ROSACEA. 



403 



towards the placenta. The fruit is a one-celled one-seeded drupe, 

 crowned by the remains of the calyx and androceum. Till quite 

 recently the only known species of this genus was a Madeiran 

 shrub/ with alternate crowded simple petiolate leaves possessing 

 two caducous stipules, and with the flowers in axillary and terminal 

 racemes. We may hence consider ChamcBinelcs as a unicarpellary 

 Crai(Bgus, which by the degeneration of its gyna^ceum becomes 

 analogous to the Alchemils and Burnets among the Agrimonies, 

 CercGcarpus and Purshia among the Fragariccp, or Stcphanandra 

 among the Spireea, also thus forming a transition between PyrecB 

 and the principal genus of the Plum series. 



VII. PLUM SERIES. 



In the Plum genus^ (Fr., Prunier—^^s. 46S-483) we find regular 



Prunus Amygdalus [Almon 



Fig. 469. 

 Leaf-bearing branch. 



Fig. 4-70. 

 P'lower-beiiring branch. 



hermaphrodite flowers.-^ The receptacle is more or less concave, 



1 C. coriacea LiNDL., loc. cit. — LoWE, Fl. 

 Mader., 255. We have recently described a 

 second species of American origin, C. mexicana 

 {Adansonia, ix. 148, n. 20), which, with a very 

 different foliage, and covered with a pretty copious 

 rust-coloured down, has, however, exactly the 

 flowers of the Madeira species. The petals are 

 contorted, and the inflorescence is a panicle of 

 cymes terminating the young branches. 



' Prunus T., Instit., 622, t. 398.— L., Gen., 

 n. 620.— Adans., Fam. de.i PL, ii. 305.— J., 



aen., 341.— G.ERTN., Fnict., ii. 74, t. 93.— 

 Lamk., Bict., v. 663 ; Suppl., iv., 583 ; III, i. 

 432.— DC, Prodr., ii. 532. — Spach, Suit, a 

 Buffon, i. 391.— Endl., Gen., n. 6046.— B. H., 

 Gen., 609, n. 13 (incl. Prunophora Neck., 

 Armeniaca T., Persica T., Amygdalus T., Aini/g- 

 dalopliora Neck., Cerasus J., Laurocerasus T., 

 Cerasophora NeCK., Ceraseidos SlEB. & Ztjcc, 

 Empltctocladus Tobe.). 



3 Or exceptionally polygamous by abortion of 

 the gynaeceum. 



D T) 2 



