382 PLANT STUDIES 
sympetalous, the stamens usually being borne upon its 
tube. 
Among the numerous families the following are promi- 
nent : the heaths, mostly shrubs of temperate and arctic or 
alpine regions ; the convolvulus alliance, with corolla in the 
form of conspicuous tubes, funnels, trumpets, etc. ; the 
aromatic mint family, with more than ten thousand species, 
and its allies the nightshades, the figworts, and the ver- 
benas ; and, last and highest, the family of composites, the 
greatest and ranking family of Angiosperms, estimated to 
contain at least twelve thousand species, more than one 
seventh of all known Dicotyledons, and more than one 
tenth of all Seed-plants. Not only is it the greatest family, 
but it is the youngest. Composites are distributed every- 
where, but are most numerous in temperate regions, and 
are mostly herbs. 
