224 



XXI. MALYACE^. 



[Bomhax 



N. Australia. CarGcmng Bay, N.W. coast, A. Cunningham. The specimen consists 

 of a single flower; the foliage and fruit are therefore described from East Indian specimens, 

 where the species has a considerable range. 



\ 



Order XXIL STERCULIACEiE. 



Flowers regular, hermaphrodite or unisexual. Calyx usually persistent, 

 more or less deeply divided into 5 or rarely 4 or 3 valvate lobes or segments, 

 or rarely splitting irregularly, of the sepals entirely free. Petals either 5, 

 hypogynous, free, or adhering to the staminal columUj coiitorted-imbricate m 

 the bud, or small and scale-like, or none. Stamens usually united into a ruig, 

 a cup, or tube, with 5 terminal teeth or lobes (staminodia) alternating with 

 the petals, and one or more anthers sessile or stipitate (on distinct filaments) 

 in each interval, the anthers 2 -celled and opening outwards, in longitudinal 

 slits, or exceptionally the anthers are numerous or the staminodia wanting, 

 or the stamens 5, free and alternate with the sepals or the anther-cells con- 

 fluent or opening in terminal pores. Ovary free, 2- to 5-celled, with the 

 carpels more or less united, rarely 10- or 12-celled, or reduced to a single 

 •pel. Style entire, or divided into as many branches as there are cells, or 

 rarely styles as many, nearly or quite free. Fruit various. Seeds sometimes 

 hairy but not woolly, sometimes enveloped in pulp or strophiolate, the testa 

 coriaceous, occasionally enclosed in an outer membranous integument ; albu- 

 men fleshy or none ; cotyledons usually foliaceous, flat or folded, the radicle 

 shorter, next the hilum or rarely cfistant from it, — Herbs, shrubs, or trees, 

 the tomentum or hairs stellate, rarely mixed with simple hairs. * Leaves alter- 

 nate or irregularly opposite, simple and pinnately or palmately nerved, entire 

 toothed or lobed, or digitately compound. Stipules rarely wanting. 



A lar^e Order, chieflj tropical, dispersed over the New and the Old World, with some 



extratroplcal genera iu S. Africa or Australia, and very few species without the tropics m the 



Northern hemisphere. Of the 19 Australian genera 10 are common to the tropical regions oi 



the Old World or both of the Old and the New Wodd, the remaining 9 are endemic, witU 



■ the exception of single species of Rulingia and Kerandrenia, found iu Madagascar. 



Anthers 5 to 15, sessile or stipUate, surrounding the ovary at the 

 top of a colamo or gynophore 

 Flowers iinisej^ual or polygamous. No petals. Anthers sessile. 

 No staminodia. Fruit-carpels separate, sessile or stipitate. 

 Trees. Leaves simple or digitate. (Tribe SterculieaeO 

 Anthers irregularly clustered. Seeds albuminous. 



Ovules 2 or more in each cell. Carpels follicular or open- 

 ing along the ianer edge 1. Stkbcxjlia. 



Ovules single in each cell. Carpels winged, indehiscent ' * 2. Tarui^tia. 

 Anthers 5, in a ring. Ovules sohtary. Carpels large, indehis- 

 cent. Albumen none ,3. Hkrttikra. 



Flowers hermaj>hrodite, Pelah 5, clawek Anthers* on' short 

 lilaiueuts, surrounding or alternating with 5 teeth of the co- 

 lumn or staminodia. Leaves simple. (Tribe Ilelicterece.) 

 Anther-cells divaricate or confluent into one. Pruit-earpeU dis- 

 tinct, or spirally twisted 4, Helictekes. 



Anther-cells parallel. Fruit woody, S-valved. Seeds' winged ! 5! PterospeRM^*^ 

 Stamens 5 (or in Abroma more), united at the base in a short cup or 

 ring, or rarely free, with or without intervening staminodia, and 

 surrounding the sessile ovary. 



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