FLORA OF MADRAS. 



L THALAMIFLORAE. 



Sepals herbaceous, rarely ptetaloid, distinct, imbricate or valvate 

 or connate in a tube with lobes imbricate valvate or open, free or, 

 rarely, with the base of the tube adnate to ihe base of the ovary. 

 Torus small, or raised or stalk-like, or thickened or fleshy or 

 crowned by a disk, annular or cupular or flattened, entire or 

 lobed or broken into glands, free or adnate to calyx and ovary 

 or to ovary alone, rarely to calyx alone. Petals 1-2-seriate, 

 unlike the sepals, or 2-many-seriate passing gradually from 

 the sepals or as many as the sepals or fewer by abortion, 

 inserted on the torus or adnate to the base of the calyx external 

 to the disk, or sometimes when the disk is absent adnate at the 

 base to the stamens, or 0. Stamens numerous or few, inserted on 

 the torus or rarely on the base of the calyx, free or adnate to the 

 base of the petals, or few and inserted around upon or within the 

 disk. Carpels free or connate, or rarely more or less embedded 

 in the fleshy torus, or immersed in the thickened disk. 



Family I. RANUNCULACEAE. 



Annual or perennial herbs or rarely shrubs. Leaves radical or 

 alternate or rarely opposite. Stipules 0, or adnate to the petiole 

 or, rarely, free. Flowers bisexual or unisexual, regular or 

 irregular. Bracts rare. Disk very rare. Sepals 5 or more, rarely 

 fewer, very rarely persistent, often petaloid, imbricate or rarely 

 valvate. Petals 5 or more or 0, rarely 4 or 3, hypogynous, 

 imbricate, often minute or deformed. Stamens hypogynous, 

 usually numerous in many rows. Anthers adnate, opening 

 laterally or outwards. Carpels numerous, rarely 1, free or rarely 

 coherent ; stigma simple, usually sessile ; ovules anatropous, 

 sometimes solitary, ascending with a ventral raphe or pendu- 

 lous with a dorsal raphe, sometimes numerous and horizontal 

 on the ventral suture. Fruit of one-seeded beaked or plumose 

 achenes or many-seeded follicles or rarely a capsule or berry. 

 Seeds small, with copious albumen and a minute embryo. 



1 B 



M134G05 



