EPIMEDIUM 
373 
Epaltes Cass. Compositae (iv). 12 sp. trop. 
Ephedra Tourn. ex Linn. Gnetaceae. 20 sp. warm temp. Shrubs, 
much branched, with opp. connate leaves reduced to scales, so that 
the stem performs the work of assimilation (p. 1 66). Firs, diclinous, 
with no trace of cpls. in S , or of sta. in $ . $ firs, in spikes, the ? in 
pairs or solitary, usually bracteate. The <? fir. has a perianth of 
2 antero-posterior united leaves, beyond which the axis is prolonged 
and bears 2 — 8 sessile 2-locular anthers. The ? has a tubular perianth 
and one erect orthotropous ovule with a long micropyle projecting at 
the top of the fir. ; the fir. or firs, are enclosed by bracts which become 
red and fleshy after fertilisation and enclose the fruit. The seed is 
enclosed in the perianth, which becomes woody, and the fleshy bracts 
cover this again. There are two cotyledons in the embryo ; the seed 
is albuminous. For further details see Nat . PJi ., and art. Gymno- 
spermae. 
Epidendrum Linn. Orchid aceae (13). Over 500 sp. trop. Am., many 
epiphytic. The labellum is often more or less united to the column, 
and a canal runs from the junction right down into the ovary. 
Epigaea Linn. Ericaceae (11. 4). 2 sp., E. asiatica Maxim, in Japan, 
E. repens L., the trailing arbutus or mavflower, in the atlantic 
U.S. (p. 146). The firs, are tetramorphic (Darwin,' Forms of Firs . 
p. 297). 
Epigynae (Benth. -Hooker). The 2nd series of Monocotyledons. 
Epilobium Dill, ex Linn. Onagraceae (ti). 160 sp. temp, and arctic; 
9 in Brit, (willow-herbs). The fir. is regular, but in some sp. slightly 
zygomorphic by the bending of sta. and style (p. 74), which project 
so as to make a landing-place for insects. Of the Brit. sp. several may 
be noticed, as the firs, form an interesting series in regard to cross- 
pollination, &c. (cf. Phacelia, Geranium, &c.). In E. angnstifolium 
L. the firs, are large and autogamy almost impossible. Honey is 
secreted by the upper surface of the ovary. The sta. are ripe when 
the fir. opens, and project horizontally, whilst the style, with its 
stigmas closed, is bent downwards. Afterwards the sta. bend down 
and the style up, and the stigmas open. This is the plant in which 
C. K. Sprengel (1793, see biography in Nat . Science , 1893) made the 
first discovery of dichogamy. In E. hirsutum L. sta. and stigma are 
ripe together, but the stigma projects beyond the sta. ; if not polli- 
nated it bends back and touches the anthers. E. parviflornm Schreb. 
is a small-flowered sp., rarely visited by insects ; 4 sta. are shorter, 
4 longer, than the style ; the former are only useful for cross-pol- 
lination, the latter self-pollinate the fir. Sta. and stigma ripen 
simultaneously. The seed of E. is provided with a tuft of hairs 
for wind-carriage. 
Epimedium (Tourn.) Linn. (excl. Vancouveria C. Morr. et Dene.). 
Berberidaceae. 10 sp. N. temp. Old World. E . alpinum L. is 
naturalised in Brit. It has, like most E., a 2-merous fir., which is 
