FOLYOALACEJS. 



77 



leaves^ are alternate, coriaceous, glabrous, often entire; and tlie flowers 

 disposed in axillary, siiper-axillary or terminal racemes, simple or 

 ramified and more or less compound. Some seven or eight species 

 are known. - 



III. KEAMEEIA SERIES. 



The flowers of Kramevia'^ (fig. 113-123) difi'er from those of all 

 other genera in this family, as they are resupinate ; they are more- 

 over hermaphi'odite and irregular. The convex receptacle bears a 

 calyx having sometimes five sepals (fig. 122); they are imbricated 

 in a rather varied way, but one of them, the anterior, always 

 envelopes the two lateral, while of the two posterior one is generally 

 enveloped wliile the other envelopes. But generally there are but 

 four sepals, the anterior still enveloping and the posterior covering 

 the two lateral ; thus it is the fifth, being interior, which dis- 

 appears. The corolla is only represented on the posterior side of the 

 flower, sometimes by three petals, the middle one covered in the bud 

 by the two lateral (fig. 119-122), sometimes by two leaves only. 

 They are nearly fi-ee or united by a common support of variable 



6, fig. a ; — Cri/ptostemoii W. Spec. ii. 106 ; — 

 MiJiilabca P(Epp. ct Endl. JVbv. Gen, et Spec. ii. 

 62, t. 168), whose pentamcrous flowers have 

 hut slightly unequal imhricated sepals and 

 petals with the androceum of the Pob/tjaka;, 

 formed of a tuhe cleft behind the upper oblique 

 opening supporting eight bUocular introrse 

 anthers, dehiscing by a short oblique cleft into 

 two iincqual valves. But all parts of the 

 perianth and androceum are supported by a 

 long common tube of uncertain nature, at the 

 bottom of which is a free ovarj-, with from 2 to 

 o cells, surmounted by a slender flattened style 

 in'egularly dilated, stigmatiferous at the apex. 

 In the inner angle of each cell is a descendent 

 incompletely anatropous ovule, with exterior 

 and sujierior micropyle. The globular and 

 fleshy fruit, analogous to that of Xniilh«i>hii!li(m, 

 contains one or more seeds lodged in pulp, 

 whose thin coats cover a large fleshy embryo, 

 with plano-convex cotyledons transversely 

 oblong, a short but little prominent ra- 

 dicle, and a geuimula with numerous leaves, 



corresponding to the middle of one of the largo 

 edges of the cotyledons. MuiUabeu, of which 

 five species are described, all from tropical 

 America, consists of glabrous trees, with 

 alternate, simple, elongated thick coriaceous 

 leaves (yellowish when dry) and with flowers 

 (white or j-ellow) in racemes or short spikes. 



1 They are generally of a yellowish tint. 



2Nee3, in FUra (1S2.3), 120.— Wight et 

 Arn. Prodi: i. 39.— Thw. Eimm. PL Zajl. 23. 

 —Wight, 111. t. 23.— Miq. Fl Lid. Bat. i. p. 

 ii. 128 ; in Aim. Mux. T.ugd.-Jiat. i. 271, 317.— 

 Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Iiid. i. 208.— Walp. Hep. iv. 

 248 ; Ann. vii. 25-1. 



' LcEFL. It. 195. — L. Gen. n. 161. — Adans. 

 Fain, da PI. ii. 268.— J. Ocii. 42.J ; in Mem. 

 Mils. i. 390. Lamk, Bid. iii. 370 ; Suppl. iii. 

 226.— DC. Pror/c.i. 341.— SrACH, Siiit.aBiiJbn, 

 iii. 150. — Endl. Gen. n. 56.56. — A. Gkay, Gch. 

 III. t. 185, 186.- B. U. Gai. HO, n. 15.— 

 ScHNizL. Icaiwf/r. t. 2.'i3. — O. Beuo, in But. 

 Zeit. (1856), 745. — H. Bn. in Adamoiiin, xi. 

 14, t. 3. 



