

xu 



INTRODUCTION. 



It is the only one of his genera the characters of which pretty nearly agree with those 



of any of my sections. 



The few species which form the section Syncecia are climbers with remarkably large 



and handsome receptacles. T\ie characteristic neuter flowers in all respects resemble the 

 male flowers, except that they have no anther. In one species (apiocarpa) the neuter 

 flowers are absent. The affinities of that species are, however, so clearly with the others 

 in the section Synaeoia, that I include it without hesitation, b3lieving it to form a connecting 

 link with the more markedly dioecious sections. The name Syncecia is adopted from 

 Miquel, and the characters of his sub-genus of that name are nearly those of my section. 

 The section Sycidium comprehends a number of species with comparatively small recep- 

 tacles and rather harsh or scabrid leaves. It forms on the whole a pretty natural section. 

 At the end of it I have put, as a matter of convenience, a few species which belong to 

 different types from the main body. The species brought together in my Sycidium are 

 for the most part the same as those which Miquel (who made it a section of his Eusyce) 

 included in his Sycidium. Covellia is a natural section, including two types — one with a 

 tendency to axillary, the other with a tendency to hypogeal inflorescence. The name 

 Covellia was originally given by Grasparrini as a generic one to a species of the former 

 type. Eusyce is the most artificial of the sections, and the one with which I am least satis- 

 fied. The name was originally given to characterise a sub-genus which Miquel founded 

 on rather vague characters. There are several types under the section which, bv further 



study, may be satisfactorily separated off into distinct sections. Neomorphe is a small and 

 natural section, consisting of species with large receptacles borne on the stem or lar 





branches. It includes plants which would have gone into Gasparrini's genera Sycom 

 and Cystoyyne. In it there is included one species (F. gbmerata) which, although its 



affinities 



clearly with the other species included in this section, has 



monoecious 



receptacles, as in Urostig 



To complete this brief account of the morphology of the genus it is necessary to 

 refer to the remaining organs. The leaves of 18m are for the most part alternate ; but 

 m a few specres they are opposite. They have a characteristic fades, of which it is not 



easy to grve an account in words, although it affords ready help both in the field 



m the herbanum when one has become familiar with it. . Stipules are universally present 

 although m some cases they are very fugacious. There are three distinct kind 



J 



of 



ed "stipules" in the genus. The most truly stipular of these appendages are those 



winch occur in pairs at the origin of the leaves from the axis (one on each side). 

 Examples of this kind are found in many of the scandent species, as for example in 

 R lanocarpa, and » many of the receptacle-bcaring branches in Covellia. The second 

 kmdof sUpule (the so-called « intrapetiolar ») is really a kind of leaf-scale (occurring 

 only m speces w«h alternate leaves) which, completely embracing the leaf-bearing axis at 

 Us base, covers the young leaf and falls off as the latter becomes developed. This kind 



