580 



OLACINEjE. I. OLAX. II. SPERMAXYRUM. 



100. (.). Appendages hair-formed or filiform, simple (f. 100. 

 d.), or bifid, rising from the disk of the petals or near the mar- 

 gins of them (f. 100. c.). Stamens 3 (f. 100. 6.) to 10, hypogy- 

 nous (f. 100. 6.) or epipetalous ; filaments compressed, awl- 

 shaped ; anthers cordate-oblong, erect, 2-celled ; ovary free, 1 

 (f. 100. i.) -4-celled ; cells 1-seeded. Style 1, filiform (f. 100. e.). 

 Fruit somewhat drupaceous, indehiscent, girded by the large 

 fleshy calyx, 1 -celled, 1-seeded from abortion (f. 100. h. L). 

 Seed pendulous, umbilicate at the base. Albumen fleshy, large. 

 Embryo small, enclosed in the albumen, egg-shaped, basilar, witli 

 the radicle directed towards the umbilicus, and with continuous 

 cotyledons. Smooth trees or shrubs, with simple, stalked, al- 

 ternate, exstipulate, entire leaves, rarely without, and small axil- 

 lary flowers. The place which this order should occupy in the 

 natural system is extremely doubtful. If the calyx is to be 

 considered an involucre and the petals a calyx, then Olacinece 

 must come in the subclass Monochlamydece, not far from San- 

 talacece, but if the corolla and calyx are admitted the order comes 

 into subclass Calyciflorce, not far from Sapbtece, but if the petals 

 are to be considered as distinct or variously joined, Olacmece must 

 be admitted into subclass Thalamiflbrae. 



Synopsis of the Genera. 



1. Petals twice the number of the antheriferous stamens. 



1 O V LAX. Calyx entire. Petals 6, joined to the middle by 

 pairs. Appendages 6, filiform, bifid. Stamens 3, adnate with 

 each other and with the petals. 



2 SPERMA'XYRUM. Calyx entire (f. 100. a.}, not enlarging. 

 Petals 5, 4 of which are joined to the middle by pairs, and 

 with the stamens, the middle one free. Appendages filiform, 

 simple (f. 100. rf.). Stamens 3 (f. 100. 6.), 2 of which are 

 adnate to the petals, the third free (f. 100. 6.). 



3 FISSI'LIA. Calyx entire, enlarged. Petals 5, 4 of which are 

 joined by pairs and with the stamens, the fifth free. Appendages 

 filiform, simple. Stamens 3, 2 of which are adnate to the petals, 

 the third free. 



| 2. Stamens double the number of the petals. 



4 HEISTE'RIA. Calyx 5-cleft. Petals 5, distinct. Stamens 

 10. Style crowned by a trifid stigma. 



5 XIME'NIA. Calyx 4-cleft. Petals 4, hairy inside, con- 

 niving at the base, revolute at the top. Stamens 8. 



6 GE'IA. Calyx 4-toothed. Petals 4, linear, smooth. Sta- 

 mens 8. Stigma bifid. 



t Genera not sufficiently known. 



7 PSEUDALE'IA. Calyx nearly entire. Petals 3, conniving 

 into a tube. Stamens C, adnate to the petals. Appendages 

 filiform, bifurcate, on each side of the petals. 



8 PSEUDALEIOIDES. Calyx small, entire. Petals 4, une- 

 qual, conniving at the base. Stamens 6, adnate to the petals. 



9 ICACINA. Calyx S-cleft. Petals 5. Stamens 5. Style 

 crowned by a truncate stigma. 



1. Petals double or about double the number of the anthe- 

 rtferous stamens. 



I. O'LAX (so called, as Linnaeus informs us, from o\a, olax, 

 a. furrow, but how it applies to the plant we are not informed ; 

 nor is the difficulty of the question lessened by the name being 

 ranged in Phil. Bot. among those which allude to the medicinal 

 effects of the plants that bear them). Lin. amcen. 1. p. 387. 

 Gaert. fruct. 3. p. 119. t. 201. D. C. prod. 1. p. 531. 



LIN. SYST. Tridndria, Monogynia. Calyx small, entire, 

 becoming large and baccate after flowering. Petals 6, joined to 

 the middle by pairs, or 3 semibifid ones, with 6 bifid, filiform 

 appendages, one of which is inserted in the disk of each of the 

 petals. Stamens 3 ; filaments connected with the petals, and 

 therefore bear an ovate anther between each fissure. Drupe 

 dry, 1-seeded, surrounded by the calyx. Flowers in axillary 

 racemes. Leaves entire, ovate-oblong, 1-nerved, entire. 



1 O. ZEYLA'NICA (Lin. spec. 49.) leaves ovate, pointed, 

 smooth ; branches angular, flaccid ; stem unarmed. Pj . S. 

 Native of Ceylon. Vahl. symb. 3. p. 7. Flowers white. 



Ceylon Olax. Tree 20 feet. 



2 O. SCA'NDENS (Roxb. cor. 2. p. 102.) leaves elliptical, ob- 

 tuse, pubescent beneath ; branches round, climbing ; stem armed 

 with strong prickles. ^ . v-/ . S. Native of Coromandel. Flowers 

 white, with yellow appendages. Drupe yellow. 



Climbing Olax. Fl. year. Clt. 1820. Shrub cl. 



3 O. IMBRICA'TA (Roxb. in fl. ind. 1. p. 169.) climbing; leaves 

 bifarious ; ovate-lanceolate or oblong, entire, glossy ; racemes 

 axillary, bifariously imbricated before the flowers expand ; drupes 

 ovate. Tj . ^,. S. Native of the East Indies at Chittagong. 

 Flowers white, with yellowish appendages. 



Imbricated-racemed Olax. Fl. July. Clt. 1820. Shrub 

 climbing. 



4 O. OBTU'SA (Blum, bijdr. ex Schlecht. Linnaea. 1. p. 663.) 

 shrubby ; leaves bifarious, ovate or oval- oblong, very blunt, 

 pubescent beneath as well as the terete branches ; spikes axil- 

 lary, very short, bifariously imbricated before expansion ; drupe 

 globose. Tj . w . S. Native of Java. 



O&tae-leaved Olax. Shrub climbing. 



Cult. The species of O'lax will thrive well in a mixture of 

 loam and sand ; and cuttings will strike root in sand under a 

 hand-glass, in heat. 



II. SPERMA'XYRUM (from airtp^a, sperma, a seed, 

 ovpa, axyra, an anchor. The umbilicle funicle is of the form 

 of an anchor). Lab. nov. holl. 2. p. 84. Olax, R. Brown, prod. 

 1. p. 358. D. C. prod 1. p. 352. 



LIN. SYST. Tridndria, Monogynia. Calyx small, entire, not 

 enlarging after flowering (f. 100. h.'). Petals 5, 4 of which 

 are united to the middle by pairs, as well as to the filaments of 

 stamens, both are therefore semibifid, the fifth is unconnected 

 and entire. Appendages or nectaries simple, filiform (f. 100. 

 d.). Stamens 3, 2 of which adhere to the joined petals, the 

 third is free (f. 100.6.). Ovary 1 -celled, containing 3 ovulae ; 

 ovulae hanging from the apex of the central, filiform column. 

 Drupe dry, 1-seeded (f. 100. i.). Leaves in 2 rows, and are 

 arranged along the branches as if they were the leaflets of a 

 pinnate leaf, disposed on their petiole. Flowers small, sometimes 

 polygamous from abortion. 



1 . PhyllanthoidecE (Phylldnthus and idea, like ; plants 

 with the habit of Phylldnthus). D. C. prod. 1. p. 533. Leaves 

 disposed in 2 rows along the branches. Peduncles \-flowered. 



