04 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



plctely or nearly so at the adult age, and the two lateral are nsually 

 only rejiresented by two staniiuodes, very short in comparison with 

 the fertile stamens. All arc inserted slightly perigynonsly upon the 

 edge of the receptacle, and the fertile stamen is formed of a iree 



Vcchi/sia (/lutrnemis. 



Fig. 128, 129. Entire 

 stamen. Transverse sect. 



Fig. 127. Portion of 

 the inflorescence {I). 



130. Dehiscent fruit. 



Fig. 131. Open 

 seed. 



filament and a bilocular introrse anther with two distinct cells 

 corresponding to the edges of the connective, and each dehiscing by 

 a longitudinal cleft.^ The gynseceum occupies the centre of the 

 receptacle ; it is i'ormed of a three-celled ovary, surmounted by a 

 style swollen into a club and presenting towards the obtuse summit 

 an oblique stigmatiferous surface. In the inner angle of each cell, 

 two of them being posterior and one anterior, are two collateral, 

 descendent, incompletely anatropoiis ovules with linear hilum and 

 superior exterior micropyle. The iruit is a triquetrous loculieidal 

 capsule, the valves bearing upon the middle of their interior face a 

 partition, on each side of which is a descendent seed. This is 



' Tlie pollen of several Voehijsiacea of the 

 series Siilralerticcit has been examined hy H. 

 MoHL. (in Ann. Sc. Nut. ser. 2, iii. 332), and 

 described in different ciiteporics, "a flattened 

 sphere with three angles, small papillo:n on the 

 .■inglos {I'uc/it/.'.ia frrrKi/iiicii). — b. Spherical, tri- 



angular at the equator, on the angles very short 

 folds, on these the ^wpiWie [Qiia!ca ecaltarutn). — 

 c. Ovoid ; three folds ; in water a sphere with the 

 bands bearing papiliffi [Vochysia pijramiilalis, 

 AmphiLcltia qitalcoidts, Callisthene minor).'' 



