124 BOTANY. 
to the stigma. Ovaries two, and each unilocular, or one and bilocular; 
ovules 00; styles two or one; stigma one, with a contraction in the middle. 
Fruit follicular or capsular, or drupaceous or baccate, double or single. 
Seeds 00, rarely definite, usually pendulous; albumen cartilaginous, or 
fleshy, rarely 0; embryo foliaceous; radicle turned towards the hilum. 
Trees or shrubs, usually lactescent, with entire, generally opposite, 
exstipulate leaves, with interpetiolary cilia or glands. They are chiefly 
found in tropical regions. Lindley enumerates 100 genera, including 566 
species. 
Sub-order 1. Carisse@. Ovary single, bilocular, or unilocular, with 
placentas parietal and corresponding to the suture of the carpels. Fruit 
baceate, very rarely capsular. Example: Carissa. 
Sub-order 2. Ophioxylee. Ovary double, fruit drupaceous. Examples: 
Ophioxylon, Cerbera. 
Sub-order 3. HEuapocyanee. Ovary double. Fruit follicular ; follicles 
often fleshy or pulpy. Tribe 1. Plumeriee. Seeds without hairs, often 
peltate. Examples: Hunteria, Tabernemontana, &c. Tribe2. Alstoniee. 
Follicles coriaceous ; seeds peltate, ciliate ; cilize elongated, forming a kind 
of coma at the two ends of the seeds. Example: Alstonia. Tribe 3. 
Eichitee. Follicles coriaceous or membranous, distinct or rarely united so 
as to constitute a single capsule. Seeds comatose towards the hilum or 
point of attachment. Examples: Apocynum, Nerium. 
Sub-order 4. Wrightiee. Seeds comatose at the apex. Example: 
Wrightia. 
The sole representative of this order in the northern part of North 
America is the genus Apocynum or dogbane, supposed to be poisonous to 
dogs. Many plants of the order are poisonous, although a few yield edible 
fruits. The Tanghin poison of Madagascar is obtained from the seeds of 
Tanginia venenata. Even the common Oleander (Nerium) is poisonous. 
Species of Urceola and Vahea supply caoutchouc. The juice of Taber- 
nzemontana utilis, the Cow tree of Demerara, is used as milk. 
Nerium oleander, Oleander (Europe and Asia) (pl. 63, fig. 18); a, 
anther ; 0, pistil; c, a seed. 
Orver 99. Ascieprapace#, the Milkweed Family. Calyx five-divided, 
persistent. Corolla synpetalous (monopetalous), hypogynous, regular, five- 
lobed, deciduous; cstivation imbricate, rarely valvate. Stamens five, 
inserted into the base of the corolla, and alternate with its segments ; 
filaments usually combined so as to forma tube ; staminal tube rarely naked 
behind, generally furnished with a corona (crown) of variously-formed 
leaves, which are either distinct or connate. Anthers bilocular, each cell 
-sometimes spuriously divided ; pollen, when the anther dehisces, cohering 
in masses (pollinia), which are either as numerous as the cells, or are 
confluent in pairs, and adhere to the five stigmatic processes, either in sets 
of two or four, or singly. Ovaries two; ovules 00; styles two, closely 
approaching each other, often very short ; stigma common in both styles, 
dilated, quinquangular ; the angles furnished with cartilaginous corpuscles 
which retain the pollinia, or with glands. Fruit consisting of two follicles 
124 
