54 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



completely, or even disai^pear altogetlier.' The fruit is a drupe of 

 wliicli the mesocarp is frequently tliin, and the stone hard and bony, 

 with its walls often containing resiniferous hollows, and with one or 

 more mono- or dispermous cells. The seeds contain under then- thin 

 coats a fleshy albumen, sometimes of gramilar appearance, siu'- 

 roundiug an axile embryo with elliptical cotyledons and superior 

 cylindiical radicle more or less long. 



HoumiH {Vantanea) (juianeusis. 



Fig. 96. flower (f). Fig. 97. Long. sect, of flower. 



Thus comprised, the genus Houmiri, divided (principally according 

 to the number of the stamens) into five sections," which might 

 possibly be considered as distinct genera, contains some twenty 

 species ^ which except one belong to tropical America. All are 

 woody and generally glabrous and balsamic They have alternate 

 simple leaves,"* entii'e or crenulate, coriaceous, and exstipulate, 

 flowers of whitish colour, disposed in the axils of the leaves at 

 the summit of the branches in ramified or corymbiform cymes, 

 sometimes uuiparous towards the apex. 



This small family, distinguished in 1819 by A. P. de Candolle,^ 

 accorduig to him contained only Limmi and Radlola^ considered 

 formerly by A. L. de Jussieu,'' as '•'■genera Caryophjllcis affiniaP 

 The Hugonlas^ ranged by the latter '' among the Malvaccw, and by 

 most authors of this centiu'y after the Chlcenacece ^ took finally a 



' They have a douhle coat. 



" HoiIMIllI 



sect. 5. 



1. Auhrya (H. Bn). 



2. Saccor/lotl is (Mart.). 



3. Humirium H. Bn. nee Alior.). 

 i. Viiiifniwuidcs (Rich.). 

 5. Vaiitanea AuBL.). 



= Makt. Nov. Gen. et Spec. ii. 142, t. 198 ; 146 

 [SiKcoglottis), 147 {SdUria) .— A.. Jrss. in A. S. 

 H. Fl. Bias. Mei: ii. 88, 90 (/f(7/c/i«).— Walp. 



Aim. iv. 58.3, 685 [Saccoglottis). 



■* In vernation often involute. 



' Tlicor Elcin. cd. 1, 217; Prodr. i. 423, Ord. 

 23. — Liiiacem Lindl. Iiitrod. sd 2, 89; Vcg. 

 Kiiiijd. 485, Ord. 183. 



« Gfii. (1789), 303. 



? Op. at. 275. 



SDC. Prodi: i. 522.— Endl. Gcu. 1016.— 

 LlNDL. T'ly. Killed. 489 (Oxalid.). 



