444 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



anomalous Melastomacece ; ^ Olinia,^ whicli we have made a series of 

 Bhamnacece,^ and Reteropyxisj^ quite unknown to us. We have, 

 moreover, enumerated Sonneratia among the Myrtacece^ and Strepho- 

 nema among the doubtful Bosacem.^ By considering Hydrolythrum 

 as simply a section of the genus BJiyacophila^ and including Peplis 

 and DidipUs in the genus Ammannia,^ we have reduced the number 



1 Notwithstanding their alternate leaves, be- 

 cause, as we shall see, the stamens are funda- 

 mentally constructed like those of this group. 



2 Thunb. Hcem. Arch. ii. p, i. 5 ; FL Cap. 194. 

 —DC. Prodr. ii. 41.— Endl. Gen. n. 6272.— B. 

 H. Gen. 785, n. 29. — Crematostemon hort. (ex 

 Endl.). This genus has been placed in different 

 families, particularly in the series of Melastoma- 

 cece, of Lythrariacece, and it has also been con- 

 sidered (Arnott, — Naudin) as the type of quite 

 a distinct family. 



3 Bull. Soc. Zimi. Par. (1876) 90. We have 

 seen in tracing the development of the flowers 

 of this genus (fig. 425, 426), that they have a 

 hollow tubular receptacle, to the bottom of 



OUnia cymosa. 



Fig. 425. Flower (|). 



which the ovary is adnate, and at the upper 

 orifice of which are inserted four or five coloured 

 sepals, as many small alternate petals, super- 

 posed to which are an equal number of stamens, 

 with short bilocularintrorse anthers, surmounted 

 by a glandular connective. The cells of the 

 inferior ovary, 3-5 in number, contain each 2 or 

 3 ascending ovules with micropyle exterior and 

 inferior. Decaisne {Tr. Gen. Botan. 292) has 

 described and figured the ovules as pendant, a 

 grave error. The fruit is drupaceous, and the 

 putamen encloses a seed with exalbuminous 

 embryo, and the cotyledons are said to be un- 

 equally convolute. It is by this character 

 especially that the Oliniece are distinguished as 

 a tribe or series in the family of Rhamnacece, 



where we propose to place them. The short 

 collarette, entire or obscurely lobed, found 

 outside the perianth and often described as 

 a calyx, is only a discoid prolongation of 

 the receptacular tube, the formation of which 

 is tardy. OUnia consists of Cape shrubs, with 

 opposite coriaceous leaves, and flowers col- 

 lected in trichotomous cymes. There is pro- 

 bably only one species, 0. cymosa Thuxb. — 

 Harv. and Sond. FL Cap. ii. 520.— 0. capensis 



Fig. 426. Long. sect, of flower (f). 



Link, Kl. et Ott. Ic. PI. Bar. i. 6, t. 3.— 0. acu- 

 minata Link, Kl. et Ott. loc. cit. 53, t. 21. — 

 Syderoxylon cymosum L. F. Suppl. 152. — Crema- 

 tostemon capense hort. 



"^ Harv. Thes. Cap. ii. 18, t. 128.— B. H. Gen. 

 785, n. 30. This genus, placed among the ano- 

 malous Lythrariece, with inferior ovary, is espe- 

 cially characterized by an imbricate calyx, with 

 five lobes, petals with glandular punctuations, 

 oppositipetalous stamens and alternate leaves. 

 Its fruit is capsular ; the ovarian cells multi- 

 ovulate. This plant, figured by Harvey with 

 poorly developed stamens and an imperfect 

 ovary, is quite unknown to us. 



5 See vol. i. 424, 479. 



6 Bull. Soc. Linn. Par. (1876) 87. 



