_Melia Azederach_, the Pride of India, or Indian Lilac, or Bead-tree, for it is known by all these names, is a native of Syria, which has become almost naturalised in the South of Europe, particularly near the Mediterranean. The leaves are bi-pinnate, the flowers are violet-coloured, and the fruit, which resembles that of the cherry, is of a pale yellow when ripe. The pulp is poisonous, and the stones are used for making rosaries in the Roman Catholic countries. ORDER XLVIII*.—CEDRELEÆ.—THE MAHOGANY TRIBE. This order was at first united to Meliaceæ by De Candolle, but it has been separated on account of its winged seeds. It contains, among other genera, the Mahogany tree (_Swietenia Mahagoni_), and the West Indian Cedar (_Cedrela_). The leaves of these trees are alternate and pinnate, with unequal-sided leaflets; and the flowers are in large spreading panicles composed of numerous little cymes. The fruit is capsular, and the seeds are winged. The genera contained in this order, all require a stove in Great Britain. ORDER XLIX.—AMPELIDEÆ.—THE VINE TRIBE. [Illustration: FIG. 133.—FLOWERS OF THE VINE.] The natural order Ampelideæ contains several genera, but of these only the Vine and the five-leaved Ivy are common in British gardens. It seems almost ridiculous to talk of the flowers of the Vine, as the bunches, even when they first appear, seem to consist of only very small grapes, which gradually become large ones. The flowers, however, though small and insignificant, are perfect, and they have each a distinct and regularly formed calyx and corolla. The calyx of the common Grape (_Vitis vinifera_) is very small, and remains on till the fruit is ripe; there are five petals (_a_ in _fig._ 133), which never expand, but remain fastened together at the tip, detaching themselves at the base, when it is necessary that they should give room to the ripening stamens (_b_). The petals, which form a kind of extinguisher, when they are raised by the five stamens, fall off (_c_), and occasion the chaffy appearance observable in clusters of Vine-flowers. The ovary is, when young, in two cells, each containing two seeds; and it is crowned with a nearly flat, round stigma, without any style. When the fruit begins to swell, the ovary becomes filled with a pulp, which is solid, and not contained in bags like that of the Orange; and the dissepiment that divided the two cells gradually wastes away. Two, and sometimes three of the seeds also frequently disappear, so that four seeds are rarely found in the ripe grape. The seeds themselves are bony, and covered with a jelly-like matter; and when they are cut open, they are found to consist of a large quantity of hard albumen, with a very small embryo at the tip. The Vine is a climbing shrub, with lobed leaves, which are frequently deeply cut; the bunches in which the grapes are disposed are called branched or thyrsoid racemes (see 137), and the tendrils, by which the plant