66 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



anthers, few in number,' also form a ring upon the common support. 

 The carpels are uni- or rarely bi-ovulate, 2 and their indehiscent fruit 

 is a woody, suberous achene longitudinally carinated upon the back. 

 Two species of Ilcritierc? are admitted, inhabiting the warm regions 

 of Asia and Australia, and most of the Oriental islands off the coast 

 of tropical Africa,' 1 



Tetradia Horsfieldii? a tree but little known, a native of Java, has 

 simple leaves, and polygamous flowers very similar to those of Ileri- 

 tiera. The androceum is formed of a variable 6 number of stamens 

 circularly united on the top of a central column, and the gynaeceum 

 is said to be formed of four multiovulate carpels ; but the perianth 

 consists of three or four leaves, free or nearly so, and valvate. The 

 flowers are axillary subsessile, or united in short racemes. 7 



II. HELICTERES SERIES. 



Heliderei (figs. 95, 96) has hermaphrodite flowers. On the convex 

 receptacle is seen first a gamosepalous calyx, with five more or less 



1 There are often only five or sis, but some- 

 times a larger number; whatever may be the 

 number, the cells are parallel, as in the anthers 

 of Cola, and the lines of dehiscence vertical. 



2 The ovules are ascendant with micropyle 

 turned downwards and outwards. 



3 Ham., in Sym. JEmb. Ava., t. 28. — Wight 

 et Aen., Prodr., i. 63. — Walp., Rep., v. 106; 

 Ann., iv. 321; vii. 421. 



4 It is only with hesitation that we can place 

 here a plant of Angola, which is quite unknown 

 to us and which the authors of The Flora of 

 Tropical Africa (i. 219) : Octolobv.s spectabilis, 

 Welw., Sert. Angol., 17, t. 6 (ex Trans. Linn. 

 Soc, xxvii.), have not been able to see. It 

 appears allied at the same time to Sterculiacea 

 and to AnonacecB, which however, it does not 

 resemble in its seed. Its characteristics are, 

 according- to Bentham & J. Hooker, who 

 {Gen., 982, n. 2 a) place it near Tarrielia : — 

 " Flores 1-sexuales. Calycis campanulati tubus 

 subcylindraceus ; lobi 8, coriacei, marginihus 

 late membranaeeis induplicatis corrugatis. Pe- 

 tula 0. Staminmn columna brevis cylindrica, 

 stipiti elongate conico tomentoso imposita ; an- 

 theraj perplurinw, in discum orbicularem ver- 

 tice depressum connata?. Ovarii carpc'la perplu- 

 riraa, cc-seriata, in capitulum globosum gyno- 

 phoro brevi impositum conferta, verticillo stami- 

 nodiorum cincta, libera, anguste ovoidea, dense 

 tomentosa, 1-locularia; stylus 0, stigmate se.-sili 



2-lobo; ovula oo, 2-seriata. Carpella matura 

 8-12, distincta, stipitata, turgide obovoidea 

 gibba, rostro recurvo terminata, sub-2-sperma. 

 Semina subglobosa, sessilia; hilo orbiculato; 

 testa membranacea ; albumiue 0. Embryo sub- 

 globosus, cotyledonibus crassissimis, radieula 

 brevissitna, plumula pilosa. — Arbor patentim 

 comosa, ramulis robustis. Folia alterna, longe 

 petiolata; petiolo apice incrassato ; obovato-lan- 

 ceolata, obtuse acuminata, coriacea, glaberrima. 

 Stipulse geminse laterales erectaj acutissima;. 

 Flores magni, in ramulis sessiles, solitarii fulvo- 

 villosi." 



5 R. Br., in Benn. PI. Jav. Ear., 233. — 

 B. H., Gen., 219, n. 5.— Walp., Rep., v. 103. 



6 The androceum has been described since 

 R. Brown, as formed of four stamens. Upon 

 two flowers, which we have examined, we have 

 certainly seen fourteen or sixteen anther-cells, 

 linear and vertical. 



7 " Gen. Sterculia et Cola affin., fruct. adhuc 

 ignct. incert." (B. H., loc. cit.) 



s L., Gen., n. 1025.— J., Gen., 278.— 

 G.ertn., Fruct., i. 308, t. 64. — Lamk., Diet., 

 iii. 86; Suppl., iii. 19; III., t. 735.— DC, 

 Prodr., i. 475. — Schott et Endl., Melet., 31. 

 — Endl., Gen., n. 5316. — B. H., Gen., 220, 

 n. 10.— H. Bn., in Payer Fam. Nat., 284 

 (inch : Alicteres Neck., Isora Schott, Metlio- 

 riwm Schott, Orthothecium Schott, Oudeman~ 

 sia Miq.). — Hook. & Mast., Fl. of B. Lid., 365. 



