African plants, with panicles of small white flowers, and simple leaves.
ORDER LXV.—AQUILARINEÆ.
Trees, natives of Asia, little known in England.
ORDER LXVI.—TEREBINTHACEÆ.—THE TURPENTINE TRIBE.
This order is divided by De Candolle into seven sections; viz., 1. Anacardiaceæ, including the Cashew-nut (Anacardium), the Mango (Mangifera), and the Turpentine trees (Pistacia); 2. Sumachineæ, which contains Rhus, Schinus, and Duvaua: 3, Spondiaceæ, containing the Hog-plum (Spondias); 4. Burseraceæ, including the Jamaica Birch (Bursera), and the Balm of Gilead tree (Balsamodendron); 5. Amyrideæ, the West Indian Balsam tree (Amyris); 6. Spatheliaceæ, the West Indian Sumach (Spathelia); and 7. Connaraceæ, containing Omphalobium, and other exotic genera. Of these modern botanists make five distinct orders, viz., Anacardiaceæ, including the first, second, and fifth sections; Amyrideæ, Spondiaceæ, Burseraceæ, and Connaraceæ. Ptelea, which was originally included in this order, is now generally placed in Xanthoxylaceæ.
The plants contained in this order have in some cases perfect flowers, and in others, the male and female flowers on different plants. They all abound in a resinous gum; that from the Mastic tree (Pistacia Lentiscum), and several of the species of Rhus, is used for making varnish; the gum of the Turpentine tree (P. Terebinthus) is the Chian or Cyprus turpentine. The flowers are small, and generally produced in panicles, the petals are sometimes wanting. The leaves are alternate, without stipules, and often compound. The flowers have generally five petals, and five or ten stamens; and the fruit is drupaceous, or capsular, varying in the different genera. In Anacardium, the peduncle which supports the Cashew-nut is fleshy and pear-shaped, so as to resemble a fruit more than the nut itself. The Mango has a fleshy drupe, with a woody, fibrous stone or nut. In Pistacia, the fruit is a dry drupe inclosing a nut, which is eatable in P. vera. Both the male and female flowers in this genus are handsome, though without petals, from the anthers being yellow, and the stigmas crimson. The different species of Sumach, or Rhus, are all poisonous; and the Venetian Sumach (Rhus cotinus) is remarkable from the appearance presented by its flower-stalks in autumn; as all the flower-stalks which do not bear fruit dilate, after the flowers have dropped, and become covered with a great quantity of white cottony hair, which makes each panicle resemble a powdered wig; and hence, the French call the tree Arbre à perruque.
ORDER LXVII.—LEGUMINOSÆ.—(See Chap. II. in P. [35].)