148 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



Mulberries and are buried in the cavities hollowed in the com- 

 mon receptacle; so much so that the fruit which succeeds is 



Bromsonetia papyrifera. 



Fig. 105. Female inflorescence. Fig. 104. Male flower (f). Fig. 106. Female flowers {\). 



completely encased in this receptacle accrescent after fecundation. 

 The style is single or formed of two very unequal branches. They 

 are American trees. Beside Madura is placed Caturus^ having the 



same inflorescence, with 



Bromsonetia papyrifera. ^^^ female floWOrS of 



Broussonetia^ but the 

 fruit, sessile on the com- 

 mon receptacle, is sur- 

 rounded by the persist- 

 ent urceolate calyx. The 

 male flowers are gene- 

 rally trimerous ; but iu 

 one species, of which a 

 genus, Allceanthus^ has 

 been made, they are 

 tetramerous and tetran- 

 drous. They are un- 

 armed trees and shrubs 

 of tropical Asia and 

 Oceania. With the fun- 

 damental organisation of 

 flowers, andrcecium and gynsecium of the preceding genera, Pleco^ 

 spermum and Cardiogyne are distinguished in that the inflorescence of 

 both sexes has a spherical receptacle on which the glomerules are 



Fig. 103. Male in- 

 florescence. 



Fig. 107. Fructiferous branch. 



I 



