41 



Anomalies. Nome, if Decadia, a genus of winch little is known, with 

 vound anthers and 10 slightly .serrated petals, be excluded. 



Essential Character.— Sepal* -1 or 5, with a valvular activation, and no involucruirt. 

 Petals 4 or 5, hypoo-ynous, lobed or fringed at the point. Disk glandular, somewhat project- 

 ing. Stamens from 15 to 20 ; filaments short, distinct; anthers long, filiform, 4-OOrnercd, 

 2-celled, the cells opening- by an oblong pore at the apex. Ovarium many-celled ; style one. 

 Fruit variable, either indehiscent, dry, or drupaceous, or valvular. Seeds 2 or more in each 

 -cell; albumen fleshy; embryo erect, with flat, leafy tfotyUdens.— Trees or snrubs. Leaves 

 alternate, entire or serrated, simple, with deciduous stij/ula: Mowers racemose. 



Affinities. These differ from Tiliacca- only in their fringed petals, ami 

 anthers opening by two pores at the apex. Dec. M. Kunth combines them 

 with that order. Diss. Mate. p. 16. 



Geography. Of the described species, 10 are found in the East Indies, 4 

 in South America, 2 in New Holland, and 2 in New Zealand ; several more, 

 however, exist in India. 



Properties. Nothing mofe is known than that the fruit of some is eata- 

 ble. They are handsome trees or shrubs, with showy flowers ; and the fur- 

 rowed, sculptured, bony fruit of the Elaeocarpi, being freed from its pulp, forms 

 handsome necklaces, which are not uncommonly set in gold, and sold in the 

 shops. 



Examples. Elreocarpus, Vallea. 



XXXI. DIPTEROCARPEyE. The Camphor Tree Tribe. 



DipterocarpejE, Blume Bijdr. p. 222. (1825); Fl. Java (1820). 



Diagnosis. Polypetalous dicotyledons, with hypogynous indefinite stamens, 

 •subulate anthers opening towards the apex, concrete carpella, an ovarium of 

 several cells with pendulous ovules in pairs, a tubular calyx with imbricated 

 •aestivation, and a fruit surrounded by the dilated unequal foliaceous calyx. 



Anomalies. 



Essential Character. — Calyx tubular, 5-lobcd, unequal, naked at the base; aestivation 

 imbricated. Petals hypogynous, sessile, combined at the base; aestivation contorted. Sta- 

 mens indefinite, hypogynous, distinct, or slig-htly and irregularly polyadelphous; anthers 

 innate, subulate, opening longitudinally towards the apex; filaments dilated at the base. 

 'Ovarium superior, without a disk, few-celled ; ovules in pairs, pendulous; style single; sii%- 

 ma 3imple. Fruit coriaceous, l-celled by abortion, 3-valved or indehiscent, surrounded by 

 the enlarged calyx. Seed single, without albumen ; cotyledons twisted and crumpled, or unc- 



2ual and obliquely incumbent; radicle superior. — Elegant frees, abounding in resinous juice. 

 jeaves alternate, involute in vernation, with veins running out from the midrib to the mar- 

 gin ; stipules deciduous, oblong, convolute, terminating the branches with a taper point. Pe- 

 duncles terminal, or almost so, in racemes or panicles ; flowers usually large. 



Affinities. Very near Elaeocarpeae, but also allied to Malvaceae in the 

 contorted aestivation of the corolla, and the crumpled cotyledons : they differ 

 from the latter in having the stamens either distinct or partially combined, long 

 narrow 2-celled anthers, and pendulous ovules ; and from the former in their 

 petals not being fringed, and in want of albumen. Their resinous juice, soli- 

 tary superior ovarium, drupaceous fruit, numerous long anthers, irregular 

 coloured calyx, and single exalbuininotis seed, ally them, as Blume remark.-, 

 to Guttiferae, from which their stipulae and the aestivation of the corolla abun- 

 dantly distinguish them. The enlarged foliaceous unequal segments of the 

 calyx, while investing the fruit, point out this family at once. 



Geography. Only found in the eastern islands of the Indian Archipelago, 

 where, according to Blume, they form the largest trees of the forest. 



Properties. Here belongs the famous Camphor tree of Sumatra, Dryo- 

 balanops Camphora, which is no doubt a species of Dipterocarpus. The carn- 



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