crumpled at the edge, the petals being much reflexed. The stamens numerous, and collected into a tube, which spreads at the top into an umbrella-like head, from which rises a slender curved style, terminating in a rayed stigma.

The various species of Bombax and Ceiba, which also belong to the order, are gigantic American forest-trees, with huge buttresses projecting from their colossal trunks. They are more noted for their appearance than for their properties.

The Malvals, with the exception of the Tilias and Malvas, are - trees and shrubs of the tropics. The Indian Cress, Tropeolum, include some of our prettiest flowers. The Mallows abound also in the tropics, but many species are common field plants with us, gradually diminishing towards the north. They all abound in mucilage, which is found salutary in cases of irritation. Dr. Asa Gray arranges the order into four tribes, viz.:—1. Malopee, containing three genera, the Malopa of Linnzus being typical. 2. Malvee, containing Althea, Malva, Sida, Abutilon. 3. Urenee, containing Malachia, Pavonia, and some doubtful genera. 4. Hibiscee, in which Hibiscus is the typical genera; and the well-known Cotton-plant, Gossypium. The genera, however, are riot remarkable for any valuable properties, although some of the species, the Cotton-tree of India (Bombax pentandrum), yield a useful gum, and several of the species have their seeds wrapped up in woolly hairs, which are usefully employed as stufing material. The geographt distributors seem to limit the Sterculee to India and Africa, the. Bombacee to tropical America; the Helecteree seem to be unknown in Africa, but extend to Tasmania and New Zealand. ores

The Byrivertacex are trees, shrubs, sometimes climbers, wholly intertropical. They are natives of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Asia, and tropical America, the most remarkable species being Theobroma cacao, a small tree, of which Demerara has | whole forests. The seeds of this plant form the principal m-gredient in chocolate, and an ardent spirit is distilled from ae -:fruit.

The Vivianiacee are herbaceous and half-shrubby plants of 2 5 z Chili and Brazil, of little interest. The TropxoLace® are smooth, herbaceous, trailing, or twine plants, of tender texture and acrid taste, better known for.

strange form and rich colours of their flowers. They are all natives of North and South America. The flower is distinguished byits irregularspurred calyx (Fig.. 392), the spur s being a_backward development springing from the base of the calyx at a in the Indian cress (Tropeolum magus).

The Matvacem are herbaceous plants, trees, and shrubs, with starry flowers, often enclosed in an involucre of various forms. They are abundant in the tropics, diminishing as we approach the north. In our climate the Marsh Mallows are the well-known re- Sieg presentatives of the order. The Common Mallow (Malva sylvestris,

Fig. 393) has the stem straight, ascending or patulous, branching, hairy, prickly, especially at the apex; the inferior leaves somewhat orbicular, heart- shaped, or truncated at the base, having from five to seven lobes, shallow and obtuse; the upper leaves present three to five lobes, usually much deeper; the flowers, the corolla of which is veined with purple, passing to violet, are disposed in axillary fascicules.: Now, what is the organisation of these flowers?

The calyx is in five divisions, and is furnished exteriorly with an involucre in three divisions. Five alternate petals, coherent at the base of their claw, constitute the corolla. The stamens are — “lumerous and monodelphous; that is, they appear as if their unequal filaments, free only in their upper part, were united, their lower parts passing to a tube, covering the ovary. These filaments are surmounted by an unilobate anther, opening by a semicircular cleft. The pistil is composed of a multi-ocular ovary, surrounded by as many styles as there are cells. ve

These last organs are filiform, consolidated in their lower part, and forming a sort of brush. An ascendant ovule is inserted at the central angle of each of these cells. The fruit is composed of a great number of small husks, each with a single seed connected circularly round a common central axis. Under their integuments

the seeds contain a curved embryo, in a rather abundant mucilaginous albumen, the cotyledons folded upon and fitting into the

Fig. 893,—Common Mallow (Maiva sylvestris). other. The flowers of the Mallows are ee peat:Fi* emollients for coughs, and similar objects. se

The Marsh-mallows (Althea officinalis) have stems from three to six inches in height;they are erect, and densely covered with hairy down, as also are the leaves, which are ovoid, dentate, and slightly lobated. The flowers, of a pale rose colour, are generally fasiculate in the axils of the leaves, near the summit of the stem and branches. The fasicle or bundle occurs when numerous flowers are congregated into a thickly set group, as in Fig. 394, where p is the petiole or leaf-stalk, s the stipule, 6 the bract, ¢ the calyx, cor the corolla. These flowers are fascicled. The Marsh-mallows are tap-rooted, fusiform, fleshy, and white; they are z about the size of a finger, simple, but Aah somewhat branchy. It is an approved and popular medicine, and holds the ** sug egal eee highest rank as an emollient. Amongst the most rerharkable of the Malvacex is the Cotton-tree (Gossypium), of which several species are largely cultivated in many parts of Asia, America, and the North of Africa, within the tropics, for the sake of the down which covers the testa of their seeds. This down forms the textile substance known under the name of cotton. The Ketmia (Hibiscus) have a five-celled Ovary and a five-valved capsular fruit, several species of which orm an ornament to our gardens—the Holyhock (Althea rosea), _ When well grown, being a noble flowering shrub. The young ‘Taucilaginous capsule of one amongst them, the Hibiscus esculentus, urnishes a stiff and rather insipid stew, very much liked in America, Malopa, Sida, and the finely pencilled Aduti/on are members of the large family of the Malvacexw, which abound through- Cut the tropics, and also in Europe; they are interesting in many _ Tespects. The uniform properties of the order are, an abundant

t mucilage, and total absence of deleterious properties. The Mallows and Marsh-mallows of Europe yield a tasteless, colourless decoc-

tion, which is salutary in coughs and other local causes of irritation. The flowers of the Holyhock are used in Greece for the same purpose; various species of Sida are used as emollients. Abutilom esculentum is used as a vegetable in Brazil. The fruits of others of the order are favourite ingredients in soups. The barks of many, as Malva crespa, and several species of Hibiscus, yield a strong fibre suitable for cordage. The Holyhock (Althea rosea) is said to yield a dye not inferior to indigo, and, to crown the whole, King Cotton is produced by several species of Gossypium belonging to the order. There are three varieties of the Cotton plant cultivated in America, namely, the Nankeen Cotton, supposed to be derived from G. religiosum, and possessing naturally the yellowish colour which distinguishes it; the Green-seed Cotton, producing white — Cotton, producing cotton and having green seeds; the Black-seed white cotton and black seeds. Upland cotton is a fine white variety, known as the Short Staple cotton; the third variety 18 on the low, sandy islands lying between Charleston cultivated and Savannah, and known as the Sea Island cotton, long celebrated for its long staple and the high price it produces in the in India and cultivated the Tree-cotton, G. arboreum, market. Africa, small growing,—from four to ten feet high. herbaceous. or Lindens are trees or shrubs, rarely The Trz1ace% The Limes, the types of the order, are large trees with light white wood; their leaves, sharply acuminate, ovals dentate, pubescent, sof glabrous. They are alternate, distichous, and furnished with caducous stipules. The flowers have this remarkable character, that they are disposed in axillary paucifloral corymbs with peduncle, W. in its lower half is consolidated with a whitish membranous bract, and especially for their glandular dise, distinct —_— and two-celled anthers.; called

The Common Lime (Tilia Europea) (Plate XV-); usually ¢Bier the Dutch Linden, is widely disseminated in our woods, pene it is rarely found beyond thealli® i of plains, hills, or mountains; of 300 feet above the level of the sea They are po nea their elegant and graceful form and delicious aroma 10 ee easel : 14 and its mature are velvety, Its buds promenades. public are slightly pubescent on their lower surface. planted here and

The forest Lime (Tilia sylvestris), which is

Plate XV.—The Lime Tree (Tilia Europæa).

Pi ate XV. —The L ime Tree ( Tilt Europea).

there in our parks and promenades, and is common in our woods, is easily distinguished from the preceding species by its smooth leaf-buds;its mature leaves are often very small, with smooth or glabrous lower surface, only having bristles at the angles of the ramifications of the veins. But we must pass to the description of the flower (Fig. 395). The calyx consists of five lanceolated sepals, the corolla of five petals longer than the sepals. The

Fig. 395.—Flower of the Lime-tree.

e hypogynous and very numerous, free or Feces plyadlptos at their base; their elongated filaments bearing two cells, opening from within by two longitudinal clefts. The eh is free, and generally has five biovulate cells with anatropal

The style is simple, and the stigmata five-lobed. The: oo ft 18 acoriaceous, indehiscent, cupular, unilocular bytthe disap- ___ Pearance of the dissepiment, and only contains two seedsby ab

Seeds each enclose a fleshy albumen and an embryo, ¥rith foli : dee cotyledons nearly rolled up. The flowers of the Lime contain oe oil, with sugar, mucilage, gum, nei tad ee. » in medicine as ~~. Of allindigenous ce

plants the liber of the limes yields the most strongly organised fibre; hence it is extensively employed in making cordage. The wood, which is easily wrought, is employed chiefly by joiners and carvers. The Sparmannia Africana, a pretty flower from the Cape of Good Hope, has evergreen leaves, white flowers disposedin umbella, anthers of the flowers being irritable. The leaves of Corchorus oletorius are used in Egypt as a pot-herb. Fishing lines, nets, and a coarse bagging are made from the fibre of Corchorus capsularis in India. In general terms the order may = be said to abound in plants both useful and ornamental.

SAPIDNALES.

monodichlamydeous, unsyM- exogens, flowers ypogynous ; stamens imbricated calyx and corolla axile; placentz metrical; 132 genera, 1,656 no’albumen. definite, ‘mnbigy with little or species. ageNETN

Slender heath-like a: exogens, with hairs usually glan partially complete, large and showy agp seagnbeohatte a Paivene cals CXXXII. Tremdudacee® and two apne goes——' opening by pores. They are all plan of Australia, e known. xogens, with complete, )

at saad: uraitia at the -ape; by Monnina and Badiera in Bons CXXXIII. Polygalace®.

Z ca, esperma is foun ‘*Foineeh and — Polygala oo urs in Cayenne and on the Swissm The r is anomalous aad scarcely forms a natural gr ps eaerotthe genera onve claims to sepa-aaalthough it is difficult to find more suitable places for them in the

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