1. Seed with a straight embryo. Shrubs or trees. Leaves opposite. Flowers in corymbs, inconspicuous. Involucre consisting of 2-3 small bracts. Perianth tubular or campanulate, 4-5-toothed. Stamens 5-15.--Species 6. Tropical and South-east Africa. (Plate 42.) [Tribe PISONIEAE.] =Pisonia= Plum. Seed with a curved embryo. Herbs or undershrubs, rarely shrubs or trees, but then leaves alternate or fascicled and flowers in fascicles. Stamens 1-10. [Tribe MIRABILEAE.] 2 2. Stem woody, spinous. Leaves alternate or fascicled. Flowers in fascicles. Stamens 5-10, unequal. Ovary oblong. [Subtribe BOUGAINVILLEINAE.] 3 Stem herbaceous or woody at the base only, not spinous. Leaves opposite. Flowers hermaphrodite. Ovary ovoid or globose. [Subtribe BOERHAVIINAE.] 4 3. Clusters of flowers surrounded by an involucre of 3 large, coloured bracts. Fruit not winged. Leaves scattered.--Species 1. Naturalized in the tropics. Ornamental plant. =Bougainvillea= Commers. Clusters of flowers without an involucre. Fruit winged. Leaves fascicled.--Species 2. South Africa, southern West Africa, and Madagascar. (Including _Amphoranthus_ S. Moore). =Phaeoptilon= Radlk. 4. Flowers large, surrounded by a calyx-like, 4-5-cleft involucre.--Species 1 (_M. Jalapa_ L., marvel of Peru). Naturalized in various regions. An ornamental and medicinal plant. =Mirabilis= L. Flowers surrounded singly or in clusters by some early deciduous bracts.--Species 20. Some of them are used as vegetables or in medicine. =Boerhavia= L. FAMILY 70. CYNOCRAMBACEAE Herbs. Leaves undivided, stipulate, the lower opposite, the upper alternate. Flowers monoecious, the male in groups of 2-4 opposite the leaves, the female in axillary clusters of 3. Perianth of the male flowers 2-3-parted, valvate in bud, of the female tubular, 2-4-toothed. Stamens 10-30, free; anthers linear. Ovary inferior, 1-celled. Ovule 1, basal, curved, with the micropyle turned downwards. Style simple, basal. Fruit a drupe. Seed with a curved embryo and cartilaginous albumen. (_THELIGONACEAE_, under _CHENOPODIACEAE_ or _URTICACEAE_.) Genus 1, species 1. North Africa. (_Theligonum_ L.) =Cynocrambe= Gaertn. FAMILY 71. PHYTOLACCACEAE Leaves alternate, entire, without stipules. Flowers in racemes or spikes, bracteolate. Perianth 4-5-parted, herbaceous or membranous, coloured, imbricate in bud, persistent in fruit. Stamens 3-33, hypogynous. Filaments free or united at the base. Anthers affixed at the back, opening by two longitudinal slits. Carpels superior. Ovules solitary in each ovary-cell or in each distinct carpel, basal, curved; micropyle turned downwards and outwards. Seed with an annular embryo surrounding the albumen.--Genera 5, species 15. 1. Style 1, undivided. Ovary 1-celled. Stamens 4. Anthers linear. Perianth 4-parted. Flowers in racemes. Leaves elliptical. Undershrubs. [Tribe RIVINEAE.] 2 Styles 2 or more, free or nearly so. Perianth neatly always 5-parted. 3