Menisperniace<z.] flora indica. 167 



Frute.r inagnus, ranmlis glabris, ad nodos compressis ; partes novella? pilis stel- 

 latis subfurfuraceae. Folia 3-6 poll, longa, £-2^ lata, petiolo ±-f -pollicari. Cyma 

 loins breviores, 1-3-pollieares, pluri- vel pauciflori. Drupes in sicco acute, i-polli- 

 cares, pedicello brevi suffulta?, 



Dr. Wight distinguished three species by the inflorescence and shape of the leaves ; 

 but these characters appear too variable to be relied on, several specimens now before 

 us being quite intermediate in shape of leaf. The number of flowers is certainly not 

 at all to be depended upon. 



VIII. MENISPERMACEJ5. 



Mores abortu unisexuales, plerumque dioici. Sepala 4-12, plerum- 

 que 6 biserialia, rarius 4, rarissime 5 uniserialia, interdum multi- 

 serialia, discreta vel rarissime gamosepala, sest. imbricata, rarissime 

 valvata. Petala 6, serie duplici imbricata, rarius 4 vel nulla, inter- 

 dum basi gamopetala (rarissime 5). Stamina petala numero sequantia 

 et iis opposita, vel plura (9-18) rarissimo 3 ; filamenta libera, vel in 

 colutnnam centralem cylindrieam ant globosam coalita (in Odontocarya 

 biserialia, petalorum numero dupla) ; anthera valde varise, ad apicem 

 filamenti adnatse et tunc extrorse vel lateraliter vel introrse imo trans- 

 verse dehiscentes, seu circa discum peltatum horizoutaliter disposita*, 

 seu supra globum irregulariter sitae ; in floribus foemineis efFoetse vel 

 nullae. Ovaria plerumque 3 (petalis exterioribus opposita), rarius so- 

 litaria, interdum 6 vel plura, toro inserta vel gynophoro brevi sufFulta, 

 uniovulata. Ovula amphitropa, sutura; ventrali peltatim affixa, raris- 

 sime anatropa, tegumento unico, micropylo superiore, chalaza basin 

 ovarii spectaute. Styli terminales, subulati vel depressi, interdum 3-5- 

 lobi. Carpella drupacea, styli cicatrice terminali vel saepius basilari 

 notata ; putamen lignosum vel fere osseum, obscure bivalve, per ovarii 

 maturationem in unaquaque fere specie modo di verso deformatum. 

 Semina putaminis cavitati plerumque valde irregulari conformia, hippo- 

 crepice curvata, vel uncinata vel circa processum internum putaminis 

 conchseformia, rarissime recta. Testa tenuissime membranacea. Albu- 

 men copiosum vel pnrcura, oleosum, sequabile vel membranse nuclearise 

 lamiuis tenuibus trausversis rumiuatum, interdum nullum. L bryo in 

 speciebus exalbuminosis crassus carnosus cotyledon ib us amygdalinis, in 

 albuminosis centralis vel parum exceutricus; radicula semper superior 

 et ad styli cicatricem spectaus, sed in seminibus bippocrepicis fere basi- 

 laris, cylindrica. Cotyledones valde variae, saepe foliaceae divaricate et 

 in loculis separatis albuminis iuclusa?, plerumque normaliter apposite, 

 lineari-oblongae vel semicylindricse, radiculam diametro non superantes, 

 in exalbuminosis crassse mnygdalinse. — Frutices scandentes vel sari >i- 

 tosi, foliis exstipulatis alternis plerumque palminermis et sape peltatis, 

 petiolis basi (et interdum etiam apice) pseudo-art iculat is et septus basi vel 

 utrinque incrassatis. Flores inconspicui, plerumque minuti, pan iculat i, 

 racemosi vel cy osi, rarissime in axil/ is soUtarii. 



As now correctly limited by the exclusion of Lardizabalacea, and of a number of 

 genera which were only referred hither because their structure was quite unknown 



