ItOSACEuTJ. 417 



remain sterile, which we have seen occur in Chrjjsobalaniis ; and these 

 staminodes are usually placed all on one side of the petal, which is, 

 as we shall see, the case in Hirtdla, Parinari, Acioa, &c. Some Licanias 

 indeed, have only three fertile stamens.' All have short fdaments 

 compared with those of Moquilea. But as these characters drawn from 

 the total number of stamens, the number of fertile stamens, and 

 the length of the staminal filaments," compared with that of the 

 perianth-leaves, are all features which, in most genera, vary from 

 group to group, without leading to their subdivision, except into 

 subgenera or sections, so we shall leave in one and the same genus 

 Moquilea and Licania, keeping for the whole the latter name, which 

 has priority to recommend it. Thus constituted, this genus will be 

 composed of half a hundred species, all natives of tropical America, 

 from the Antilles to the south of Brazil f trees or shrubs with 

 alternate persistent simple leaves, often thick and covered with 

 down on the under surface, the petiole accompanied by two lateral 

 stipules below, and often with two lateral glands towards its junction 

 with the blade. The small flowers are in simple or ramified racemes 

 or spikes in the axils of little alternate bracts, where they are 

 either solitary or in cymes or small glomeruli. The fruit is very 

 variable in form in this genus, as in several others of this group. 

 It is sometimes globular or ovoidal, sometimes elongated, and pear- 

 shaped or club-shaped, obtuse or very acute at the apex. In con- 

 sistency it is equally variable ; it may be a drupe with abundant 

 flesh, or a sort of nut or achene, with woody or crustaceous walls. 

 The inside of the pericarp is sometimes lined with hairs. In the 

 membranous seed-coats is a thick fleshy embryo. 



The flowers of Lecostemon^ are constructed on the same general 

 type as those of the last two genera, and are hermaphrodite and poly- 

 gamous ; but they are distinguished at first sight by one striking 

 character, though not in itself of any great importance ; the 

 stamens consist of a small slender filament, and a very long erect 



^ Such species as Licania triandra, micrantlia, Geiseb., Fl. Brit. W. Ind., 230. — Seem., Her., 



&c., which belong to the section J^wZicawia (Hook. 118, t. 25.— Hook. F,, Mart. Fl. Bras., Rosac, 



F.). 8, 20. 1. 1-8.— Walp., Rep., ii. 5 ; Ann., i. 270 ; 



2 There are also species, such as, for example, ii. 462 ; iv. 613. 



Licania polita {Fl. Bras., t.A^,\\.) vi\\\c\wcc,:^s ^ Moc. & Sessk, Fl. Mex., ined., ex DC, 



regards the length of the filaments, intermediate Prodr., ii. 639. — Endl., Gen.,n. 6115. — Bentii., 



between most species of Licania and Moquilea Hook. Jotirn., v. 293. — Hook. F., Mart. Fl. 



proper. Bras., Rosac, hZ. — B. H., Oen., GOd, n. 11. — 



• ^ Maet. & Zucc, Nov. Gen. et Spec, ii. t. Walp., Ann., iv. 646. 

 166.— Zucc, Nov. Stirp. Fasc, i. 387, 391.— 



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