te. - STERCULIACEE (Harv.) [Sterculi 
| OrpveR XXI. STERCULIACEA, Vent. 
a (By W. H. Harvey.) 
(Sterculiacex, Vent. Malm. 2. 91. Endl. Gen. No. ccx. Lindl. Veg. 
Kingd. No. cxxvi. Bombacex, DC, Prod. 1. p. 475.) 
Flowers mostly regular, frequently unisexual and apetalous. Calyx 
5—7-fid, with valvate estivation. Petals 5 or none, convolute. Stamens 
indefinite, monadelphous ; anthers two-celled, opening outwards. Ovary 
of 3-5 carpels, separate or united in a plurilocular pistil; ovules nume- 
rous or definite, axile; styles more or less confluent. Frwit various ; a 
capsule or berry, or of several follicles, dehiscent or indehiscent. Seeds 
with fleshy albumen or exalbuminous, and a straight or curved embryo, 
with plaited or flat cotyledons. 
Trees, often of vast size, rarely shrubs, glabrous or with stellate pubescence. Leaves 
alternate, simple or digitately compound, with deciduous stipules or. exstipulate. 
_ Flowers in some large and conspicuous ; in others small and green. 
‘Nearly related, in character, to the Malvacee, from which these plants are tech- 
nically distinguished Bae bilocular anthers, opening outwards. The habit is, how- 
ever very different. Order is almost exclusively tropical, with the exception of 
a few Sterculias found in New Holland, and the solitary South African represen- 
tative. In the tropics the Adansonia (or Baobab), the Silk Cotton Tree (Bombax 
Ceiba), and others are among the grandest objects of the vegetable world. They are 
% more remarkable for beauty than for useful products. The Durian, the most deli- 
cious but stinking fruit of the Mala; is yielded by a tree of this Order, 
Doraitahaes y peninsula, is yiel y a 0 
2 J. STERCULIA, L. 
Flowers unisexual, without petals, Calyx coloured, campanulate or 
tubular, 5-7 cleft or parted; the segments leathery. Males: staminal- 
tube shorter or longer than the calyx, solid, bearing anthers at the 5- 
10-toothed extremity; anthers adnate, extrorse, 2-celled. Female: sta- 
manal-tube adnate to the carpophore, the abortive anthers surrounding 
the base of the ovary, Ovary stipitate, of 5 connivent or partially 
_ connate carpels : styles more or less united; ovules numerous. Follicles 
_ § or fewer, leathery or ligneous, few or many-seeded. Endl. Gen. No. 
5320. DC. Prod. 1. p. 481. 
Tropical trees, common to both hemispheres, but most numerous in Asia and 
Mirica. Leaves alternate, petiolate, simple or digitately compound, Stipules deci- 
> ohh daamegtd or sub-terminal ; flowers red, yellow, or parti- 
ri (Harv.); leaves digitately compound, quinate ; leaf- 
se, mucronulate, acute at 5 om laa reticulate ; 
d, shorter than the petiole ; calyx campanulate, 5—7- 
ee 8, Se ee ee 
ey, near Uitenhage, Dr. Alexander Prior! (Herb. — 
