HEDERACEX, in botany, the name of the forty-sixth order of Linnmus's " Frag ments of a Natural Method," consisting of the ivy, vine, and a few other genera, which, from their general habit and ap pearance, seem nearly allied. This or der consists of herbaceous and shrubby plants, most of which, particularly the ivy and vine, just mentioned, have creep ing branches, that attach themselves by tendrils to the bodies in their neighbour hood. The roots are long ; the stems and young branches commonly cylindric. The leaves are alternate, sometimes simple, as in the ivy and vine ; sometimes winged, as in the zanthoxyium, or tooth-ach tree, in which the surface of the leaves is co vered with points. On each side of the foot-stalk of the leaves of the vine are placed two pretty large sti puha, ar scales; from the side opposite to the leaves pro ceeds a branching tendril, which serves ta fasten the plant to the bodies in its neigh bourhood. The flowers are either her maphrodite, as in the ivy and vine ; male and female upon different roots, as in the ginseng ; or hermaphrodite and male up on different roots, as in the zanthoxylum.
The calyx, or proper flower cup, consists of one leaf divided into five parts, which are small, and generally permanent. The petals are commonly five ; but in the cis sus four, ani in the zanthoxylum none. There are five stamina ; but the cissus has only tour. The anthers, or tops of the stamina, are roundish : in the ivy they are attached to the filaments by the sides. In the zanthoxylum the filaments are crowned with twin anthers. The seed bud is of different shapes ; the seed-ves sel is of the berry-kind, with one, two, or five cells, and the seeds are from one to five in number, placed either in distinct cells, or, as in the case of the ivy and vine, dispersed through the pulp without any partition See PANA:X, &c.