496 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



dehiscence. Receptacle of female flower very concave oblong, en- 

 closing germen and not produced beyond. Sepals and petals (of 

 males) epigynous. Stamens 4, 5, inserted with petals, conformed to 

 those of males but smaller and sterile (?), sometimes rudimentary (or 

 ?). Disk epigynous rather thick, 4-5-gonal. Germen inferior ; 

 style short thick, 2-fid ; branches at dilated apex widely reniform- 

 discoid papillosely stigmatose. Ovules in 2 cells (complete or incom- 

 plete) 00 , 2-seriate. Fruit capsular subligneous oblong-clavate ; 

 valves 2, finally solute from seminiferous columella. Seeds oo , 

 oftener few, imbricate, marginately alate and 2-auriculate at base ; 

 testa papillose; cotyledons of exalbuminous embryo flat, straight or 

 curved ; radicle thick short. — A glabrous shrub, thickly branched ; 

 branches sulcate ; leaves alternate petiolate, sublanceolate entire 

 acuminate veinless; male flowers in terminal corymb iform racemes (?) ; 

 female solitary. {Cape of Good Hope.) — See p. 469. 



9. Fuchsia Plum. — Flowers hermaphrodite, sometimes polyga- 

 mous (nearly of Hau7ja), 4-merous ; receptacle around adnate germen 

 globose or ovoid, produced above to cylindrical, obconical, infundi- 

 buliform or campanulate tube (coloured). Sepals 4, continuous with 

 tube (coloured), valvate, deciduous with receptacle. Petals 4 (some- 

 times 0), inserted in throat of receptacle, patent or reflexed ; con- 

 torted in prefloration. Stamens 8, 2-seriate ; filaments slender ; 

 anthers oblong or linear, oftener exserted. Germen inferior, 4- 

 locular ; style slender elongate, at apex capitate or obovoid entire or 

 4-lobfed stigmatose. Ovules oo , oo -seriate. Fruit baccate, often 

 pulpy, crowned with scar of receptacle. Seeds oo , sometimes few 

 angular or reniform ; testa membranous ; embryo rather fleshy. — 

 Small trees, shrubs or undershrubs; leaves alternate or opposite, 

 sometimes verticillate, entire or dentate ; flowers axillary solitary or 

 cymose, sometimes in simple compound or cymiferous terminal 

 racemes ; pedicels long, often slender, nutant. {Both ivarm and 

 temp, Americas.) — See p. 469. 



II. GAUREiE. 



10. Gaura L. — Flowers hermaphrodite regular; receptacle long 

 clavately lageniform, produced above germen adnate within to tubular 

 sometimes curved neck. Sepals 4, more rarely 3, valvate, deflexed. 



