360 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



flowers. The gynseceum is composed of au ovary with three lobes 

 and three cells, each coutaiuiug an ascendent ovule, with inferior 

 and exterior micropyle, resembling, in a word, that of Sapindus. The 

 style, disengaging itself from the middle of the lobes of the ovary, 

 is simple, having the stigmatiforous extremity entire or slightly 

 trilobate. The fi-uit is also analogous to that of Srtfindus, formed 

 of from one to three spherical or elongated drupes, with slight iudo- 

 hiscent endocarp. Eacli of them contains an exarillate seed, 

 whose fleshy embryo has a short inferior radicle and thick cotyledons, 

 straight or arched. The Pancovias are trees from tropical Asia, 

 Oceania, and Africa, with alternate leaves, pari- or impari-pinnate, 

 and having the inflorescence of Sapindus^ terminal or sometimes borne 

 on the wood of the stem. Three or foiu- species ^ are distinguished. 

 Chytraiiflms^ consisting of shi'ubs from tropical western Africa, with 

 inflorescence borne on the wood of the. branches, is hardly distinct 

 from Pancovia. It is only separated by the gamosepalous calyx with 



Diploglottis Cunnlnghaml. 



Fig. 378. Flower [fj. Fig. 379. Longitudinal section of flower. 



five divisions nearly valvate or slightly imbricate, and by the shape 

 of the petals, whose claw is hollow in the form of a small flattened 

 horn, from the interior of which issues a subulate tongue. The 

 SchmidcUa^ shrubs from all the tropical regions of the globe, have, 

 with the lobate and indehiscent fruit of the preceding genera, tetra- 

 merous flowers and leaves usually uni- or tri-foliate, rarely having 

 foiu- or five folioles. The Hcmiijijrosa^ trees from tropical Asia, have 



' DC. Prodr. ii. 507, n. 2 (Afzilia) ; Si/.st. i. 

 608; Prorff. i. 608, n. 19 {Sapindus).— Bu liijr/r, 

 229 {ErioghsuHm) ; Cat. Eort.liuitenz. 62 {Sapin- 

 du.s) ; Riimphia, iii. 93, t. 167 {Sapwdiin); 118, t. 

 166 [Eiioglonsiim). — EoXB. PL Cortmaiid. t. 02 

 {Sapindus.)— Hiai. Guili.em. ct Pehr. Fl. Seiicff. 



Tent. i. lis, t. 28.— Span, in ZiiiiirFti, xv. 181 

 I^Eriiiiliissum). — Benth. Fl. Austral, i. 454 

 (Erioglussum). — Bakek, in Oliv. Fl. trap. Afr. 

 i.'420 {Erioglossum). — Walp Rep. i. 407 [Erio- 

 ghssnm). 



