MENISPERMACEM. 



15 



horizontal cleft. In the female flowers there are only six or nine 

 free staminodes ; and the gynaeceurn formed of three, or more rarely 

 six, carpels resembles Cocculus. The fruit consists of several sub- 

 ovoid reniform drupes. Inside the cavity of the stone is a bilobed 

 projection on which the seed is moulded. The horny albumen may 

 be divided into two unequal sheets (fig. 21), between which is lodged 

 the embryo, like that of Chasmanthera. Anamirta consists of Lianas 

 from Tropical Asia and the Indian Archipelago. Their leaves are 

 large, often cordate at the base. The flowers come out early from 

 the wood of the branches in large pendulous compound racemes 

 (fig. 1). As many as seven species have been admitted. 1 



Anamirta Cocculus. 



Coscinium 2 belongs to this series through its embryo with divari- 

 cated cotyledons. But these are laciniate and sinuous, and the sur- 

 rounding albumen is ruminate. The seed is depressed by a stipitate 

 capitate prominence of the stone. The male flowers have six fertile 

 stamens, whereof the outer are free, with one-celled anthers, and the 

 three inner are monadelphous with two-celled anthers. Two species 

 of this genus have been described, 3 natives of Tropical Asia, with 

 large peltate leaves, and with the flowers collected in large numbers 

 on a pedunculate globular capitulum. 



1 The number given by Miees. Bentham 

 & Hooker reduce them to one (or two ?). Aen., 

 in Ann. Sc. Nat., ser. 2, ii. 65, t. 3. — Wight & 

 Aex., Prodr., i. 446. — Miq., Fl. Ind. Bat., i. p. 

 ii. 79. — Walp., Ann., iv. 125. 



s Id Trans. Linn. Soc, xiii. 51 (nee E>'dl.). — 

 Endl., Gen., n. 4692.— B. H., Gen., 35, 961, n. 



10. — Miees, in Ann. Nat. Hist., ser. 3, xiii. 

 125. — Pereira Lindl., Fl. Med., 370. 



3 G^etn., Fruct., i. 219, t. 46 (Meni- 

 spermum). — Hook. f. & Thoms., Fl. Ind., i. 

 178.— Roxb., Fl. Ind., iii. 809.— Walp., Ann., 

 iv. 122. 



