374 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



The flowers are grouped in little terminal racemes, each flower 

 axillary to a bract, which may be adnate to its axillary pedicel. 1 



Geissois 2 may be considered as Spirts anthemum with united carpels. 

 It has the same receptacle and calyx, tetramerous or pentamerous. But 

 the free superior ovary is one-celled, with two multiovulate parietal 

 placentas. The stamens, inserted below and outside the more or less 

 marked glandular disk are sometimes twice as numerous as the 

 sepals, four opposite them, and four alternate. In other cases the 

 number is greater ; either there are two large ones in front of each 

 sepal, and two small ones alternating, or there are four large stamens 

 alternating with the sepals, and two, three, or four in front of each. 

 The fruit is a capsule, like that of Weinmannia, septicidal and poly- 

 spermous. The outer seed-coat is membranous and reticulate, 

 enlarged into a wing above. There are five Oceanian species, 3 fine 

 trees, with opposite compound leaves, and large stipules, comparable 

 to those of Cunonia. Their flowers are in large simple or branching 

 racemes. 



Lamanonicf is analogous to Weinmannia and Geissois. Like the 

 latter genus it has apetalous flowers, with five or six valvate sepals 

 and a large number of stamens. Of these the five or six largest 

 are superposed to the centre of the sepals, and the others are pro- 

 gressively smaller in the intervals of the sepals. The superior 

 gynseceum, capsular fruit, and seeds are nearly those of Weinmannia 

 or Geissois. Four species of this genus are known, 5 all arborescent, 

 natives of South Brazil. They have opposite digitately compound 

 leaves, with large membranous stipules. The flowers are in axillary 

 racemes. 6 



1 " A very anomalous genus, approaching 

 Dilleniacece closely in hypogynous stamens, fol- 

 licles and anthers/' (B." H., Gen., 649.) 



2 Labile., Sert. AustroCaled., 50, t. 50. — 

 Exdl., Gen., n. 4663.— B. H., Gen., 650, n. 56. 



3 Don, in Edinb. N. Phil. Journ., ix. 96. — A. 

 Gray, Unit. States Expl. Exp., Hot., 678, t. 

 86. — Ad. Br. & Gr., in Ann. Sc. Nat., ser. 5, i. 

 368 ; in Bull. Soc. Sot. de Fr., ix. 70. — Benth., 

 Fl. Austral., ii. 445. — F. Muell,, Fragm.,\.\G, 

 180.— Walp., Ann., v. 31; vii. 909. 



4 Velloz., Fl. Flum., v. t. 104 (1827).— 

 Belangera Cambess., Syn. Cunon. Bras. Mer. 

 (1829), 3; in A. S. H. Fl. Bras. Mer., ii. 203, 

 t. 115-117.— DC , Prodr., iv. 11.— Spacu, Suit. 

 a Buff on, v. 9.— Exdl., Gen., n. 4664.— B. H., 



Gen., 650, n. 57. — Polystemon Don, in Fdin. N. 

 Phil. Journ., ix. (1830), 95. 



5 Moric, PI. Nouv.-Amer., t. 90. — Walp., 

 Ann., i. 338 {Belangera). 



6 We place here, with some doubt, Gumillea 

 awriculata (11. & Pa v., Prodr., 42, t. 7; Fl. Per. 

 et Chil., iii. 23, t. 245;— Endl., Gen., n 4660; 

 — B. H., Gen., 651, n. 60), which appears akin 

 to the preceding genera, and has alternate im- 

 paripinnate leaves, with large stipules like those 

 of Weinmannia. The flowers, though imperfectly 

 known, also seem analogous to those of that 

 genus ; but they are apetalous, isostemonous, and 

 sessile on the ramifications of the terminal 

 pendulous inflorescence. 



