57- OPILIACEAE — 58. GRUBBIACEAE — 59. OLACACEAE 1 73 



FAMILY 57. OPILIACEAE 



Shrubs or trees. Leaves alternate, entire. Flowers in spikes racemes or 

 umbels, regular, hermaphrodite. Calyx (or calyx-like excrescence of the re- 

 ceptacle) entire or obscurely 4— 5-toothed. Petals (or perianth-segments) 

 4 — 5, free. Stamens equal in number and opposite to them, free or adnate at 

 the base. Disc present. Ovary superior or nearly so, i-celled, with a thick 

 central placenta. Ovule i, pendulous from the apex of the placenta, with no 

 coat. Style simple. Fruit succulent. Seed without a testa ; albumen 

 abundant ; embryo large, with superior radicle. — ■ Genera 2, species 15, (Under 

 OLACINEAE) (Plate 35.) 



Axis of the inflorescence with cushion-shaped swellings at the base of the 

 pedicels. Flowers in short racemes or umbels. Receptacle broad, 

 cupular. Disc lobed. Petals with inflected tips. Filaments short. 

 Anthers broad. — ■ Species 5. Central Africa. Rhopalopilia Pierre 



Axis of the inflorescence without swelhngs. Flowers in racemes. Receptacle 

 small. — Species 10. Central Africa to Delagoa Bay. {Grout ia Guill. & 

 Perr., including Urohotrya Stapf). (Plate 35.) , . . Opilia Roxb. 



FAMILY 58. GRUBBIACEAE 



Shrubs. Leaves opposite, narrow, entire, leathery. Inflorescences axillary, 

 cymose. Flowers regular, hermaphrodite. Perianth 4-partite, with 

 sepaloid, valvate segments. Stamens 8, almost free from the perianth. 

 Anthers 2-celled. Ovary irferior, i-celled or at first incompletely 2-celled 

 Ovules 2, pendulous from a central or subparietal placenta, straight, with no 

 coat. Style simple ; stigma 2-lobed. Fruit a drupe. Seed i, with a thin 

 testa and fleshy albumen ; embryo straight, with inferior radicle. (Under 

 5.4 .V TALACEA E or HA MA MELI DA CEA E) 



Genus i, species 4. South Africa (Cape Colony). . . . Grubbia Berg 



FAMILY 59. OLACACEAE 



Shrubs or trees, rarely undershrubs. Leaves entire. Flowers regular. 

 Calyx usually small. Petals or corolla-lobes 3—6, nearly always valvate in 

 bud. Anthers opening by 2 longitudinal shts. Ovary superior or nearly so, 

 rarely half-inferior or almost inferior, i-celled, usually septate at the base, 

 rarely 2 — 5 -celled to the top. Ovules 1—5, pendulous from the apex of a 

 usually free placenta, inverted. Style simple Fruit indehiscent. Seed i, 

 with a small embryo and abundant albumen. — Genera 11, species 70. Tropical 

 and South Africa. (Plate ^h.) 

 I. Ovary superior, i-celled, sometimes septate at the base. Ovules 2 — -3, 



with no coat 2 



Ovary superior, i-celled with 4 — 5 ovules, or completely or nearly com- 

 pletely 3 — 4-celled, or more or less inferior. Ovules with i — 2 coats, 5 



