SAPOTACEiE. 269 



SAPOTACE/E. 



Trees and shrubs with rust-coloured tomentum on 

 the younger parts ; alternate, leathery, entire, leaves ; 

 and axillary clusters of perfectly regular monopetalous 

 flowers, with four to eight sepals in one or two whorls, a 

 four or five-lobed corolla and a superior ovary of as many 

 one-seeded cells : characterised by the seed having a very 

 hard shiny coat and long hilum-scar, and in many, but 

 not all cases, by there being developed on the backs of 

 the corolla-segments other lobes, so that there appear 

 to be several concentric circles of petals, and by the 

 presence often of two or three circles of stamens and 

 an inner circle of staminodes. 



Species 350 in the tropics of the whole world. On the 

 plains Bassaia, Mimusops, and Achras sapota the Sapodilla 

 (cultivated). 



SIDEROXYLON f.b.i. 89 m. 



Trees with alternate entire leathery leaves, rusty- 

 tomentose on the young parts and flower-stalks. Flowers 

 clustered at the leaf-axils, subsessile or shortly pedi- 

 celled. Sepals five, imbricate. Corolla tube campanu- 

 late ; lobes five. Stamens five attached to the base of 

 the corolla ; staminodes five lanceolate. Ovary villous, 

 five-celled. Berry egg-shaped, with five or four seeds. 



Species 60, mostly in the tropics. 



Sidcroxylon tomentosum Roxh. ; F.B.I. iii 538, III 7. 

 Easily recognised when in flower by the downward 

 pointing closed flowers, like sharp cones with protruding 

 curved style. 



A small tree : young shoots, sepals, and veins, and 

 upper side of petioles, rusty tomentose. Branches hori- 

 zontal ; twigs lenticelled. Leaves alternate, erect and 

 spreading : often arched and margin recurved. Petiole 



