426 LV. HAMAMELIDE.E. . (C. B. Clarke.) [Parrottia^ 



A. Ovules solitary in each cell. 

 * Petals 0. 



Ovary half-inferior. Leaves deciduous. Stamens 5-7 ... 1. PARROTTIA. 



Ovary superior, Flowers separate, not in heads 2. DISTYLIUM. 



Ovary half-inferior. Leaves persistent. Stamens 8 .... 3. SYCOPSIS. 



** Petals present. 



Petals obovate-spathulate. Anthers blunt. Leaves deciduous. 4. CORYLOPSIS. 

 Petals 4, linear. Connective horned. Leaves persistent . . 5. LOROPETALTJM. 

 Petals 5, linear. Calyx-tube circumscissile. Leaves persistent 6. MAINGAYA. 



B. Ovules several in each cell. 



Male flowers with a perianth. Leaves cordate-ovate, entire . 7. BUCKLANDIA. 

 Male flowers without a perianth. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, 



serrate 8. AXTINGIA. 



1. PARROTTIA, C. A. Mey. 



Large branching shrubs. Leaves alternate, orbicular or oblong, crenate,, 

 deciduous ; stipules large, early deciduous. Flowers hermaphrodite, appearing 

 before the leaves, in capitate heads surrounded by large membranous braets. 

 Calyx half-adherent to the ovary ; limb 5-7-fid. Petals 0. Stamens equal in 

 number and opposite to the calyx-lobes, perigynous ; anthers dehiscing by a 

 longitudinal slit. Ovary 2-celled ; styles 2, soon divaricate, with simple stigmas ; 

 ovules solitary in each cell, pendulous. Capsule woody ; endocarp horny, 

 separating from the exocarp. Seed narrowly ellipsoid, testa shining strami- 

 neous or scarcely brown. DISTEIB. Species 2, one in Kashmir, one in Persia. 



1. P. Jacquemontiana, Dene, in Jacq. Voy. Bot. t. 82 ; anthers lesa 

 than ~ in. long subquadrate, ovary and fruit with long woolly pubescence. H. 

 f. 8f T. in Journ. Lmn. Soc. ii. 85 ; Brandis For. Fl. p. 216, t. xxviii. Fother- 

 gilla involucrata, Falc. in Proc. Linn. Soc. i. 18 (without description). 



KASHMIR, alt. 5000-9000 ft. ; common. 



A gregarious bush 6-12 ft. high, closely resembling a hazel; twigs and leaves 

 beneath with stellate pubescence. Leaves 2-3 in. diam., blunt, petiole | in. long. 

 Flowers small, involucral bracts obovate f in. long. Calyx-segments narrow, oblong 

 or linear. Fruit in harsh spherical heads 1-1 in. diam. 



2. DXSTlTXiXUM, Siel. $ Zucc. 



Small trees. Leaves alternate, persistent, coriaceous, entire, oblong-lanceolate > 

 stipules lanceolate, early deciduous. Flowers small, in short upright axillary 

 spikes, polygamous, not congested. Calyx free, deeply 3-6-fid, imbricate ; some- 

 times wanting. Petals 0. Stamens 2-8, hypogynous ; anthers dehiscing by a. 

 longitudinal slit. Ovary superior, 2-celled ; styles 2, soon distant at base, with 

 capitate stigmas ; ovule solitary in each cell, attached near the upper inner angle. 

 Capsule woody ; endocarp horny, separating from the exocarp. Seed narrowly 

 ellipsoid, testa shining, stramineous. DISTRIB. Species 2 ; one in Khasia, one 

 in China and Japan. 



