352 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS, 



GENERA 



I. MYETE^. 



1. Myrtus T. — Flowers hermaplirodite regular ; receptacle con- 

 cave, turbinate or subcampanulate, scarcely or slightly produced 

 beyond germen adnata within. Sepals 4, 5, marginally inserted, 

 sometimes broadly foliaceous, somewhat imbricate or not contiguous 

 and open. Petals 4, 5, alternate, imbricate, patent. Stamens oo , 

 inserted with perianth, go -seriate ; filaments linear-filifiorm, some- 

 times complanate at base ; anthers short, introrse, 2-rimose, either 

 basifixed or versatile. Germen inferior; style filiform simple, at 

 stigmatose apex not incrassate or more rarely capitellate ; cells in 

 germen 2-5, complete or incomplete at apex. Ovules in cells oo , 

 oo -seriately inserted in internal angle of simple or 2-lamellate pla- 

 centa, small, anatropous. Fruit baccate, crowned with persistent 

 calyx or its scar, 1-go -spermous. Seeds subreniform ; testa membra- 

 nous or osseous; radicle of hippocrepiform or somewhat involute 

 embryo terete very long ; cotyledons shorter or very small. — Trees 

 or oftener shrubs, odorous, glabrous or pubescent ; leaves opposite 

 exstipulate penninerved, pellucid-punctulate, small or rather large, 

 submembranous or coriaceous ; flowers axillary pedunculate, solitary 

 or cymose 3-7, more rarely co ; the lateral oftener longer-pedicellate; 

 bracteoles under the flower small or very small, more rarely broad 

 foliaceous. (South of Europe, western Asia, Oceania, south-west, and 

 extra trop. America.) — See p. 308. 



2. Rhodomyrtus DC.^— Flowers of Myrtus ; cells of germen 2-4, 

 generally divided into 2 cellules by spurious vertical septa; each 

 cellule divided between go ovules by transverse septules ^ springing 



1 Mem. Myrtac. 33 ; Frodr. iii. 240 (a sect, of Ind. ii. 469. 

 Myrtus). — Salisb. ex DC. loc. cit. — Endl. Gen. 2 Hardened in fruit, 



n. 6316, 6.— B. H. Gen. 713, n. 48.— Hook. FL 



