ED WARDSIA 
360 
Edwardsia Salisb. = Sophora Linn. 
Ehretia Linn. Boraginaceae (11). 40 sp. trop., chiefly Old World. 
Trees and shrubs. 
Ehrharta Thunb. Gramineae (vn). 20 sp. S. Afr., 2 Mascar., 2 
N. Z. Useful pasture grasses for sandy soil. 
Eichhornia Kunth. Pontederiaceae. 5 sp. S. Am. The sympodium 
is very complex (see Nat. PJi .). Each shoot in turn is pushed to one 
side by the axillary shoot of its last leaf but one ; with this shoot it is 
combined, however, up to the first leaf of the axillary shoot. After 
leaving the axillary shoot, each shoot bears another leaf, and then 
ends in the infl., which is enclosed in a spathe, and which at first 
glance appears to spring from the stalk of the last leaf. In E . azurea 
Kunth. the firs, are dimorphic, in E . crassipes Solms trimorphic 
heterostyled. This last sp. has, when floating freely in water, large 
bladder-like swollen petioles, but if it be grown in soil, these are not 
nearly so large. Their object is not clearly understood, but they 
cause the plant to float high in the water and it is easily blown about 
by wind. 
Elaeagnaceae. Dicotyledons (Archichl. Thymelaeales). 3 gen. with 
17 sp. found chiefly on steppes and coasts of the N. Hemisph. They 
are much branched shrubs, often with leathery leaves, which are 
entire, opp. or alt., and covered, as are all parts of the plants, with 
scaly hairs. There are frequently thorns on the surface (reduced 
shoots). Infl. racemose. Firs, g or unisexual, 2- or 4-merous. In 
the cT the receptacle is often flat, but in the 5 or ? flower it is tubular 
as in Thymelaeaceae, and may be fused with the ovary. No petals. 
Sta. as many, or twice as many as sepals. Cpl. 1 with one erect 
anatropous ovule. Fruit a pseudo-drupe. .Seed with little or no 
endosperm. Chief genera: Hippophae, Elaeagnus. Placed in Daph- 
nales by Benth. -Hooker, in Thymelaeinae by Warming. 
Elaeagnus (Tourn.) Linn. Elaeagnaceae. 12 sp. As., Eur., N. Am. 
(the oleaster). The fruit of some sp. is edible, and the plants are 
grown in shrubberies. 
Elaeis Jacq. Palmae (iv. 7). 2 sp., one in trop. Am., the other, E . 
guineensis Jacq. in trop. Afr. The latter is the oil-palm, from whose 
fruits the palm-oil, so largely used for railway axles &c., is obtained 
by boiling. 
Elaeocarpaceae. Dicotyledons (Archichl. Mai vales). 7 gen. with 120 
sp. trop. and sub-trop. Trees and shrubs with alt. or opp., stipulate 
leaves, and racemes, panicles or dichasia of firs. Disc usually present. 
K 4 or 5, free or united, valvate; C 4 or 5, rarely united, the petals 
often much divided at the ends, valvate or imbricate but never convo- 
lute. Fir. often apetalous. Sta. 00 , free, on the disc, which is some- 
times developed to an androphore; anthers 2-loc., usually opening 
by two pores (sometimes confluent) at the apex. Ovary sessile, with 
2 — co (rarely 1) loc. Ovules in each loc. 00 or 2, anatropous, pendu- 
