98 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



Schumacheria castanecefoUa. 



Fig. 141. 



Flower. 



whole, it differs only in a very limited number of characters. The 

 calyx consists of five imbricated sepals (fig. 141), the corolla of 



as many petals, also imbricated. The 

 numerous stamens are all situated as in 

 Pleurandra, on one side of the receptacle, 

 opposite one of the sepals ; the filaments, 

 free above, are united below into a blade 

 concave internally.' The anthers are 

 erect," consisting of two cells adnate for 

 their whole length to the borders of the 

 connective, and dehiscing by two short 

 clefts, or elongated pores, one on each 

 side of the top of the connective. The 

 gyna?ceum is excentric, consisting of two free carpels j^laced face to 



face, one side of each being turned 

 towards the concavity of the 

 androceum. There is often also 

 a third carpel placed between the 

 two others and the androceum 

 to which it turns its back. 

 Each of these carpels consists of a 

 uniovulate ovary, tapering into a 

 slender style, whose tip is covered 

 internally by stigmatic papillae. 

 The ovule, inserted near the base 

 of the ovary, is ascending, with 

 the micropyle downwards and in- 

 wards. The fruit consists of two 

 or three dry indehiscent one- 

 seeded carpels ; and the arillate 

 seed^ contains a minute embryo 

 near the apex of the fleshy albu- 

 men. The srenus Schumacheria 



Tctracera Boiviniana.* 



Fig. 142. 



Fructiferous branch. 



genus 



AnyoTT, EJinb. New Philos. Journ., xvi. 315. 

 — Wight, lUmtr., t. 4. — Endl., Oen., n. 4751. 

 — Hook. & Thoms., Fl. Ind., i. 65. — Walp., 

 R>p., i. CA ; Ann., iv. 35.— 15. H., Gen., 13, u. 

 8 — H. By., Adansonia, vi. 280. — Pleurodesmia 

 Orahamii AliJf., loc. cit. 



' The base of the androceum forms a sort of 

 imperfect tube, or shell, recalling that oi Lecythis. 



2 That is, when adult ; but at a certain stage 

 the filaments are bent down on the gynseceum. 



^ Its surface is punctate ; the aril is but little 

 developed. 



•> See Adansonia, vii. 300, t. vii. This species, 

 a native of Montbaze and Zanzibar, is, so to 

 speak, intermediate between Tetracera and 

 Uibberlia. 



