70 
and old poultiy, when fed on the leaves and fruit, become tender in a few 
hours. See an excellent account of the Papaw by Hooker in the Bot. Mag. 
2898. 
GENUS. 
Carica, L. 
Order L. FLACOURTIACE^. 
FLACOURTiANEiE, Richard in Mem. Mus. 1. 366. (1815) ; DC. Prodr. 1. 255. (182§). 
Essential Character. — Sepals definite, from 4-7, cohering slightly at the base. 
Petals equal to the latter in number and alternate with them, seldom wanting. Stamens 
hypogynous, of the same number as the petals, or twice as many, or some multiple of them, 
occasionally changed into nectariferous scales. Ovary roundish, ^distinct, sessile or slightly 
stalked; style either none or filiform; stigmas several, more or less distinct. Fruit 1 -celled, 
either fleshy and indehiscent, or capsular, with 4 or 5 valves, the centre filled with a thin 
pulp. Seeds few, thick, usually enveloped in a pellicle formed by the withered pulp, 
attached to the surface of the valves in a branched manner, not in a line as in Violaceae and 
Passifloracese ; albumen fleshy, somewhat oily; embryo straight in the axis with the radicle 
turned to the hilum, and therefore usually superior ; cotyledons flat, foliaceous. — Shrubs, or 
small trees. Leaves alternate, simple, on short stalks, without stipules, usually entire, and 
coriaceous. Peduncles axillary, many-flowered. Flowers sometimes unisexual. 
Anomalies. Ryanaea, Patrisia, Flacourtia,Roumea, and Stigmarota, that is to say, more 
than half the order, have no petals. 
Affinities. The unilocular fruit, over the whole of the inside of which 
the placentae spread, is, according to De Candolle, sufficient to distinguish 
these from aU other Dicotyledons. They resemble the Capparidaceae with fleshy 
fniit in a number of particulars ; and De CandoUe indicates an approach to 
Passifloraceae : this cffiefly depends upon both orders having parietal placentae, 
and the presence of a series of barren stamina, analogous to the corona of 
Passifloraceae. They have also some relation to Sarny daceae. 
Geography. Almost all natives of the hottest parts of the East and West 
Indies, and Africa, Two or three species are found at the Cape of Good Hope, 
and one or perhaps two in New Zealand. 
Properties. Nothing is known of their sensible qualities. The fruit of 
some of the Flacourtias is eatable and wholesome. That of Hydnocarpus ve- 
nenata is used in Ceylon for poisoning fish, which afterwards becomes so un- 
wdiolesome as to be unfit for food. But according to Blume, this genus 
belongs to a distinct and natm'al order. See Pangiacece below. 
GENERA. 
§ 1. Patrisie^, DC. 
Ryanaea, DC. 
Ryania, Vahl. 
Patrisia, Rich. 
Patrisia, H.B.K. 
§ 2. Flacourtie^,DC. Stigmarota, Lour. §4.ERYTHRospERMEiE, 
Flacourtia, L’HeriL § 3. Kiggelarie^,DC. DC. 
Roumea, Poit.* Kiggelaria, L. Erythrospermum, Lm. 
Kcelera, Willd. Melicytus, Forst. Chaulmoogra, Roxb. 
Bessera, Spreng. 
Limacia, Dietr. Phoberos, Lour. 
PANGIACE.E, 
Blume in Ann. Sc. Nov. Ser. 2. 88. (1834). 
Pangium, Rumf. Hydnocarpus, Gaertn. 
Vareca, Gaertn.* Chilmoria, Hamit. 
Gynocardia, Roxb. 
are mentioned by name in the work above quoted, but no character is 
assigned to them. 
See Samydaceae. 
