58 



1. Sterciilia. 



2. Tar rie till. 



3. Heritiera. 



parallel or divergent. Ovaries 2 to 5, free, rarely 1, sessile or stalked ; 

 styles slightly united aud becoming free or slightly cohei'ent, as many as 

 the ovaries. Ovules many or few, attached to the inner angles of 

 the ovaries, anatropous, ascending or horizontal, raphe ventral or lateral. 

 Fruit dry or fleshy, dehiscent or indehiscent. Seeds sometimes arillate, 

 albuminous or exalbuminous : cotyledons leafy, flat, folded or con- 

 volute ; radicle short, inferior, pointing towards, or remote from the 

 hilum. Distrib. Abundant in the tropics of either hemisphere and in 

 subtropical Africa aud Australia. Genera 40 — 45 ; species from 500 to 

 600. 



Tribe I. Stercidiecv . Flowers unisexual or poly- 

 gamous. Petals 0. Andneciuvi columnar ; 

 the anthers clustered at its apex ; or in a 

 1-seriate ring. 

 Anthers numerous. 



Ovary with 2 or more ovules in each 



cell ; fruit dehiscent ... 

 Ovarian cells 1-ovuled ; fruit indehiscent 

 Anthers 5, whorled ; fruit indehiscent. 



Tribe II. Helicterece. Flowers hermaphrodite. 

 Petals deciduous. Andrcecitim columnar be- 

 low, dilated above into a cup, margin bear- 

 ing on it the anthers usually alternating 

 with staminodes. 



Capsule membx'anous, inflated... 

 Capsule more or less woody, not inflated. 

 Anther-cells divaricate; seeds not winged 

 Anther-cells parallel ; seeds winged 



Tribe III. Hermannieoi. Flowers hermaphrodite. 

 Petals marcescent, flat. Androecium tubular 

 at ths base only ; stamens 5, staminodes 0. 



Ovary 5-celled 



Ovary 1-celled, 1-seeded 



Tribe IV, Buettnerice. Petals concave or ungui- 

 culate at the base ; filaments in a tube witli 

 the anthers at its apex, solitary or in groups 

 between staminodes. 



Stamens in a single series. 



Stamens iu groups between the staminodes ; 



4. Kleinhovia. 



5. Helicteres. 



6. Pterospermum. 



7. 

 8. 



Meloch ia. 

 Waltheria. 



Petals unguiculate 



9. 



Abroma^ 



107 



