TAXONOMY 
359 
palmately lobed, cleft (Acer) or pinnate (Negundo). Inflorescence 
a raceme condensing in some species to a capitulum of cymes. 
Flowers small, regular, polygamous or dioecious; sepals five to four 
green; petals none or five, variously colored; stamens usually eight, 
hypogynous or perigynous; nectar disc around stamens or between 
them and pistil; pistil bicarpellary with two-celled ovary. Fruit a 
samara. Seeds green, exalbuminous with coiled or folded embryo 
and long thin cotyledons. 
Unofficial drug Part used Botanical orign Habitat 
Acer Spicatum Bark Acer spicatum United States 
XVII. Order Rhamnales.— Rhamnacex or Buckthorn Family .— 
Shrubs or low trees usually of branching or spreading habit. 
Branches either cylindric or long green or hardened, checked back 
and spinescent, occasionally, especially flowering branches develop¬ 
ing tendrils for support. Leaves simple, usually alternate. Flowers 
hermaphrodite or more or less diclinous, pentamerous to tetramer- 
ous, greenish to greenish-yellow to yellowish-white; sepals five to 
four; petals five to four alternating with sepals; stamens five oppo¬ 
site the petals, perigynous; pistil either free in center of receptacular 
cup or more or less fused with it and so semi-inferior, ovary typically 
three-celled becoming rarely four-celled with two to one atropous 
ovules in each cavity. Fruit of three indehiscent cocci, each en¬ 
closing a single albuminous seed with straight embryo imbedded 
in albumen. 
Official drug 
Parts used 
Botanical origin 
Habitat 
Cascara Sagrada 
Bark 
Rhamnus Purshiana 
Northern Cali¬ 
fornia to south¬ 
western British 
America 
Frangula 
Bark 
Rhamnus Frangula 
Europe 
Rhamnus 
Cathartica N.F. 
Fruit 
Rhamnus cathartica 
Asia and Africa 
Vitacece or Grape Family .—Rarely tall herbaceous, usually shrubby 
and climbing, more rarely shrubby upright plants. Stems rarely 
short more usually elongate, feeble, rather brittle, climbing by 
tendrils which represent modified inflorescence shoots. Leaves 
