Hermannia. STERCULIA( K.K. 330 



trorse, the stamens not rarely redueed to five, iIr-sc (or tin- ph:ilaii;,'fh) o|)|K)hiie the 

 petals or the jjlace of tliose when wautuig, as in SlerruUeit. 'lliib tribe in repre- 

 sented by Sterculia {Firmiami) platnnlj'oUa, of China, &e,, honn*tiuie« planted 

 southward, remarkable for havin;^ its large and thin follich-s op<,-nin;,' long before 

 maturity into a kind of h-af bearing two or three large seeds on the e<lgei». Tho 

 few N. Amtjrican members of the order are of two tribes. 



TuiBE I. IIEUMANNIK.E. Flowers iH-rfcct, rwiminms. IV-tals plane, Ktron^Iy 

 convolute in ;estivation, usually niarcesueut. 



1. HERMANNIA. Calyx deeply 5<U!ft I't'tals erect, ohovate, with iiivolut« rlawn. 

 Staiiiciis 5, with no trace of a second series ; filuiiieiitH nioiiadel|iti<>tif«at liiute, uiia|i[><-iulaKo<l. 

 Ovary 5-celled, inaiiy-ovulfd ; styles filifunn, lonniveiit, l»iil little if at all united. ('a|iHul« 

 6-celkd, luculicidal ; seeds reuiforni, wiiii a strongly arcuate narrow embryo in copious 

 Hesliy aU)uuien. 



2. MELOCHIA. Calyx Snleft. Tetals spatulate or oblong. SUinieuH 5, nionadel|ihou» 

 below, sometimes as many interjiosed short teeth between the filaments. Ovary Swelled, a 

 pair of ovules in each cell; styles slender, united below, nearly distinct. Seeds mostly mili- 

 tary in each cell of the 5-angled capsule ; embryo straight in fleshy albumen, with broad 



Hat cotyledons. 



3. WALTHERIA. Calyx 5-toothed, turbinate, 10-nerved. Petals spatulate. Stamenn 5 ; 

 no intermediate teeth. I'istil of a single carjiel ; ovary 2-ovuled, i>ut biwer ovule infertile ; 

 style eccentric, filiform ; stigma penicillate. Follicle akene-like, usually dehiscent length- 

 wise; seed (ascending) and eml)ryo as iu Melochia. 



Tribe II. BUETTXEKIE.E. Flowers perfect. Petals ligulate and cucullate. 

 Sterile stamens (staniinodia) alternate with the fertile series at summit of stamen- 

 tube. (Here Theobronia, the chocolate-tree.) 



4. AYENIA. Calvx 5-partcd. Petals with a long concave claw, Itearing an nrceolate hood 

 at the iuflexed apex, which is more or less adnate with the urceolate summit of tho stamen- 

 tube. Fertile stamens 5, one in each sinus between truncate staniinodia ; antherx nhort. of 

 three parallel cells! Ovary stipitate, 5-celled, a pair of ovules in each cell; styles unitvd 

 into one, bearing a capitate or 5-lobed stigma. Capsule globular, muricaie. 5-<elled ; the 

 five 1-seeded carpels iu dehiscence separating from a central cUinin and septici.lally from 

 each other, tiien locniicidally 2-valved ; seeds transversely rugose ; albumen none ; embryo 

 straight, but the orbicular cotyledons longitudinally convolute. 



5. NEPHROPETALUM. Calyx 5-parted. Petals unguiculate ; blade concave, renif.>rm, 

 with deep sinus, free at the apex,"neither a]»pendaged nor glandular. Stamens and sumino- 

 dia as in the last preceding genus. Ovary sessile, globose, 5-celle.l ; cells 2-ovuled : styles 

 simple, bearing capitate stigma. Capsule globular, muricate with pul)escent pr.K-esses ; r.-lls 

 by abortion 1-seeiled. 



1. HERMANNIA, Tourn. (Paul Hermamu professor at L«ydiii, who 



sent the first species to Tournefort.) — Inst. GoG, t. 432; Dill. Kith. t. 147; 



L. Gen. no. 551 ; Gray, Gen. 111. ii. 87, t. 135. — Large African (chit-Hy CajH-) 



genus of frutescent plants, a few Mexican, and the following on our l>orders. 



H. Texana Cray. Low, suffrutescent, tomentoseH-anescent with stellular pu»M-!Mcncc : 



stipules iiiin'ute, deciduous; leaves roundish and subcordato, otwicurely serrate, inch or two 



long : short axillarv peduncles looselv few-tlowered ; pedicels recurved in fruit : iM-taU dull 



scarlet, 4 lines long: anther-cells with tapering tii)s: capsule globular, somewhat inllat.Ml. 



lialf inch or le.'^s long, villose-tomentose, short-stipitate ; valves crested on the lack wuh 



soft filiform proces.ses; seeds coarsely favose. - (Jen. 111. ii. S8. t. I.r'. (tigun- «r..Mg m 



representing sprea.ling i.etals, single style, and erect cap.sules). PI. !..ndh. pt 2. 165. All. 



Wright, i. 24.-Kocky soil, S. and W. Te.xas, Btrlamha; Wright, Lmdk»mrr.t,c. (Adj. 



Mex.J 



