172 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



sagittate ; racemes dense, terminal or sessile on nodes of old wood, 

 solitary or geminate ; bracts ovate or oblong ; bractlets coloured, 

 inclosing bud, finally spreading (Tropical Asia and Africa). See 

 d. 94 



X 



27. Schotia Jacq. — Flowers of Humboldtia; stamens 10, free or 

 monadelphous close to base. Legume oblong or broadly linear, 

 falcate or straight, piano-compressed coriaceous subindehiscent ; pla- 

 cental suture sometimes marginate. Seeds orbiculate compressed, 

 exarillate (Theodora) or with a cupuliform aril formed by expansion 

 of funicle at hilum (Euschotia) ; embryo exalbuminous ; cotyledons 

 flat, radicle very short. — Unarmed trees or shrubs ; leaves paripin- 

 nate ; stipules small ; flowers handsome, crowded in short branched 

 racemes ; bracts and bractlets membranous very caducous (Southern 

 and subtropical Africa). Seep. 94. 



28. Palovea Aubl. — Flowers of Amherstia ; sepals 4, imbricated ; 

 petals 3, posterior imbricated. Stamens 9 (stamen superposed to 

 standard absent), free. Legume oblong, very oblique, piano-com- 

 pressed coriaceous-ligneous ; placentary suture thickened. Seeds ovate 

 compressed. — Small trees, unarmed; leaves 1-foliolate coriaceous; 

 stipules small ; flowers in short spikes at extremities of twigs ; 

 bracts short persistent, bractlets lateral coloured, connate to 

 form a 2-lobed involucel shorter than the calyx (Guiana). See 

 p. 95. 



29. Elisabetha Schomb. — Flowers of Palovea ; petals 5, subequal 

 imbricated ; stamens 9, free or connate close to base ; 3 fertile large, 

 superposed to anterior sepals ; 6 posterior, minute or antherless. 

 *' Legume elongated falcate piano-compressed coriaceous-woody 

 2-valved ; placentary suture thickened. Seeds ovate compressed." — Un- 

 armed trees ; leaves paripinnate ; stipules caducous ; flowers in short or 

 capitate racemes at extremities of branches ; bracts broad coloured ; 

 bractlets coriaceous coloured, longer than sepals, connate into a 

 sheath inclosing bud (Guiana). See p. 95. 



30. Heterostemon Desf. — Flowers of Palovea ; petals 3 posterior 

 broad, 2 anterior rudimentary ; stamens 9 (of Elizabetha) ; filaments 

 connate to form a sheath cleft above. Legume stipitate elongated, 



