90 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



compressed oblong-falciform coriaceous pod. The seeds have winged 

 edges and are surmounted by a sort of falciform blade, and contain 

 within their coats a fleshy embryo thinly surrounded by albumen. 

 The only known species of this genus 1 is a large Brazilian tree, 



Vouacapoua americana. 



Fig. 61. Fig. 62. 



Flower (^). Longitudinal section of flower. 



covered with rust-coloured down ; its leaves are alternate impari- 

 pinnate, and its flowers form a large terminal ramified raceme. 



The flowers of Thylaeanthutf resemble those of Batesia : we find 

 the same imbricated perianth, with the petals tapering towards their 

 base ; the same androceum of ten stamens, with inflexed filaments ; 

 the same central gynseceum, with a pauciovulate ovary. But the 

 style is long and slender, revolute in the bud, and ends in a broad 

 peltate stigmatiferous dilatation ; and the flower, axillary to a caducous 

 bract, is accompanied, as in the AmAerstiea* by two pretty thick 

 lateral bractlets of nearly equal size, and which by touching edge to 

 edge form a complete envelope to the flower-bud. They separate at 

 the apex on anthesis to free the flower. The inflorescence consists 

 of ramified racemes towards the end of the branches. T. ferruginem 

 Tul., the only species of this genus at first known, is an unarmed 

 tree from North Brazil, with alternate paripinnate leaves. 



Dicymbe corymbosa 4 is a small unarmed tree from North Brazil, 

 with alternate pinnate leaves, and large pseudo-corymbose flowers, 

 whose receptacle forms a deep inverted cone, lined with glandular 

 tissue. On its rim are inserted four" or five imbricated sepals, and 



1 M. Brauna Schott. — Perittiumferriigineum 

 Vog., loc. cit. 



2 Tul., in Arch. 3Ius., iv. 175. 



3 To which we do not refer the two species of 

 Thy 1 acanthus, because of the central insertion 

 of the gynaeceum. 



4 Spruce, ex B. H., Gen.. 564, 1002, n. 304 

 — Benth., in Trans. Linn. Soc, xxv. 303, t. 

 38. 



5 In this case the apex of the posterior sepal 

 is more or less deeply emarginate, indicating 

 that it really represents two calycine leaves. 



