32 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



GENERA. 



I. COCCULE^. 



1. Cocculus Bauh. — Flowers dioecious regular. Sepals free, 6 in 

 2 series, or more rarely 9-1 2 ; outer 3-6 shorter, bract-like ; aesti- 

 vation subvalvate or imbricate. Petals 6 in 2 series, shorter than 

 sepals, concave or involute around the filaments, entire or 2-fid. 

 Stamens 3 (barren in female flower), more rarely increased in num- 

 ber (7-10) in some flowers {Selwynia) ; filaments free ; anthers ter- 

 minal or lateral and subextrorse {Limacia), 2-celled, often 4-lobed, 

 2-rimose. Carpels usually 3, opposite outer sepals, free; ovaries 

 1-locular ; styles varying in form, cylindrical or compressed-dilated, 

 erect or recurved, stigmatiferous ; apex attenuate or variously 

 dilated, entire or 2-fid. Ovule solitary (or 2, one smaller and abor- 

 tive) descending, anatropous ; micropyle superior, extrorse. Drupes 

 subrotundate or obovate, rarely elongate {Diploclisia) , oftener late- 

 rally compressed ; scar of style a little way from base ; putamen 

 arcuate or hippocrepiform, concave on each side and more or less 

 intruded, back tubercular or cristate ; each process imperforate 

 {Pericampylos) or more or less perforate, intruded inwards on either 

 side and more or less above the base. Seed hippocrepiform ; 

 embryo elongate, in the axis of albumen ; cotyledons linear appressed. 

 Climbing shrubs ; stems sarmentose, or more often twining, woody, or 

 or more rarely subherbaceous ; leaves alternate petiolate exstipulate, 

 base entire or more rarely subpeltate or cordate ; flowers in simple 

 or more usually branched racemose cymes {All tropical and sub- 

 tropical). See p. 1. 



2. Menisperrnum T. — Flowers of Cocculus. Stamens 12-ao (6 ste- 

 rile in female flowers ; anthers terminal, 4-lobed. Carpels 3-6 ; 

 styles flattened out and dilated; apex stigmatose. Drupes com- 

 pressed ; putamen reniform ; outer surface subcristate ; each process 

 imperforate, intruded inwards. Seed hippocrepiform ; embiyo slender ; 

 cotyledons appressed. — Leaves broad, often subpeltate, angular or 

 palraately lobate {Eastern Asia, North America). See p. 4. 



