LEGUMINOSM- C&SALPINIE- E. 135 



with these ; each consists of a free filament more or less inflexed at the 

 bud, and an introrse 1 two-celled anther of longitudinal dehiscence. 

 The free superior gynseceum is composed of a shortly stipitate one- 

 celled ovary surmounted by a style which is at first reflexed, 2 and 

 ends in a little stigmatiferous head. On the parietal placenta, 

 which is posterior, are inserted two obliquely descending anatropous 

 ovules, with the micropyles looking upwards and outwards. 3 The 

 fruit is a shortly stipitate pod (fig. 126), with a pericarp of variable 

 thickness, fleshy, but finally bivalve. 4 It contains a descending 

 seed attached by a pretty long slender funicle. From the um- 

 bilicus and the adjacent part of the seed-coats grows a fleshy 

 aril, forming a sort of hood (fig. 127) enveloping the seed more or less 

 completely. 5 The exalbuminous embryo has very thick plano-convex 

 cotyledons, whose auricled bases form a complete sheath around the 

 superior radical. 6 This genus consists of unarmed trees, nearly all 

 natives of tropical America/ only three species out of twelve being 

 African. The alternate paripinnate leaves have one or more pairs of 

 unsymmetrical leaflets, 8 and two caducous lateral stipules. The 

 flowers form simple or ramified spikes, or racemes with very short 

 pedicels, axillary to the leaves or terminating the young branches. 

 Each flower is axillary to a scaly bract, usually caducous, but which 

 may be persistent, and is then better developed. 9 



1 The face of the anther often looks outwards of the seed, and is obliquely truncate. In one 

 in the bud owing to the inflexion of the fila- African species it covers the whole seed according 

 nient, which is folded on itself near the apex. to Bentham. 



The anther is often versatile. 6 In C. Mopane Kirk (ex Benth., in Trans. 



2 Sometimes even revolute ; in the very Linn. Soc, xxv. 317, t. -13 A), the cotyledons 

 young bud its tip reaches to the back of the are well developed, and corrugated and filled 

 ovary. with reservoirs of resinous juice. In this species 



3 They have two coats. In several cultivated the leaf consists of two leaflets. 



flowers of C. officinalis I have observed four ' Jacq., Amer., 133, t. 86. — H. B. K., Nov. 



ovules in two vertical rows. Gen. et Spec, vi. t. 659. — Hayne, in Linntea, i. 



4 In several American species the loner part 418; Arzn. } x. t. 12-23. — Walp., Rep., i. 854. 

 of the pod is flattened and indehiscent as in For the African species of Copaifera see Oliv., 

 Sardwickia, the valves only separating near the jFV. Trop. Afr., ii. 313. 



apex. The fruit of most of the Copaivas is 8 There is one Brazilian species whose leaves 



apiculate. possess numerous little leaflets, and resemble 



5 This aril appears to be altogether absent in those of Scholia. In other species from the 

 the African species, which have been made into same country, with only two leaflets, the vena- 

 the genus Gorskia (Bolle, in Pet. Mossamb. tion of these is pinnate, instead of being as in 

 Bot.,\. 15, tig. 3). In this group the leaves Gorskia. 



have two many-ribbed leaflets, and the fruit is 9 This is the case in C. copallina (C. Guibour- 



thin and flattened. In C. hymenceifolia Moeic. liana Benth. — Guibourtia copallina Benn., in 



{PI. Nouo. Amer., t. 1), the aril is obliquely Jowrn. Linn. Soc, i. 150), an African species, 



turbinate under the seed. In C. nitida Mabt., with bifoliolate leaves, and rather large flowers 



and other Brazilian species, it forms a fleshy or whose persistent bractlets are one-quarter the 



submerabranous sac, covering some two-thirds length of the calyx. 



