126 NATURAL HTSTORY OF PLANTS. 



hiscent, l-x-seecletl; seeds arillate. — Trees or (usually climbing) 

 shrubs ; leaves parallelly penniveined ; flowers solitary terminal, or 

 in lateral axillary or terminal cyraose panicles {troj)ical America, 

 Oceania, and Africa). See p. 99. 



7. Davilla Vandell. — Fowers 5-merous. Sepals 5 imbricated, 

 very unequal ; tlie 2 innermost by far the most accrescent, very con- 

 cave, finally coriaceous, with valvate edges, surrounding the fruit ; 

 the other three smaller. Petals 1-5, membranous, imbricated. Sta- 

 mens 30 (of Tetraccra). Carpels 1-3 (more rarely 4, 5), 2-ovulate ; 

 when ripe indehiscent or bursting irregularly; seeds arillate. — 

 Shrubs, usually climbing; leaves and inflorescence of Tefracera ; 

 petioles rarely dilated and winged ; flowers in cymose panicles, more 

 rarely solitary {tropical America). See p. 101. 



S. Curatella L. — Flowers 4-, 5-merous. Sepals and petals imbri- 

 cated. Stamens cc (of Tefracera) ; dehiscence longitudinal, almost 

 marginal. Carpels 2, obliquely connate at the base ; styles distinct, 

 dilated into stigmas at the apex ; ovules 2, ascending. Fruit either 

 subcarnose indehiscent, or dry dehiscing dorsally. Seeds arillate. — 

 Trees or climbing shrubs ; leaves (of Tefracera) thick ; venation 

 parallel pinnate reticulate ; flowers numerous in axillary or lateral 

 cymose panicles {tropical America). See p. 102. 



9. Empedoclea A. S. H. — Sepals oo (10-15), unequal much im- 

 bricated in c» rows on the elongated receptacle. Petals 2-4, imbri- 

 cated. Stamens co (of Tefracera), unequal ; anthers extrorse ; cells 

 inserted obliquely on the dilated connective, dehiscing longitudinally. 

 Carpel 1, pseudo-terminal; ovary 1 -celled; ovules not more than 

 6 in 2 rows, ascending; style capitate. Fruit dry. — Shrub with 

 the habit of Tefracera ; venation of leaves parallel, pinnate ; flowers 

 in bracteate racemose cymes axillary to the leaves or terminating 

 the twigs {Brazif). See p. 103. 



10. Acrotrema Jack. — Flowers 5-raerous. Sepals 5, imbricated. 

 Petals usually as many, imbricated. Stamens oo , either symmetri- 

 cally peripheral all free, or more rarely more or less aggregated in 

 3, 4 bundles. Anther-cells either linear adnate introrse or extrorse 

 dehiscing longitudinally, or by terminal pores ; or more rarely 



