34 The Flowering Plants of Western India. 



but is not supposed to be a native of India. In some parts of Africa 

 the hollow trunks are said to be used as burial places for the bards 

 ( Kirly). Called the monkey bread tree, baobab, and Gorakh chinch. 



ORDER 21. STERCULIACEJE. 



Leaves alternate with stipules; flowers generally regular, 

 sepals 5, more or less united, often with bracteoles, petals 5 or 

 none ; stamens generally more or less columnar or tubular, 

 anthers 2-celled; ovary generally of 3 or 5 carpels, 



Some of the genera of this order are very near to Malvaceae, others 

 to Tiliacese. In all the genera here given the stamens are more or 

 less united, though not so conspicuously so as in Malvaceae. 



1. STERCULIA. Trees or shrubs with palmate or digitate 

 leaves, calyx tubular, 4 or 5 divided, petals none ; staminal 

 column bearing a head or ring of sessile anthers, ovary of 4 or 

 5 carpels, styles and stigmas as 'many, fruit of distinct carpels, 



sometimes stalked. 



2. HELICTERES. Trees or shrubs with simple leaves ; flowers 

 often irregular, calyx tubular 5 divided, petals 5 clawed, 

 stamens united half way up, ovary at the top of the staminal 

 column 5-lobed, fruit of carpels more or less united. 



3. PTEROSPERMUM. Trees or shrubs with oblique leaves, 

 staminal column short, bearing the anthers and 5 staniinodes, 

 ovary within the top of the column 3 to 5-celled, stigma 5 

 furrowed, capsule 5-valved, seeds winged. 



4. MELOCHIA. Leaves simple, stamens 5, tubular below, 

 petals persistent after withering, styles 5, capsule 5-valved. 



5. WALTHERIA. Herbs or undershrubs with simple leaves, 

 stamens as in the last, stigma club-shaped, capsule 2-valved, 

 one-seeded. 



1. STERCULIA. 



1. S. urens. A tree with white and pinkish papery bark ; 

 leaves large, 5-lobed, soft and velvety; flowers in panicles, 

 green or yellow with purple throat, strong smelling and sticky ; 

 fruit of 5 carpels radiating like a star fish, when young like 

 crimson velvet, the hairs bristly and stinging. Sdrdol, Sdrdora, 



Kami, Kdoli, pdndruk. 



When the tree is without leaves in the cold weather, the white 

 bark gives it the appearance of being dead. It is tolerably common 

 in most jungles. 



2. S. guttata. A tall, handsome tree, with large ovate or 



