y, in which we find herbs, shrubs or trees, represented by a few
American plants, such as bluets, or Quaker ladies, small blue spring
flowers, common to open meadows in northern United States; and partridge
berries (_Mitchella repens_).

The Madder Family has more foreign representatives than native genera,
among which are _Coffea_, _Cinchona_, and _Ipecacuanha_ (_Uragoga_), all
of which are of economic importance. The members of this family are
noted for their action on the nervous system. Coffee, as is well known,
contains an active principle known as caffein which acts as a stimulant
to the nervous system and in small quantities is very beneficial.
_Cinchona_ supplies us with quinine, while _Ipecacuanha_ produces
ipecac, which is an emetic and purgative.

The families are divided into smaller sections known as genera, and to
the genus _Coffea_ belongs the coffee plant. Under this genus _Coffea_
are several sub-genera, and to the sub-genus _Eucoffea_ belongs our
common coffee, _Coffea arabica_. _Coffea arabica_ is the original or
common Java coffee of commerce. The term "common" coffee may seem
unnecessary, but there are many other species of coffee besides
_arabica_. These species have not been described very frequently;
because their native haunts are the tropics, and the tropics do not
always offer favorable conditions for the study of their plants.

All botanists do not agree in their classification of the species and
varieties of the _coffea_ genus. M.E. de Wildman, curator of the royal
botanical gardens at Brussels, in his _Les Plantes Tropicales de Grande
Culture_, says the systematic division of this interesting genus is far
from finished; in fact, it may be said hardly to be begun.

_Coffea arabica_ we know best because of the important role it plays in
commerce.

COMPLETE CLASSIFICATION OF COFFEE

Kingdom _Vegetable_
Sub-Kingdom _Angiospermae_
Class _Dicotyledoneae_
Sub-class _Sympetalae or Metachlamydeae_
Order _Rubiales_
Family _Rubiaceae_
Genus _Coffea_
Sub-genus _Eucoffea_
Species _C. arabica_

The coffee plant most cultivated for its berries is, as already stated,
_Coffea arabica_, which is found in tropical regions, although it can
grow in temperate climates. Unlike most plants that grow be