Order 39. Anacardiacea. 67 



OEDER 39. ANACABDIACE.E. 



Trees or shrubs with milky or acrid juice, leaves alternate 

 without stipules, often pinnate, flowers small, regular, often 

 unisexual or polygamous ; sepals and petals 3 to 5, stamens 

 as many or more up to 10, inserted on or under the disk ; fruit 

 usually a drupe, 1 to 5-celled. 



This order is mainly distinguished from the last by the flowers 

 being regular. The foliage and fruit are generally more noticeable 

 than the flowers. The species also have often strong resinous juice, 

 and, from this being used for varnishing and lacquering, some trees 

 of the order have got the name of Varnish trees. 



1. MANGIFERA. One stamen usually large and perfect, the 

 rest smaller or imperfect, ovary oblique, style lateral, drupe 

 large and fleshy, stone compressed. 



2. ANACARDIUM. Sepals and petals 5, stamens 8 to 10, 

 disk filling the base of the calyx, fruit formed of the enlarged 

 disk and flower stalk, with nut growing outside. 



3. BUCHANIANA. Disk round, 5-lobed, stamens 10, ovary of 

 5 or 6 carpels, but only 1 perfect, styles short, drupe small. 



4. ODINA. Leaves odd pinnate, flowers unisexual, disk 

 annular, 4 or 5-lobed, stamens 8 to 10, styles 3 or 4, drupe 

 small reniform crowned by the styles. 



5. SEMECARPUS. Stamens 5 or 6 inserted at the base of 

 the broad annular disk, styles 3, drupe fleshy, seated on the 

 much enlarged peduncle. 



6. HOLIGARNA. Petioles with spur-like appendages, flowers 

 polygamous, stamens 5 inserted on the edge of the disk, styles 



3 to 5. 



7. SPONDIAS. Leaves odd pinnate, calyx deciduous, disk 

 cup-shaped crenate, stamens 8 to 10 inserted beneath it, styles 



4 or 5, drupe fleshy. 



1. MANGIFEEA. 



M. Indica. The mango tree. All smooth, leaves oblong 

 lanceolate, flowers in panicles greenish-yellow or white, petals 

 twice as long as the sepals, partly orange- coloured, disk fleshy, 

 5-lobed, anther of the one perfect stamen purple or red. 

 Amb. 



Grows all over India, and thought to be indigenous in the W. Ghauts, 

 and a few other places. It is to the Portuguese that the excellence 

 cf the fruit on the W. coast is due, the only Indian fruit, perhaps, 

 which can be called " delectable both to behold and taste " (Milton). 

 At Manilla the best grafted varieties are said to be equal, if not 



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