NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



Manotes? closely analogous to Cnesiis, has pentamerous her- 

 maphrodite flowers ; the calyx consists of five valvate sepals per- 

 sisting around the fruit, though without any increase in size ; the 

 corolla, of five longer imbricated caducous petals. But a little 

 while before the flower expands, the receptacle elongates above the 

 perianth into a column with a thickened base, bearing on its apex 

 five oppositipetalous carpels, with ten stamens inserted close below 

 their ovaries. The starainal filaments are free, with subintrorse two- 



Manotes Griffoniana. 



Fig. 12. 

 Fruit. 



Fig. 13. 

 Longitudinal section of seed. 



celled anthers dehiscing longitudinally. The ovaries are one-celled, 

 tapering at the apex into a slender reflexed style, which ends in a 

 capitate stigma. In the ventral angle of the ovary are inserted 

 two collateral descending subanatropous 2 ovules, whose micropyles 

 look upwards and outwards. The fruit (fig. 12) consists of a variable 



sudden swelling of the pedicel as it passes into 

 it ; 2ndly. The form of the petals, which are 

 long ligulate glahrous straps; 3rdly. The state 

 of the interior surface of the pericarp which is 

 said to he very glahrous. The flower has a calyx 

 of five valvate sepals reflexed after antliesis and 

 during maturation; ten stamens (of Cnestis) 

 with filaments slightly united at the hises with 

 short anthers reflexed after anthesis; and five 

 carpels each with a hiovulate ovary, a short style 

 and a dilated stigma. The fruit consists of one 

 or several sessile capsules, pubescent externally 

 and containing a single arillate seed with a 

 smooth testa. The only known species of this 

 grown is T. Griffithii Hook. F., a nearly sar- 

 mentose shrub from Malaysia, with rounded 

 gluhrous branches. Its leaves are glabrous and 

 imparipinnate with sessile coriaceous obtuse 

 leaflets, more or less bifid at the apex. The 

 flowers are in axillary racemes of cymes. As 

 regards the form and dimensions of TceniocMcena, 

 we should bear in mind that in certain species of 



Cnesiis proper, such as C. corniculata Lamk., the 

 petals form narrow tongues longer than the 

 sepals at anthesis, so that we must not treat 

 this character as of more than relative value 

 (see above, p. 5, note 11 ; also Adansonia vii. 

 211). 



1 Soland., ex Pl., in Linncea, xxiii. 438. — 

 B. H., Gen., 433, n. 6. — H. Bn., in Adansonia, 

 vii. 244. 



2 More or less anatropous according to the 

 height on the ventral angle at which their 

 umbilicus is inserted. Thus it is sometimes 

 close to the base, when the ovule becomes nearly 

 orthotropous. But in M. Griffoniana H. Bn. 

 (Adansonia, loc. cit., note 1), the attachment of 

 the ovule is high up, and close to the micropyle. It 

 is, however, near the middle of the upper edge of 

 the ovule at anthesis, and rises gradually after fe- 

 cundation. At the same time the chalazal end of 

 the ovule tapers to a point, and insinuates itself 

 into the narrow part of the cell of the ovary 

 corresponding with the foot of the carpel. 



