Phyllanthns.'] cxxii. eupjiorbiace.+: (iirTciiiNsox). 



693 



dehiscence then appearing transverse and often continuous between the 

 cells; connective often slightly produced. Rudimentary ovary abs('nt 

 (a slight production of the staminal column present in 1 7, /"*. UUde- 

 hrandtii). Female flowers : Sepals as in the male, but often larger. Disk 

 hypogynous, usually saucer-shaped or cupular, entire, variously toothed 

 or lobed, or rarely of separate glands. Ovary usually o-celled, sessile 

 or rarely slightly stipitate ; styles 3, rarely absent, free or partially 

 connate, bifid or bilobed (rarely entire), the arms slender and sometimes 

 swollen at the apex ; ovules 2 in each cell. Capsule dry or more rarely 

 fleshy, dehiscent or subindehiscent, breaking up into 2-valved cocci. 

 Seeds transversely trigonous, convex on the back and often longitudinally 

 sulcate or pitted, without a strophiole ; testa membranous or crustaceous ; 

 albumen fleshy ; embryo straight or slightly incurved ; cotyledons flat 

 and straight or rarely flexuous. — Herbs, shrubs, or trees, of various 

 habit. Leaves alternate in all the African species, entire, often dis- 

 tichous, the flowering branchlets frequently simulating pinnate leaves. 

 Flowers small, axillary, the males mostly numerous and fasciculate, 

 usually pedicellate, the females few or solitary, pedicellate. 



About 450 species, spread tlii'oughout the tropical legions of both hemispheres. 



Olochidion, Forst,, which was separated from Vhyllantlms by Sir J. D. Hooker 

 in the Flora of British India, is not represented in Africa. 



♦Flowering branchlets fasciculate. 



fStamens 6, free or nearly so; flowering branchlets 

 arrested ....... 



tfStamens 4 or 5, two or three of the filaments con- 

 nate, the remainder free and shorter ; flowering 

 branchlets well developed. 

 Stamens 4. 



Flowers dioecious ...,•. 

 Flowers monoecious ..... 



Stamens 5. 



Flowers dioecious; flowering branchlets sur- 

 rounded at the base by numerous tliick spines 

 Flowers monoecious; flowering branchlets not 



spiny at the base 



ttfStamens 4 or 5, all the filaments free. 

 Flowers monoecious. 



Flowers pioduced on clustered slender leafless 

 racemes of fascicles which arise in the axil of 

 a leafy flowerless shoot ; leaves \—Z in. long 

 Flowers produced on slender leafy branchlets ; 

 leaves 2-7 lin. long. 

 Leaves oblong, flaccid ; disk of the female 

 flower crenulate ..... 

 Leaves obovate or elliptic, rigid ; disk of the 

 female flower entire .... 

 Flowers dioecious. 

 :J:Stamens 5. 



Male flowers arranged in slender leafless 

 racemes of fascicles .... 



Male flowers on leafy clustered brauchU'ts 



1. P. kirJcianus, 



P. lalambensis, 

 P. guineensis. 



4. P. EngleH. 



5. P. retictilatus. 



6. P. fiorihundus. 



7. 



8. 



P. DinJclagei. 

 P. loandensis. 



9. P. polyanthus. 

 10. P. physocarpus. 



