176 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



mities of branches ; bracts and bractlets subsquamous, tapering at 

 margin, coloured imbricated, very caducous {Western tropical Africa). 

 See p. 104. 



39. Eperua Aubl. — Flowers of Berlinia; sepals 4, connate to a 

 variable height, imbricated ; petal 1, sessile, very broad. Stamens 10, 

 fertile, free or slightly connate at base {Parivoa). Germen stipitate, 

 inserted posteriorly on margin of receptacle, oc -ovulate ; style 

 slender, involute in aestivation ; apex minute capitate stigmatiferous. 

 Legume broadly oblong or elongated, usually oblique, piano-com- 

 pressed, coriaceous or woody, 2-valved ; seeds few, ovate or elongated, 

 compressed ; embryo exalbuminous fleshy ; radicle short included. — 

 Unarmed trees, lofty or weak, sarmentose ; leaves paripinnate or 

 subparipinnate ; leaflets few, coriaceous ; stipules minute or leaf- 

 like, deciduous ; flowers handsome, in terminal, simple pendulous 

 or branched, sometimes very long racemes ; bracts and bractlets 

 caducous {Tropical America). Seep. 10"). 



40. Afzelia Sm. — Flowers of Berlinia ; sepals 4, imbricated ; 

 petals, highest unguiculate, broadly orbiculate or reniform ; 4 an- 

 terior rudimentary or 0. Stamens 9, anterior (none superposed to 

 standard) free or monadelphous {Pa/u/dia) to a variable height ; 3-7 

 fertile, unequal ; remainder antherless or with rudimentary anthers, 

 more rarely entirely absent. Gynseceum of Berlinia. Legume stipi- 

 tate, obliquely oblong, compressed, thick and coriaceous or woody ; 

 transversely septate or pulpy between seeds. Seeds transverse, 

 oblong or orbiculate, either bare {Intsia) or furnished with a thick 

 fleshy unevenly-cupuliform aril (Euafeelia) ; embryo exalbuminous 

 fleshy. — Unarmed trees ; leaves pari- or subimparipinnate ; leaflets 

 paucijugate coriaceous ; flowers in compound branched terminal 

 racemes ; bracts small deciduous ; bractlets 2, lateral ovate sub- 

 persistent, shorter than bud {Tropical Africa, Asia, and Oceania). 

 See p. 100. 



41. Didelotia H. Bn. — Flowers small (of Berlinia) ; receptacle 

 short, lined by a disk ; sepals and petals very short, reduced to small 

 unequal or rudimentary scales. Stamens 10, either all-fertile {Brachy- 

 stegia), or 5 oppositipetalous antherless short, sometimes very short, 

 more rarely entirely wanting. Germen stipitate, more or less 



