NATURAL ARRANGEMENT 



531 



S92. Order CLIV. PHYTOLA'CEiE. 

 Genera 5, Species 21 ; Hot-house Species 20 ; Green-house Species 0 ; Hardy Ligneous Species 0 ; 

 Hardy Herbaceous Species 1. }0 feet ; £ 3 feet ; ^ 0 feet. 

 Insignificant herbaceous plants, rarely shrubs, with racemes of white, red, or greenish flowers. PetivenV* 

 when bruised smells like garlic. Phytolacca roots, leaves, and berries are violent purgatives and emetics ; 

 those of P. decandra, or Virginian Poke, are esteemed in North America nearly equal to Guaiacum, and are 

 employed in chronic rheumatisms, and in rheumatic pains following syphilis. An extract of the berries has 

 been employed in scrofula and cancerous ulcers, and the young shoots of the plant are eaten in the United 

 States as asparagus. 



1420 Phytolacca Z. 0 1 I 801 Microtea Swx. | 920 Gisekm L. 



334 Rivlna L. 1136 Petivena L. 



393. Order CLV. CHENQPO v DEiE. 



Genera 22, Species 193 ; Hot-house Species 8 ; Green-house Species 27 ; Hardy Ligneous Species 6 ; 

 Hardy Herbaceous Species 152. $ 7f feet ; £28|feet ; =*= 0 feet. 

 The habit of this order is a better distinction from Amaranthaceaa, than any artificial character which it is 

 easy to point out. While Amaranthaceas have a dry perianthium with a dense inflorescence, Chenopcdea?, on 

 the contrary, have a fleshy perianthium and a very eft'use inflorescence. In the former, the stamens are usually 

 inserted under the ovarium ; in the latter into the calyx ; but this mark is not constant. None of them, unless 

 Phytolacca is excepted, can be esteemed plants of ornament ; on the contrary, they have a weedy uninviting 

 appearance, which is not improved by the fetid smell of some of them. But, although their appearance is less 

 attractive than that of the Amaranths, their use to man is far more considerable. Their qualities are very 

 various ; Camphor6sma has the smell of camphor. Some of the Chenopodiums, as «mbrosioldes, Bbtrys, &c, 

 possess antispasmodic and tonic properties ; the leaves of Spinacia, and of many Chenopodiums, are eaten as 

 spinach ; as are those of Base/la in China and India. Salsbla and Salicornia are often employed as pickles. 

 Beet roots are equally valuable as a culinary and agricultural production, and the leaves are an excellent vege- 

 table when boiled. But the most remarkable feature in the properties of the order is the abundant production 

 of soda, which is obtained from many of the species, as from all the Salsolas, Salicornias, Anabasis, many 

 species of ^'triplex, several salt-marsh Chenopodiums, and others. The seeds of Chenopudium anthelminticum 

 are used as a vermifuge, those of ^'triplex hortensis excite vomiting, frequently attended with acute pain ; 

 those of Chenop&dium Quinba are said to be used as rice. To conclude this list of remarkable properties in 

 one of the most vile of all assemblages of plants, the roots of beet yield an abundance of sugar. Cuttings, 

 divisions, and seeds. 



908 Basella L. 



807 Anabasis L. 



808 Salsola L. 



809 Kbchia Schr. 

 729 Chenblea L. 



810 Chenopbdium L. 



2862 ^'triplex L. 



2863 Rhagddia R. Br 



811 £eta L. 

 2768 Spinacea Z. 

 2770 Acnida L. 



812 Bbse« L. 



27 Corispermum L. 

 29 i?lltum L. 

 2586 Ceratocarpus L. 



23 Salicornia L. 

 115 Polycnemum L. 



335 Camphor6sma L. 



336 Anisacantha B. Br, 

 1205 Galema W. 



2594 A'xyris L. 

 9618 Dibtis L. 



394. Order CLVI. BEGONIA v CEiE. 



Genus 1, Species 35 ; Hot-house Species 32 ; Green-house Species 3 ; Hardy Ligneous Species 0 ; 

 Hardy Herbaceous Species 0. £ 0 feet ; j£ 0 feet ; A 0 feet, 

 The acid qualities, sheathing stipules, and alternate leaves of these tropical herbs approximate them to 

 Polygbnea?, notwithstanding the very different structure of their fructification. Most of the species are 

 pretty; some very handsome ; all requiring great heat and humidity to be grown in perfection. Cuttings, 

 divisions, and seeds. 



2654 BegbmVr L. 



395. Order CLVII. POLYGO v NE^E. 



Genera 14, Species 188 ; Hot-house Species 19 ; Green-house Species 22 ; Hardy Ligneous Species 6 ; 

 Hardy Herbaceous Species 141. $6|feet; £ 29 feet ; =g=5ifeet. 

 Herbaceous or suffVutescent fleshy-leaved plants, chiefly natives of the northern hemisphere; a few 

 Polygonums and Coccolobas are found to the south, the former in barren places, the latter on sea shores. A 

 great part of the order consists of worthless weeds. Some of the Polygonums, and all the Eriogonums, are 

 handsome plants ; the Rheums are famous in medicine. The root of Rheum is tonic and purgative ; most of 

 the Rumexes and Polygonums are also tonics. The juice of the Coccolobas is very astringent. The young 

 leaves and shoots of several species of .ftumex and jRheum are eaten either raw or baked, under the name of 

 sorrel, French sorrel, and tart rhubarb. For the sake of its seeds, Polygonum Fagopyrum is cultivated by 

 farmers under the name of buck-wheat ; the seeds of P. aviculare are very emetic and purgative. The fleshy 

 calyx of the Coccolobas is colored ; and, the fruit growing in clusters, the genus has received the name of the 

 sea-side grape. Cuttings, divisions, and seeds. 



1212 Cocc61oba L 



1213 Brunnichw Gae. 



1210 Polygonum L. 



1211 Tragopyrum Bieb. 

 1103 .4traphaxis L. 



1104 Oxyria Hill 



1126 .ftumex L. 



1127 E^mcx Neck. 



1128 FodOpterus Kth. 

 2796 Triplaris L. 



1232 Rhhum L. 

 1463 Calligonum L. 

 1231 Eri6gonum 

 298 KcemgeVi L. 



0 14 



1 0 

 0 4 

 0 1 



396. Order CLVIII. LAU'RINiE. 

 Genera 7, Species 54 ; Hot-house Species 30 ; Green-house Species 15 ; Hardy Ligneous Species 9 ; 

 Hardy Herbaceous Species 0. f 33| ft. ; £ 0 feet ; 0 feet. 

 Noble trees or shrubs with handsome foliage and inconspicuous flowers. They are chiefly natives of hot 

 countries, where they constitute some of the most valuable of the productions known under the name of 

 spice. By botanists they are regularly recognised by the singular circumstance of their anthers having each 

 four cells, the valves of which are hinged as it were to the upper edge of each cell, and do not open longitu- 

 dinally like those of most other plants. It is well known that the cinnamon is the produce of the Cinnamb- 

 mum verum, and that its properties are eminently aromatic, warm, and stomachic. The same peculiarities, but 

 in a less degree, exist also in Cinnambmum Cassia, itfalabatrum, and Culilaban, which are all occasionally 

 substituted for true cinnamon; they are found in the leaves of Zaurus parvifblia, in the bark of the species 

 which produces the Pichurim bean ; in that of L. cupularis, which is the Isle of France cinnamon ; of 

 L. Quixos, which yields the Peruvian cinnamon ; in L. Benzoin, which was used as spice in the United States 

 during the American war; and finally, in the common bay tree of our plantations. Zaurus Sassafras yields 

 the sassafras chips of the shops, but its bark is much more powerful. The fruit of many Laurina? is 

 extremely aromatic ; that of Persea gratissima is an agreeable West Indian fruit, called the alligator pear. 

 Camphor is the produce of Cinnambmum Cumphora, and of another or two ; this substance is found indeed 

 in small quantities in the roots of almost all the order ; one of the cinnamons is even named Capuru Carundu, 

 which signifies camphorated cinnamon. Cuttings and layers. 



M m 2 



