Family 3. DICHAPETALACEAE 



By Henry Allan GlEason 



Trees, shrubs, or woody vines. Leaves alternate, two-ranked, entire, 

 membranous or coriaceous, short-petioled, pinnately veined, and reticulate. 

 Stipules linear to linear-lanceolate, soon deciduous. Inflorescence loosely or 

 closely cymose and freely branched, or subcapitate, in the axils of the upper 

 leaves; peduncles frequently more or less adnate to the petioles; bracts 

 linear to linear-lanceolate, soon deciduous. Flowers short-pedicelled, small, 

 perfect or unisexual, regular or somewhat zygomorphic ; receptacle flat or 

 concave. Sepals 5, imbricate, free or barely connate at base, equal or nearly 

 so. Petals 5, alternate with* the sepals, free or connate into a short tube, 

 equal or distinctly unequal, often bifid or 2-lobed and more or less involute 

 or cucullate. Stamens 5, alternate with the petals, either free, hypogynous, 

 with slender flattened filaments somewhat dilated at base, or epipetalous with 

 anthers nearly or quite sessile. Anthers 5, or in zygomorphic flowers some- 

 times 3, 2-celled, introrse, with broad connective. Hypogynous disk uni- 

 lateral in zygomorphic flowers, of 5 scales alternate with the stamens in regular 

 flowers. Ovary superior, 2- or 3-celled; styles 2 or 3, united below, with re- 

 curved stigmas. Ovules 2 in each cell, suspended near the summit, anatro- 

 pous. Fruit a drupe, more or less compressed; exocarp thin, leathery or 

 fleshy; endocarp firm. Seed 1 (rarely 2); endosperm none. 



Petals distinct; corolla regular or nearly so ; stamens free, all anther-bearing. 1. Symphyllanthus. 

 Petals united into a tube; corolla zygomorphic; stamens epipetalous; an- 

 thers 5 or 3. 2. Tapura. 



1. SYMPHYLLANTHUS VaM, Skr. Nat. 

 Selsk. Kj0b. 6: 86. 1810. 



Chailletia DC. Ann. Mus. Paris 17: 153. 1811. 



Dichapetalum Thouars (Gen. Nov. Madag. no. 78, hvponym. 1806): Poir. Diet. Sci. Nat. 13: 178. 

 1819. 



Tiees, shrubs, or woody vines. Leaves alternate, petioled, pinnately veined, mostly 

 membranous: stipules linear or narrowly lanceolate, deciduous. Inflorescence mostly loosely 

 cymose, many-flowered, in the axils of the upper leaves; peduncle adnate to the petiole to its 

 lowest branches. Flowers short-pedicelled, small, perfect or unisexual, legular or nearly so; 

 receptacle flat or somewhat concave. Sepals 5, imbricate, free or barely connate at base, 

 equal or nearly so, spreading or ascending. Petals 5, free, equal or nearly so, ascending or 

 erect, unguiculate at base, bifid or 2-lobed, the margins involute, the apex cucullate. Stamens 

 5, free and distinct, erect or ascending, equal, hypogynous; filaments slender, somewhat di- 

 lated below, flattened; anthers 5. Hypogynous disk of 5 minute scales alternate with the 

 stamens. 



Type species, Symphyllanthus rugosus Vahl. 



1. Symphyllanthus Donnell-Smithii (Engler) Gleason. 



Dichapetalum Donnell-Smithii Engler, Bot. Jahrb. 23: 144. 1896. 



Shrub or woody vine, 3-5 m. high; stems densely ferruginous- or cinereous- tomentose 

 when young, becoming glabrous in age; leaf-blades thin but firm, deep-green, oblong to obo- 

 vate-oblong, as much as 25 cm. long and 10 cm. wide at maturity, acute to abruptly short- 

 Volume 25, Part 5, 1924] 381 



