. The natural history of plants. Botany. 272 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. The Sumacs (Rhus) give their name to a subseries of Rhoidece. They have polygamous flowers, with four or five parts (fig. 310, 311). Their receptacle has the form of a surbased cone or of a tray on whose edges are inserted an imbricate calyx and corolla. By this, their flower recalls very much that of JSchmus, as also by the gynse- ceum whose ovary is surmounted by three styles, free or united at Shm Cotinua,. Female flower (f). Fig. 312. Fruit (|) Fig. 313. Longitudinal section of fruit. Fig. 311. Longitudinal se
. The natural history of plants. Botany. 272 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. The Sumacs (Rhus) give their name to a subseries of Rhoidece. They have polygamous flowers, with four or five parts (fig. 310, 311). Their receptacle has the form of a surbased cone or of a tray on whose edges are inserted an imbricate calyx and corolla. By this, their flower recalls very much that of JSchmus, as also by the gynse- ceum whose ovary is surmounted by three styles, free or united at Shm Cotinua,. Female flower (f). Fig. 312. Fruit (|) Fig. 313. Longitudinal section of fruit. Fig. 311. Longitudinal section of female flower. the base and stigmatiferous at the apex, but the androceum is nearly always isostemonous, formed, in consequence, of four or five alterni- petalous stamens, inserted below the edge of a thick disk. The ascendent funicle supporting the only ovule may be inserted at the base or more or less high on the side of the ovary, but it is not attached above the middle of its height. The fruit (fig. 312, 313) is drupaceous, the mesocarp often nearly dry, more rarely pulpy, com- pressed, obovate, unsymmetrical or reniform; its stone, hard, coria- ceous or crustaceous, contains an inverted seed, with thin coats and an embryo bent round upon itself; the organic summit of the coty- ledons and of the arched radicle are directed towards the summit of the pericarp. This genus contains a hundred species from all the warm and temperate regions of the globe. They are trees and shrubs with resinous or burning poisonous juice, simple trifoliolate or compound .pinnate leaves, and very variable inflorescence. Beside the Sumacs are placed Co7nocladia, native of tropical America, only distinguished by two characters of very slight value; the petals three or, more rarely, four in number with an equal number of alternate stamens; and a fruit which is drupaceous and ellipsoidal, instead of being small and compressed or reniform. A small distinct group might be formed of the Pistachia
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectbotany, bookyear1871
