I/S. ALANGIACEAE — I79. COMBRETACEAE 389 



FAMILY 178. ALANGIACEAE 



Trees or shrubs. Leaves alternate, undivided, without stipules. Flowers 

 in axillary cymes, regular, hermaphrodite. Calyx 6 — lo-toothed. Petals 

 6 — 10, free or slightly cohering at the base, narrow, valvate in bud. Stamens 

 as many as the petals and alternate with them, or more. Filaments short, 

 free or nearly so, hairy. Anthers long, adnate, opening inwards or laterally 

 by two longitudinal slits. Disc cushion-shaped. Ovary inferior, i-celled, 

 rarely 2-celled. Ovule i in each cell, pendulous, inverted, with a ventral 

 raphe. Style simple ; stigma lobed. Fruit a drupe. Seed with a large 

 central embryo and fleshy albumen. (Under CORN ACE A E.) 



Genus i, species 2. Tropics. Used medicinally. (Including Marlea Roxb. 

 and SlylifiiDu I.our.) Alangium Lam. 



FAMILY 179. COMBRETACEAE 



Trees or shrubs, rarely undershrubs. Leaves entire, without stipules. 

 Flowers in spikes heads or panicles, regular or nearly so, 4 — 6-merous. Petals 

 free or wanting. Stamens usualh^ twice as many as the sepals. Anthers 

 versatile. Ovary inferior, rarely half-inferior, i-celled. Ovules 2 — 3, rarely 

 4 — 6, pendulous from the apex of the cavity, inverted. Style simple. Fruit 

 a one-seeded dnipe or nut, rarely incompletel}^ dehiscent, usually angled or 

 winged. Seeds exalbuminous. — Genera 12, species 330. Tropical and 

 South Africa. (Plate 113.) 



1. Ovary half-inferior. Petals 5. Stamens 10. Ovules 2, with a short 



funicle. I*"ruit dorsally compressed, dry, indehiscent. Embr\^o with 

 very thick, almost hemispherical cotyledons. — Species 2. West Africa. 

 [Subfamil>- STREPHONEMATOIDEAE.] . . Strephonema Hook. fil. 

 Ovarv inferior. Ovules usually with a long funicle. Fruit winged, angled, 

 lateralh' compressed, or terete. Embryo with fiat, folded, or twisted 

 cotyledons. [Subfamily COMBRETOIDEAE.] 2 



2. Flowers with bracteoles adnate to the ovary, arranged in spikes or racemes. 



Sepals persistent. Petals 5. Cotyledons twisted. [Tribe LAGUN- 



CULARIEAE.l 3 



Flowers without bracteoles. Sepals deciduous, rarely persistent, but 

 then flowers in heads 4 



3. Leaves opposite. Flowers sessile. Stamens 10. Ovules 2 ; funicle short. 



— Species i. Coasts of West Africa. Yields timber, tanning and 



dyeing materials, and medicaments. . . . Laguncularia Gaertn. 



Leaves alternate. Flowers stalked. Ovules 4 — 6 ; funicle long. — Species 



I. Coast of East Africa and Madagascar. . . Lumnitzera Willd. 



4. Petals 4 — 5, rarely none ; in this case, as usually, leaves opposite. Flowers 



mostly hermaphrodite. Funicle usually tubercled. Cotyledons flat 

 or folded, more rarely twisted. [Tribe COMBRETEAE.] ... 5 

 Petals none. Leaves alternate, rarely almost opposite. Flowers mostly 

 polygamous. Sepals deciduous. Funicle usually smooth. Cotyledons 

 twisted. Trees or erect shrubs. [Tribe TERMINALIEAE.] . . 10 



