104 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



The leaves are pari- or imparipinnate, with sometimes three leaflets, 

 but usually with more, and possess caducous lateral stipules. Their 

 flowers form simple or ramified axillary or terminal racemes, which 

 are often reflexed. 



The flowers of Berlinia, 1 like Vouapa, are at first completely en- 

 veloped by two coriaceous bracts ; but the androceum consists of 

 two quinary rows of fertile stamens as in Scholia, Baikicea, cv;c. The 

 calyx consists of five imbricate sepals like those of Vouapa, and the 

 corolla has but one large petal, the vexillary one, the other four being 

 reduced to short scales. The multiovulate ovary is inserted on the 

 posterior edge of the receptacle; the fruit is unknown. Haifa dozen 

 species of Berlinia are known, fine unarmed trees from tropical 

 Africa. 2 The alternate paripinnate leaves have stipules of variable 

 size, and their lovely scented white flowers form simple or ramified 

 racemes. 



The receptacle of Danielle? forms a thick-walled cornet, on whose 

 rim are inserted four imbricate sepals and a vexillary petal super- 

 posed to the posterior sepal. 4 The androceum consists of ten free or 

 nearly free stamens, all fertile, in two whorls. The gymeceum is 

 inserted by a slender foot not far from the bottom of the receptacle ; 

 its ovary contains numerous descending ovules with their micropyles 

 upwards and outwards, in two vertical rows. The fruit is a flattened 

 elongated stipitate bivalve pod, often one-seeded. The embryo is 

 exalbuminous, and the funicle dilates near the seed into a fleshy aril. 

 At maturity the endocarp separates elastically from the mesocarp. 

 The only known species 5 of this genus is a handsome unarmed re- 

 sinous tree from the west of tropical Africa. Its paripinnate leaves 

 have un symmetrical leaflets and caducous leafy stipules. Its nu- 

 merous flowers form much-ramified compound racemes towards the 

 ends of the branches. 



1 Soland., in Bool. Niger, 326. — H. Bx., in 

 Adansonia, vi. 1S4, t. iii. figs. 8-11. — B.H., 

 Gen., 579, 1003, n. 3 13. 



- H. En., loc. tit., 185. — Bexth., in Trans. 

 Linn. Soc, xxv. 309. — Walp., Ann., ii. 4 17. — 

 Olit., Fl. Trop. Afr., ii. 292. 



3 Bexx. (J.), in Pharm. Jov/rn., xiv. 251. — 

 H. Bx., in Adansonia, vi. 186. — B. H., Gen., 

 580, n. 345. 



4 This petal " is very variable in size and form, 

 and often appears quite solitary when adult. But 



an examination of the young flower-bud reveals 

 also two lateral petals besides two smaller (an- 

 terior J ones, which usually disappear in the adult 

 flowers. The lateral petals may have their de- 

 velopment early arrested, or present all kinds of 

 variations ot form and consistency in the adult 

 flowers." 



5 I), tliurifera Benx., Ivc. cit. (" Species 2 v. 

 unites varietates" Bexth., loc. cit.) — OlIT., Fl. 

 Trop. Afr., ii. 300. [This last author admits 

 another species. I), oblonga Ol.lV.] 



