LEGUMIN0SJE-CJE8ALPINIE /■:. 



*' 



late flattened subdehiscent pod, containing one or two seeds, in 

 which a thin layer of albumen surrounds the fleshy embryo. B. 

 syringafolia F. Muell., the only species of this genus, is an unarmed 

 tree from tropical Australia, whose pinnate leaves are reduced to a 

 single large leaflet, accompanied by two little lateral stipules. The 

 inflorescence is the same as in Pterolobium. 



It has only been with some hesitation that the two following 

 genera, Gleditschia and Gymnocladus, have been placed in this series ; 

 they are closely allied to each other, and agree in having the petals 

 of variable number and of nearly the colours and consistency of the 

 sepals, by which they are usually very incompletely covered in the 

 bud. 



Gymnocladus 1 has a nearly regular perianth, inserted on the 

 mouth of the elongated tubular receptacle, which is lined with 

 glandular tissue. There are five sepals, valvate or slightly imbri- 

 cated in the bud. The petals are four or five in number, also 

 imbricated in the bud. There may be ten stamens inserted on 

 the rim of the receptacle, of which five, 

 larger than the rest, are superposed to the 

 sepals. Their anthers, sterile in the female 

 flowers, are well-developed, introrse two- 

 celled, and of longitudinal dehiscence in the 

 male and hermaphrodite. The gyna?ceum, 

 reduced in the male flowers to a little sterile 

 conical body, is inserted in the bottom of 

 the receptacular tube ; it consists of a sessile 



ovary tapering above into a style, whose ventral angle is traversed 

 by a longitudinal groove. The broad lips of this groove separate 

 above and become reflexed and covered with stigmatic papilla?. 

 The placenta, superposed to the posterior petal, bears several in- 

 completely campylotropous ovules with their microp}des superior. 

 The fruit is a pod, whose hard flattened pericarp finally opens in 

 two valves. Inside is a fleshy pulp 2 surrounding the obovate seeds 

 which have pretty long funicles. Each seed contains a fleshy embryo 

 surrounded by horny albumen (figs. 52, 53). 3 



Gymnocladus dioica. 



Fig. 52. 

 Seed (|). 



Fig. 53. 



Longitudinal 



section of seed. 



1 Lamk., Diet., i. 733 (part.) ; ///., t. 823.— 

 J., Gen., 316 (part.).— DC., 1'rodr., ii. -17'J.— 

 Spach, Suit, a Buff'on, i. 89— Endl., Gen., a. 

 6757.— B. H., Gen., 568, n. 312. 



- It is rather sweet, greenish-yellow, form- 

 ing a thin layer inside the brown drj layer of 

 the pericarp. 



3 A. pretty long curved funicle bears tbe 



( i 



