504 . icosANDRiA MONOGYNiA. Lagerstroemia, 



smooth, slender twigs drooping much from the weight of 

 the leaves, and still more when in flower, or seed, by the 

 additional weight of the flowers, &c. general height of the 

 trefs when seven years old from twenty to forty feet. 

 Leaves opposite, approximate, short-petioled, linear-ob- 

 long, with a cordate, stem-clasping base, entire, of a firm 

 consistence, smooth on both sides, with the lower side 

 paler, from six to twelve inches long, and from three to 

 five broad. Panicles terminal, drooping, sub-globu- 

 lar. Flowers very large, from ten to forty in the panicle, 

 wi h a rather offensive odour. Calyx divided about half 

 way down, into six acute, smooth, thick, fleshy perma- 

 nent segments. Petals six, oblong, obtuse ; margins curl- 

 ed, considerably longer than the segments of the calyx. 

 Filaments about eighty, equal, longer than the corol, 

 Anlhtrs linear, incumbent. Germ superior, conic, six or 

 more grooved, six or more celled, with innumerable ovu" 

 la in each, attached to the large triangularly conic recepta- 

 cle, rising from the bottom of the cells and longitudinal- 

 ly to the inner edges of the partitions. The space gene- 

 rally occupied by the axis being here empty. Style longer 

 than the stamina, often serpentine. Stigma ovate, slightly 

 divided into as many lobes as there are cells in the cap- 

 sule. Capsule nearly round, of the size of a very small 

 apple, with smooth, brittle, dark brown, rather thin cor- 

 tex, surrounded with the permanent segments of the ca- 

 lyx, six or more celled, six or more-valvcd, opening from 

 the apex, partitions longitudinally attached to the mid- 

 dle of the valves, and their inner margins to the inner 

 part of the receptacles. Seeds numerous, very minute, 

 linear-oblong, pedicelled, from their apex proceeds a 

 long filiform process, or wing. Integument the smallness 

 of the seed prevents me from determining whether there 

 is more than one, it is rather hard w here the embryo is 

 lodged, but both extremities are spongy. Perisperm 

 none or very thin, and not to be distinguished from the 



