M ALPIGHI ACE^E 293 



amalgamated or conferruminate. These three cases may be 

 considered exceptional in the Order or abnormal, and the 

 gradual outcome of the curved or twisted condition of the ovary, 

 which is neither strictly anatropous nor orthotropous, but 

 partly both. The outer cotyledon becomes the larger, and 

 folded round the inner one to a greater or less extent, and the 

 latter therefore becomes gradually smaller and finally more or 

 less aborted, as in Abronia belonging to the Nyctagineas. Other 

 curious cases occur in several species of Banisteria, Heteropterys, 

 and Stigmaphyllon. 



The seeds of Stigmaphyllon are also remarkable in con- 

 taining two or three embryos. 



Hiptage Madablota, Gaertn. 



Fruit separating when mature into three samaras, each one- 

 celled, one-seeded, and furnished at the upper edges with three 

 strong diverging wings and an apical much smaller one ; walls of 

 ovary dry, coriaceous to woody, and tough. 



Seed transversely and broadly oblong-rem'form, comparatively 

 large, conforming to the interior of the samara, suspended at or 

 near its centre by a broad funicle, which arises from the ventral 

 side of the samara, below the middle of the cell, and is obliquely 

 and slightly attached to the testa ; raphe short, broad at the upper 

 edge of the ventral aspect of the seed ; micropyle superior, con- 

 tiguous to the hilum ; chalaza on the opposite side of the hilum 

 from the micropyle ; testa and tegmen both thin and membranous, 

 pale brown. 



Endosperm absent. 



Embryo large and conforming to the interior of the seed, which 

 it closely fills, slightly curved, fleshy, pale yellowish or white ; coty- 

 ledons unequal, curved, plano-convex, fleshy, filling the seed, obtuse, 

 entire, with the smaller one uppermost and in the inner angle of 

 the curve, both lying in the narrower plane of the seed, which is 

 deeper than wide, so that both the cotyledons go to make up the 

 depth of the seed, and have their edges to the ventral suture of the 

 carpel ; radicle extremely short, superior, hardly prominent. 



