LAURAC E2E. 



!!:; 



whose leaves remain rudimentary, while two develop into long-, 

 erect, flattened, membranous or subligneous wings, tapering slowly 

 but considerably to the base. The endocarp contains one seed, 

 whose exalbuminous embryo has a superior conical radicle, and two 

 petiolate foliaceous cotyledons, spirally rolled around the central 

 part of the embryo. Gyrocarpus consists of trees or shrubs (some- 

 times climbing) in nearly all countries. Their leaves are alternate 

 exstipulate, with a palmiveined blade, simple, lobed, or trifolio- 

 late. The flowers form much-ramified racemes of cymes axillary 

 to the leaves or terminating the branches. Five or six species 1 

 are now admitted, which might perhaps be reduced to a 

 couple. 



Sparatianthelium 2 comes very near Gyrocarpus, from which it is dis- 

 tinguished by its perianth of four or six caducous leaves, its four 

 or six valvate stamens without basilar glands, and its wingless fruit. 

 The five or six known species 3 of this genus inhabit tropical America. 



VII. ILLIGERA SEEIES. 



llligera* (figs. 270-272) has regular hermaphrodite flowers. The 

 receptacle forms a deep sac containing the ovary ; above this it tapers 

 into a narrow neck traversed by the style, above which it again ex- 

 pands into a sort of cup, the edges of which bear the perianth and 

 androceum. The former consists of two whorls of leaves, each 

 usually pentamerous, or sometimes tetramerous, and valvate in the 

 bud. The leaves of the two whorls alternate, and resemble each 

 other in thickness and consistency. 5 The androceum consists of five 

 free stamens, superposed to the outer perianth-leaves, possessing a 

 free filament and an introrse two-celled anther. The front wall of 

 each cell separates all round except along its upper edge, on which 



1 W., Spec, iv. 9S2.— 11. Bb., Prod,:, 101.— 

 RoxB., PI. Coromand., i. 2, t. i. — H. B. K., 

 Nov. Gen. et Spec., vii. 193. — Pebs., Syn., 

 i. 115.— Miq., Ft. Ind.-Bat., i. 977.— Tnw., 

 Fnum. PL Zeyl., 258. — MjilssN., in Mart. Ft. 

 Bras., Laurac, 290. 



- Makt., Herb. Ft. Bras., 280; ill Regensb. 

 Bot. Zeit. (1811) ; Beibl. Densk. d. Bot. Ges. 

 in Regensh., Hi. 298, t. 10, 11. — Endl., Gen., 

 Suppl., ii. 35, n. 2058. — Meissn., Prodr., 249. 



3 MEISSN., in Mart. Fl. Bran., Laurac, 291, 

 t. 10(5. 



4 Bl., Bijdr., 115:3; Nov. Fam. Fxpos., 14 j 

 in Ann. Sc. Nat., sex*. 2, ii. 96. — Nees, Syst., 

 703.— Endi., Gen., n. 2069.— Meissn., Prodr., 

 250.— H. H., Gen., 689, n. 13.— II. Bn., in 

 Adansonia, v. 1S6. — Gronovia Blanc, Ft. de 

 F//i/;jiii/., 186 (nee L.). — Hensch-elia 1'kisi., 

 2, /. Jlai/tc, ii. 81, t. 63.— Endl., Gen., n. t705. 

 — Coryzadenia (Jkiff., Posth. Pap., iv. 356. 



5 Some botanists consider the perianth a 

 double calyx, others a calyx and corolla. The 

 latter view seems most probable, it' we look at 

 tlic case of the true Lauraaa. 



