196 



NATUBAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



Soger (ta laurina} 



Fig. 230. 



Flower (J). 



imbricated petals. Al)ove these parts, the floral receptacle forms a 

 flattened head, with broad facets correspondinf]^ to the insertions of 

 the stamens and carpels. The former are few in number, being 

 about as numerous as the pieces of the pe- 

 rianth; they are shaped like an inverted 

 pyramid, with an extrorse two-celled anther 

 dehiscing longitudinally, above which the 

 connective expands into a truncate plate.' 

 There are the six large scales external to the 

 fertile stamens,- which we should probably 

 consider as sterile ones, which in S. laurina 

 Dalz., for example (fig. 230), simulate a 

 third corolla internal to the six normal petals. 

 The carpels are either few in number, for we 

 sometimes only count from two to six, or else indefinite. Their ovary 

 contains along its inner angle an indefinite number of ovules in 

 two vertical rows. The fruit consists of 

 one or more swollen, nearly globular, 

 one or many-seeded berries. The three 

 or four species of this genus are In- 

 dian plants,^ with alternate, glabrous 

 coriaceous leaves, and axillary or lateral 

 flowers, solitiny, or more frequently col- 

 lected into cymes. 



Tetrapctalion (fig. 231)' may be defined 

 as Uraria, with dimerous floral verticils. 

 In fact, on the slightly convex receptacle, 

 we find two much imbricated sepals, and 

 four alternatively imbricated, rounded. 



Tetrupeialum rolnhile. 



Fio. 2:n. 



I)iii;^r!i)n. 



' Tlicsc KtainciiH Imve the jirolongation of the 

 connective uhove the anther-cills tapering and 

 liont in\vartln, ho as to ri't-all pretty <'lo8ely the 

 form of tliehtanieni* in MiUiusire, and lienee it in, 

 no doubt, tliat wmie 8i)eeies of Sai/crfta were 

 oriffinally jdaced in tlie ^enu» Jlarm/ea. 



• U. !>>.. Aihnimntia, viii. [VIH. In fact, the 

 form of tliene KcaleH, aH repre>iente<l in fig. 2!)(t, 

 tlieir tliieiiiieHS and coniiisteney, indicate a great 

 analogy to the fertile htiunenH interior to tlicni. 

 Tlie tipper honh-r of eaili iH dividi'd into fonr 

 Hltlo feKtoonn, eaeli of which iippearH to annwcr 

 to the Huminit of a rudinn-ntary lialf-ceil ; and we 



can even see three very shalhiw fnrrows on the outer 

 face, that terminate above in tlie iiotchenln'tween 

 the festoons. We do not know whether i\wn.' sterile 

 organs exist in other sju'cies than .V. laurina. Da i.z. ; 

 if so, the descriptions make no mention of the fact. 



* (fuatteria laurifolia (iiuii.. Cat. Iioiitl>.,\. 



* Hook. & TiioMiJ., Fl. hid., i. \r,\. — tiHAli., 

 Cat. liomb., lur. ci7.— Wai.I'., Jirp., i. 76, 4, 

 Ann., IV. 50; vii. 50. — TllWAlT., Kntim. PI. 

 Zeyl., fi.— MiQ , /7. Intl.. Bat., i. p. ii. 21 ; Ann. 

 Mus. Lu;nl. Hot., ii. l(t. 



* Mlg'., Ann. M,us. J.ti,,d. Bat., ii. 8.— H.H.. 

 Oen., «J56, n. 2 a. — H. Hn., Adan*onin, viii. 33»!. 



