158 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



curved, radicle short ; cotyledons 2-plicate. — Trees, glabrescent or 

 stellate-tomentose ; leaves entire or subdentate, sometimes shortly 

 3-5-lobed ; flowers solitary axillary pedunculate ; bracts 4-6, under 

 flower verticillate in involucre (nearly 1-inch), lanceolate, subconnate 

 at base, stellate-patent much longer than calyx [Eastern mountainous 

 India, Zeylania)). 



XII. BOMBACEiU. 



74. Bombax L. — Flowers regular, hermaphrodite ; receptacle de- 

 pressed or slightly concave. Calyx (afterwards sometimes slightly 

 perigynous) cupulate, truncate or irregularly 3-5-lobed. Corolla 

 (malvaceous) ; petals narrow or obovate generally pubescent, usually 

 connate at base among themselves and with the androceum, con- 

 torted in bud. Stamens go ; column above divided into go fila- 

 ments, 1-anthered, or more rarely 2-anthered (Eriotheca) ; the interior 

 or nearly all more or less 2-nate connate and 5-adelphous at base ; 

 anthers 1-lobed, more or less arched, rimose at margin. Germen 

 free, 5-locular ; cells cc -ovulate ; style clavate at apex 5-agonal or 

 very shortly 5-ficl. Capsule coriaceous or more or less ligneous, 

 loculicidal ; cells 5, inwardly clothed with very dense wool (spring- 

 ing from interior of pericarp) enfolding seed. Seeds subglobose 

 or ovoid ; testa crustaceous smooth or opaque, generally naked at 

 lateral hilum ; embryo scantily albuminous ; cotyledons much contor- 

 tuplicate, oftener surrounding straight radicle. — Lofty trees, apex 

 often densely comose ; leaves alternate long-petiolate (stipules deci- 

 duous) digitate ; folioles 3-9, apex of petiole expanded in continu- 

 ous disk, entire or subentire ; flowers pedunculate ; axillary or sub- 

 terminal, solitary or cymose-fasciculate {Trojj. America, Asia, and 

 Africa). See p. 99. 



75. Eriodendron DC. 2 — Perianth of Bombax, receptacle more or 

 less concave with perigynous insertion. Staminal column outwardly 



1 Spec. 2. Geiff., Notul., iv. 534, t. 595 Gen., 210, n. 43. — Erione Schott, Melet., 

 (Kydia). — Tuw., JEnum. PL Zeyl., 30 (Kydia). 34. — Campylanthera SCHOTT, luc. cit. — Gos- 



2 DC, Prodr., i. 479. — Endl., Gen., n. 5302. sampinus Scbott, loc. cit., 35. — Ceiba Plum., 

 — H. Bn., in Payer Fam. Nat., 286.— B. H., Gen., t. 32.— G^ebtn., Fruct., t. 133. 



