348 SYSTEMATIC BOTANY 



of the anthers as two yellow masses. Ovary four-lobed, 

 disc, annular small, style single. Fruit of two erect 

 narrow follicles, seeds with a tuft of caducous hairs. 



CHARACTERS OF THE APOCYNACE^E 



The APOCYNACE.E are a large and very important 

 family, mostly twiners, which play an important part 

 in tropical forests. Many of them contain in the 

 stem and leaves, a thick white sticky juice (latex). 

 The leaves are simple, entire, usually opposite but in 

 some cases alternate. The flowers regular, on the 

 five plan, the corolla lobes convolute (twisted) in bud, 

 the anthers almost sessile on the corolla tube, often 

 included inside it, and sometimes adnate also to the 

 stigmatic head of the style. The ovary consists of two 

 free or united carpels, but always has one style only, 

 .and ripens into two follicles or sometimes a berry. 

 In some the seeds have a tuft of long white hairs. 



Other common garden plants belonging to this family 

 are 



ALLAMANDA CATHARTICA, L. a shrub with milky 

 sap. Leaves whorled, elliptic, acuminate. Flowers 

 large, yellow, funnel-shaped, the lower half of the corolla 

 tube narrow, the upper wider ; limb of five spreading 

 lobes, convolute in bud. Throat of tube closed by the 

 five sagittate anthers, and a hairy growth just above 

 them. Style very slender, the stigma large, not joined 

 to the anthers. 



THEVETIA NERIIFOLIA, Juss. Sap milky, leaves 

 alternate (spiral), narrow or lanceolate with strong 

 midrib. Flowers in axillary cymose panicles. Corolla 

 tubular below with long, oblong lobes, convolute in 



