VERBENA 
603 
Vangueria Juss. Rubiaceae (11. 11). 30 sp. trop. Afr. and As. 
Vanilla Plum, ex Linn. Orchidaceae (4). 20 sp. trop. Climbers with 
fleshy leaves and thin velamen (see order). V. planifolia Andr. 
(Mex.) is cult. ; its pods form the spice vanilla. 
Vateria Linn. Dipterocarpaceae. 28 sp. Indo-mal., Seychelles. V. 
indica L. yields a gum-resin (Indian copal, white dammar). 
Vatica Linn. Dipterocarpaceae. 12 sp. trop. As., Afr. Several yield 
resins and useful timbers. 
Vella Linn. Cruciferae (11. 9). 3 sp. Spain and Algeria. Some are 
thorny, the thorns being stem structures. 
Velleia Sm. Goodeniaceae. 12 sp. Austr. Ovary ± superior. 
Vellozia Vand. Velloziaceae. 40 sp. Brazil. 
Velloziaceae. Monocotyledons (Liliiflorae). 2 gen. with 70 sp. Brazil, 
Afr., Madag. Xerophytes, chiefly of rocky places or dry Campos. 
Perennials with dichotomously branched stems and leaves in rosettes 
(cf. Aloe). The upper parts of the stems are clothed with the fibrous 
sheaths of old leaves, the lower parts with adventitious roots. The 
stem itself is thin, but its coating of roots may be several inches deep. 
Water poured over the roots disappears as if into a sponge, and the 
plant is thus able to supply itself from the dew, &c. during the dry 
season. The leaves also are xerophytic (Warming, reviewed in Bot . 
Centr . 56, p. 94). FZrs. solitary, terminal, regular. P 3 + 3; A3 + 3, 
or 00, in bundles. Ovary inferior, 3-loc., with placenta in the form 
of lamellae, more or less peltately widened or thickened at the outer 
side. Ovules 00 . Capsule. Endosperm. Genera: Vellozia, Barba- 
cenia. United to Amaryllidaceae by Benth.- Hooker and Warming 
(chief differences in androeceum and placentae). 
Veltheimia Gleditsch. Liliaceae (v). 3 sp. S. Afr. 
Ventilago Gaertn. Rhamnaceae. 10 sp. palaeotrop. Some climb by 
aid of hooks. Fruit like Fraxinus, having a wing for wind-distribution 
on its upper end, developed from the style after fertilisation. 
Veratrum (Tourn.) Linn. Liliaceae (1). 10 sp. N. temp. Rhizome 
with leafy stem and racemes of firs., the lower £ , but the upper 
commonly $ by abortion (andromonoecism ; p. 68). Sometimes plants 
occur with S firs. only. Firs, protandrous. Seeds with a membranous 
border. Veratrin is obtained from the rhizome ; that of V. album L. 
is known as white hellebore root. 
Verbascum Tourn. ex Linn. Scrophulariaceae (1. 1). 160 sp. Eur., 
W. and Cent. As., N. Afr. ; 6 Brit. sp. (mullein). Large perennial 
herbs with stout tap-roots, wrinkled like those of Taraxacum. Infl. 
primarily racemose, but the lateral firs, often replaced by condensed 
dichasia (cf. Labiatae). For floral structure and diagram see order. 
Firs, chiefly visited for pollen by bees and drone-flies. Those of 
several sp. were formerly officinal (flores Verbasci). 
Verbena Linn. Verbenaceae (11). 80 sp. trop. and temp. V. officmalis 
L., the vervain, occurs in Brit. It was formerly in great repute as a 
