174 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



flowers in simple, lateral or terminal racemes ; bracts and bractlets 

 rarely persistent {Tropical America, Africa, and Asia, Indian Archi- 

 pelago). See p. 98. 



34. Baikisea Benth. — Flowers subregular; receptacle turbinate, 

 lined by a disk. Sepals 4, thick, velvety without ; edges abruptly 

 tapering or obliquely bevelled, imbricated ; highest sepal broader 

 (double). Petals 5, subequal unguiculate imbricated ; highest petal 

 innermost equilateral, remainder oblique. Stamens 10, free ; fila- 

 ments villous at base, thinner in 5 alternisepalous stamens ; anthers 

 introrse 2-rimose, versatile. Germen excentric stipitate oc-ovulate ; 

 apex tapering into a glabrous, minutely capitate, style. Fruit . . . ? 

 — Trees, glabrous except the flowers; leaves paripinnate, 1-2-jugate 

 large coriaceous ; stipules minute ; flowers large, in short subterminal 

 racemes ; bracts and bractlets short caducous ( Western Tropical 

 Africa). See p. 98. 



35. Tamarindus T. — Flowers irregular ; receptacle narrow tubu- 

 lar, lined by a disk. Sepals 4, imbricated ; highest sepal broader 

 (double). Petals 3, posterior imbricated; highest petal innermost 

 or more rarely outermost, often narrower. Stamens 9 (of Hetero- 

 stemon) ; 3 fertile larger, superposed to inferior petals ; filaments 

 connate to form a sheath cleft above, becoming free at middle, 

 anthers introrse 2-rimose ; 6 sterile reduced to short subulate stami- 

 nodes. Germen stipitate, very excentric, inserted posteriorly on 

 margin of receptacle, oo-ovulate ; apex of style scarcely dilated, 

 truncated stigmatiferous. Fruit oblong or linear, subcompressed 

 curved drupaceous indehiscent ; epicarp crustaceous fragile ; meso- 

 carp thick, very pulpy, traversed by woody branched veins ; endo- 

 carp coriaceous, septate between seeds. Seed obovate-orbicular, 

 compressed ; testa very hard ; embryo exalbuminous ; cotyledons 

 fleshy ; radicle straight included. — An unarmed tree ; leaves alter- 

 nate paripinnate, leaflets small oc-jugate; stipules lateral caducous; 

 flowers in racemes at extremities of branches ; bracts and bractlets 

 coloured caducous {Tropical Africa {and Asia ?)). See p. 99. 



36. Vouapa Aubl. — Flowers irregular ; receptacle concave, of 

 variable form, sometimes narrow tubular, oftener shortly turbinate, 

 lined by a disk. Sepals 4 ; highest sepal broader ; more rarely 5 



