ANONAGEJE. 



207 



variable number of stamens inserted in a spiral, either all fertile, con- 

 sisting of an elongated or lanceolate blade, to the outer face of which 

 are applied the two parallel anther-cells, or else the innermost 

 sterile and reduced to imbricated petaloid staminodes (fig. 241).' 

 The carpels are indefinite : each ovary, surmounted by a style of 



Anaxm/orea acumina/a. 



Fig. 241. 

 ^ Diagram. 



Fig. 242. 

 Fruit dehiscing (|). 



variable length,- encloses two ovules inserted on the inner angle at 

 a variable distance from its base ;' they are ascending, with the 

 micropyle external. The fruit consists of a variable number of 

 follicles that open along the inner edge (fig. 242). They often end 

 in a point and taper into a long foot at the base ; and contain one 

 or two smooth seeds,^ in which the embryo occupies the apex of 



(Xylopia prinoides DuN., Mon., 122, t. 15) and 

 javanica Bi. But the inner petals of the for- 

 mer species are thicker and more fleshy, with 

 valvate, slightly bevelled edges. In some Ame- 

 rican species the thickness of the corolla be- 

 comes considerable. That of A. acuminata A. 

 S. H. (A. brevipes Spruce) especially has the 

 inner petals very much developed, coriaceous, and 

 as thick as they are broad towards the summit. 

 Towards the base of each is a deep hollow on the 

 inner face which contributes to form a chamber 

 for the sexual organs, thus assuming nearly the 

 shape of a sabot ; but this face is flat above, where 

 the transverse section of the petal is nearly an 

 equilateral triangle. In Ehodocarpiis on the 

 contrary the inner petals are thinner and nar- 

 rower than the outer ones ; hut these points of 

 dissimilarity are not of generic importance. 



' It is just on the presence or absence of these 

 that are founded the subgenera Annxanthus and 



Afforaidhiis, the former having all its stamens 

 fertile, and the latter "Stamina intima elongata, 

 apice torla, aiit/u-ris parvis effa-tis." But those 

 are wrong who with Endlicher {loc.cit.)\\on\iX 

 limit this latter section to the Asiatic species ; for 

 A. acuminata A. S. H. has well developed petaloid 

 staminodes within the fertile stamens ; they are 

 oblong flattened imbricated blades. 



-■ It is sometimes nai'row and elongated, some- 

 times swollen, or bent like a plume, and covered 

 with stigmatic papilUe over the whole of the 

 convex snrfac^e. 



•' Those of A. prinoides are nearly collateral 

 and basilar; those of A. acuminata are placed 

 one above the other, nearly half way up the inner 

 angle. 



■* When there are two they are closely aj)- 

 plied to each other over a large plane surface. 

 When there is but one seed, both its faces nve 

 convex. 



