270 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



we iuclucle in this genus the plant from the Amazon, with4-5-merous 

 flowers, that has been named Cyrtospermimi, and then Drepano- 

 spermum. 



In Holigarna and Brimycarpus formed of trees with simple leaves 

 from tropical Asia, the flowers have also the general organisation 

 of those of Semecaipus, diiferiug however considerably in the recep- 

 tacle being concave, enveloping the ovary which occupies the centre, 

 whilst the perianth and ancfroceum are inserted " epigynously " on 

 the edges. The first has the corolla valvate and three distinct styles, 

 whilst the latter has imbricate petals and a single style with stigma- 

 tiferous apex capitate and hardly trilobate. 



Thyrsodium, consisting of trees from tropical America, with impari- 

 pinnate leaves, and which have been joiued to a totally different group, 

 that of the Btirsereœ^ approach Brimycarpus and Holigarna by their 

 cupular receptacle. But the ovary, situated at the bottom of the 

 receptacle, is however completely free. It contaias a single cell with 

 an ovule suspended at the summit of a funicle inserted above on the 

 side of the cell, and the style siu-mounting it is single, like that of the 

 Anacardium. The stamens, equal in number to the petals, at first 

 imbricate, and with which they alternate, are also inserted on the edges 

 of the receptacular cup. 



Beside these genera may be placed Petitaspadon, trees from 

 Borneo and Sumatra, having almost the flower of Semecarpus, with 

 an ovary surmounted by a simple style iu the female flower, but 

 with two or thi-ee divisions in the male, where it remains sterile, 

 and ten stamens, five of which, viz., those superposed to the 

 petals, are reduced to stipitate glands ; and Corynocarpîts, a shrub 

 from New Zealand, in which the alternipetalous staminodes are small 

 petaloid blades, whilst the five fertile stamens are superposed to the 

 petals, and its unilocular ovary, surmounted by a style having a 

 capitate apex, contains, inserted on a parietal placenta, a descendent 

 ovule, having the micropyle brought upwards under the point of 

 attachment of a short funicle. The leaves of Corynocarpus are 

 simple, whilst those of Pcntaspudon are compound pinnate. 



