascending, on 
a short funiculus, anatropal; style short; stigma simple, subulate, glandular. 
Fruit a crustaceous achenium, inclosed within the enlarged succulent perianth. 
Seed ascending ; embryo straight, surrounded by thin fleshy albumen ; cotyle- 
dons fleshy; radicle inferior. . Trees or shrubs, with alternate or opposite 
entire exstipulate leaves, which are often covered with scurfy scales. They 
are found inall parts of the northern hemisphere. Examples: Hippophae, 
Eleagnus, Shepherdia. Of this latter genus there are two species in the 
United States: S. canadensis, and 8. argentea or Buffalo berry, furnishing a 
pleasant acid fruit. | 
Eleagnus angustifolia, Oleaster (Europe and Asia) (pl. 58, 59, fig. 13); 
a, flowering branch; 8, flower with an abortive pistil, and displayed or laid 
open; c, anther; d, a fertile flower displayed; e, pistil; f{ vertical section 
of the tube of the perianth and of the pistil; g, a ripe fruit; hf, vertical 
section of do.; 7, a leaf showing the scurfy stellated hairs; 4, a scurf scale 
much magnified. . 
OrperR 70. Proreaces®, the Protea Family. Perianth more or less 
deeply four-divided ; eestivation valvate. Stamens perigynous, four (one 
sometimes sterile), opposite the segments of the perianth; authers dithecal, 
with longitudinal dehiscence. Ovary single, superior, unilocular; ovules 
single or in pairs, anatropal or amphitropal; style simple; stigma undivided, 
discoid. Fruit dehiscent or indehiscent. Seed exalbuminous, sometimes 
winged ; embryo straight, cotyledons two or more; radicle inferior, next the 
hilum. Shrubs or small trees, with hard, dry, opposite, or alternate, 
exstipulate leaves. They are natives principally of Australia and the Cape 
of Good Hope. The order has been divided into two sections: 1. 
Nucumentacez, with nucumentaceous indehiscent fruit. 2. Folliculares, 
with follicular dehiscent fruit. Lindley mentions forty-four genera, including 
650 species. Examples: Protea, Persoonia, Grevillea, Hakea, Banksia, 
Dryandra. 
The plants of this order exhibit great diversity of appearance, and are in 
much request as ornamental shrubs. The fruit Guevina avellana yields the 
Chilian nut, called Avellano. 
Protea speciosa, Sugar-bush, Cape of Good Hope (pi. 60, 61, fig. 1): head 
of flowers. 
Banksia serrata, New Holland (pi. 60, 61, fig. 2): a, the cone of flowers ; 
b, a flower ; ¢, follicle. 
Orper 71. Myristicacex, the Nutmeg Family. Flowers unisexual: 
perianth trifid, rarely quadrifid, in the female deciduous ; <estivation valvate. 
Stamens, three to twelve; filaments combined into a cylinder; anthers 
united or distinct, dithecal, extrorse, dehiscing longitudinally. Ovary free, 
composed of one or more carpels, unilocular ; ovule solitary, erect, anatropal ; 
105 
