92 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



and the foot of the gynaeceum. This last is nearly or quite central. 

 Its ovary, borne on a pretty long foot, ends in a slender style which 

 is dilated truncate and stigmatiferous at the tip. 1 The fruit is a 

 large bivalve pod, with a thick straight or bowed compressed woody 

 pericarp, containing large exalbuminous seeds with fleshy embryos, 

 often deformed by mutual compression. Campsiandra consists of 

 three or four species 2 of unarmed trees from tropical America ; their 

 leaves are alternate and pinnate, and their flowers form axillary or 

 terminal simple or much ramified racemes. 



PhyMocarpus? an abnormal genus of this group, has a concave re- 

 ceptacle lined by glandular tissue, with four free imbricated sepals, 

 and three petals, of which one is posterior and overlapped by the 

 two lateral ones. The stamens are diadelphous, as in many of the 

 Papilionacece* nine being united into a sheath split open above, with 

 the tenth free. All possess a versatile introrse two-celled anther of 

 longitudinal dehiscence. The gynseceum consists of a central stipi- 

 tate pauciovulate ovary surmounted by a style which is at first con- 

 volute and ends in a truncate scarcely dilated stigmatiferous apex. 

 The fruit is a straight or slightly bowed compressed leaf-like inde- 

 hiscent (?) oblong pod, whose ventral suture is produced into a 

 narrow wing. Only one species of this genus is known, 5 a tall un- 

 armed tree from tropical Brazil. It has alternate pinnate leaves or 

 numerous leaflets. Its flowers form short racemes, solitary or fascicled 

 in the leafless nodes of last year's leaves. 



IV. AMHERSTIA SERIES. 



The magnificent Asiatic tree named Amherstia* (figs. 65-67) is 

 considered as the type of a distinct series, because the very deep 

 narrowly- tubular floral receptacle bears the gynseceum close to its 

 mouth (R, fig. 67), and not in the bottom of its cavity. The rim of 



1 This style usually becomes much exserted, 3 Ried., ex Tul., in Ann. Sc. Nat.,ser. 2, xx. 



like the stamens. In certain flowers, however, 142; in Arch. Mus.,iv. 171, 1. 10. — Endl., Gen., 



it remains very short, included and straight, and n. 6720 l . — B. H., Gen., 564, n. 305. 



is much dilated at its apex, which does not 4 To which group Phyllocarpv.s should perhaps 



extend beyond the mouth of the floral recep- be referred. 



tacle. The ovules also then remain ill developed, 5 P. Eiedeli Tfl., loc. cit. — Walp., Rep., v. 



so that these flowers must probably be considered 546. 



as male tbrough abortion of the gynseceum. In 6 Wall., PI. Asiat. Ear., i. 1, t. 1, 2. — 



this case Campsiandra would be polygamous. Exdl., Gen., n. 6793. — B. H., Gen., 578, n. 



■ Walp., Sep., v. 568. 340. 



