100 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



They are either lateral, suhextrorse, or subintrorse,' and dehisce by 

 longitudinal clefts (figs. 143, lU). The gymeceum consists of free 

 carpels superposed to the petals, and of equal number, fewer, or solitary 

 (fig. 145). In some species the flowers may even be polygamous, 

 owing to the complete abortion of the gynajceum." Of the same 

 form as in Uihhcrtia, these caq^els each contain at least two, often 

 more, ascending ovules in their ovaries.' The fruit is dry, and 

 dehisces either by one internal cleft or by two longitudinal clefts. 

 It contains one or several seeds, each of which has an aril of variable 

 size,' and contains a small embryo at the apex of the abundant fleshy 

 albumen. 



The name Ddund" has been given to a Tctraccra' with unicarpel- 

 lary flowers (fig. 145), the ovary of which contains a fairly large 

 number of ascending ovules ;" that of BicanrtecC to some American 

 THraccras, in which the single carpel becomes a fruit with a some- 

 what fleshy pericarp dehiscing in two lateral valves ; that of JJolio- 

 carpuH^ to other species in which the more or less succulent pericarp 

 does not dehisce when ripe. But in other respects all these plants 

 present all the characters of Tctraccra in organization and habit, 

 so that it seems to us they cannot be separated generally. 



' These variations may, as we shall see, occur in ascending, in each vertical row. Tlie single 



different stamens of the snme flower, the direction carpel tapers up into a style, whose tip is crownetl 



of tlie cells seeming to bo partly owing to the by a small stigmatiferous enlargement. Tlio 



deformity undergone by the coniuictive from the placenta is superposed to one of the sepals. These 



pressure of the surrounding stamens. are very unequal, the outer ones being much 



'■' There are whole branches in T. vohibili.i aud smaller in proportion than the two innermost, 



some oilier species which bear only staminate This difference is the first stage towards the 



flowers. arrangement in Davilla. The comlla often 



' T. Ansa has iis many as a dozen ; T. Sar- consists of only three petals, of wbieh cue is 



mentosa has np to ten. anterior. The anther-cells arc usually extrorse, 



■• The aril is usually seen in unexpanded and open by somewhat oblicpie clefts. The fruit 

 flowers as a little collar round the base of each is dry, and opens like a jiod from above down- 

 ovule, wards, both internally and exteriudly. Most of the 



* L., Oen., n. fi83; Ammn., i. 403. — Jtrss., ovules abort, so tliat oidy one or two a-scending 



0«»., 33y. — DC, I'rodr., i. (J9. — Enul., Gen., seeds remain, each surrounded by a yellow aril, split 



n. 4704-4700. — B. II., Gen., 12, n. 5. — Wam'., up inio narrow teeth longer than the seed. The 



Rp.,'\. 07; Ann.,'\\. 17; iv. 30. — Trachyti-lla outer integument is i)olislie«l blackish thick 



DC, St/xl., i. VIU. —Leon lot/ losxum Hanck, and testaceous; the inner one is thin mem- 



Diaifn. Chin., ex \\\tP., Ann., W.IH; iii. 812. — branous and whitish. The albumen is fleshy, 



Koromsel IIkum., ex Adanh., Fam., ii. 442. and the embryo very minute. The habit of this 



' T. Karnientona Vahi.., Symb., iii. 70; plant is very fairly represented in the flo/nwVrt/ 



Hoxu., Fl. Ind., ii. 045. — Arlna impern Loru., Miii/azine, t. lUt.'iM. 



Fl. Cochinch,, i. V^H.— Delima sarminluui L., " Tiuana, ^^/ih. .S'c. i\'«/., ser. 4, ix. 46. 



tipec, 730; DC. Pfodr.,\.i.\\i.— D. hehevarpu, » Koland., t-j DC, *>*'•»>• K*5; /'nxlr., \. 



1>C, Sygl., i. AOl.— Tmvhytella Ar/aa DC. 01).— Wau-., i^7>.. i. fir,;'ii. 7-«5; v. 13; -<«*., 



J'.ijilr.,i.70. — Lt-otitof/loxsiiiimcubnnn H\t<cv.. i. 15; ii. 17.- I'l.. & TuiANA, Ann. ifc. iV'ci/., 



A. Hfinnevlomm IIanck. kit. 4, xvii. 11).- H. II., GeM.,1'2, a. 4.— II. Hs.. 



'" l'"ron» four to live, hurizuntul, or somewhat AJumonia, vi. 2&y-2S0. 



