218 GENERAL BOTANY 



to them. This is the case, for instance, with ZIZY- 

 PHUS the Jujube, RHAMNUS the English Buckthorn,. 

 COLUBRINA and all others of the family RHAMNE.E, 

 where the petals being deeply curved or hood-shaped, 

 enclose them in the early stages before the flowers 

 are fully opened. 



Sometimes too when there are two circles of sta- 

 mens, the outer stand opposite the petals and the 

 inner opposite the sepals, instead of the other way 

 about. This is the case with the GERANEUM and 

 OXALIS family, but is not easy to make out in these 

 flowers. 



In by far the majority of cases, however, if there 

 is one circle of stamens equal in number to the 

 petals, they stand alternately with them, and if there 

 is a second whorl inside, the members of it stand 

 alternately again with those of the first and therefore 

 opposite to the petals. 



In a very few families we find, three or even four 

 circles of stamens as in HERBERTS (petals three, 

 stamens twelve) and in PHCEBE, CINNAMOMUM, 

 LITSJSA and other LAURINE^: (petals three, stamens 

 twelve). 



5. In a large number of families especially those 

 with monopetalous corollas, the stamens are fewer 

 in number than the corolla lobes. In MILLINGTO- 

 NIA the Indian Cork-tree, in KIGELIA the Sausage- 

 tree, BIGNONIA commonly grown in gardens and in 

 SPATHODEA there are five lobes to the corolla, and 

 alternating with them only four perfect stamens, but 

 there is a small projection standing where the fifth 

 should be, and obviously representing the fifth in an 



