Sterculta.] Stei^CuilclCece. 1 63 



XXIIL— STERCULIACE.^. 



Trees or shrubs, rarely herbs ; 1. alternate, simple (rarely 



compound), with stip.; fl. regular (irregular in Helicteres),h\- 



or unisexual ; sep. 5, more or less combined into cal. ; pet. 5, 



usually somewhat connate at base, or o ; stam. 5-20 (some 



often reduced to staminodes), fil. more or less connate or quite 



monadelphous ; anth. 2-celled ; carp, (sometimes on a gyno- 



phore) 2-5, distinct or combined into a 5- or i-celled ov.- 



with i-many axile ovules in each, styles distinct or connate ; 



fruit of distinct foUicles or indehiscent carp., or a loculicidal 



capsule; seeds often winged, sometimes with aril, with or 



without endosperm. 



Pet. o ; fl. unisexual or polygamous. 



Anth. 10-20 ; fr. follicular i. Sterculia. 



Anth. 5 ; fr. indehiscent 2. Heritiera. 



Pet. 5 ; fl. bisexual. 

 Stam. 10-20. 



Fruit of spirally twisted follicles . . .3. Hei.icteres. 

 Fruit a capsule. 



Tree ; seeds winged 4. Pterospermum. 



Annual herb ; seeds not winged . . . 5. Pentapetes. 

 Stam. 5. 



Fr. 5-valved, 5-seeded 6. Melochia. 



Fr. 2-valved, r -seeded 7. Waltheria. 



An Order hardly separable from Malvaceae. All our 12 species are 

 inhabitants of the low country only, Heritiera being confined to the sea- 

 coast. 



I. STERCUI.IA, L. 



Trees ; fl. in racemes or panicles, unisexual or polyga- 

 mous ; cal. 5-fid. ; pet. o; stam. combined into a central 

 column, anth. 10-20, sessile, capitate ; carp. 4-5, on a gyno- 

 phore, ovules 2-many ; ripe carp, follicular, woody or mem- 

 branous ; seeds often with an aril, winged or wingless, with 

 firm endosperm. — Sp. 60; 31 in FL B. Ind. 



Seeds not winged. 

 Follicles woody. 



Leaves digitate I. S. fcetida. 



Leaves simple 



Leaves palmately cut 2. S. urens. 



Leaves not cut. 

 Cal.-segments spreading or refle.xed . . 3. S. guttata. 

 Cal.-segments connate at tips . . . 4. S. Balanghas. 

 Follicles membranous {Firiniana) . . . . 5. S. COLORATA. 

 Seeds winged {Pterygota) 6. S. Thwaitesii. 



