NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



GENEKA. 



I. SPONDIE^. 



1. Spondias L. — Flowers hermaphrodite or polygamous; recep- 

 tacle depressed conical. Calyx small, 4-5-fid. Valvate or subimbri- 

 cate, deciduous. Petals 4, 5, alternate, longer, subvalvate, patent. 

 Stamens 8-10, 2-seriato ; filaments free, inserted below crenulate or 

 lobate hypogynous disk; anthers introrse, 2-rimose. Carpels of 

 superior gynajceum, 4, 5, or more rarely 6-15, sometimes 2, 3 

 (Poiijmrtia); germ ens nearly free from base or more or less high 

 connate ; style same in number, free connivent stigmatiferous ai 

 apex ; ovule in cell 1 , descendent ; micropyle at first introrse supe- 

 rior. Fruit drupaceous ; putamen ligneous and bony, outwardly 

 glabrous or echinate, foraminate at apex; cells 1-5 or more rarely 

 6-15, erect or divergent {Cf/fherœa) ; seeds descendent ; cotyledons 

 of exalbuminous embryo fleshy plano-convex ; radicle short superior. 

 — Trees ; leaves alternate usually collected at summit of twigs ; im- 

 paripinnate ; folioles opposite ; flowers collected in terminal much 

 ramified compound cymiferous patent racemes. 



2, Buchanania Eoxb. —Flowers hc]-maphrodite ; valvate teeth 

 or lobes of short gamopliyllous calyx afterwards not touching. Petals 

 5, imbricated. Stamens 10, 2-scriate inserted below thick orbicular, 

 entire or 5-crenate disk; filaments free; anthers introrse, 2-rimose. 

 Carpels of gynseceum 5, oppositipetalous free ; one fertile in each, 

 1-locular; ovule suspended from summit of basilar funicle with 

 superior micropyle ; rather more acute or truncate apex of erect 

 style thicker in fertile carpel. Drupe small scantily fleshy ; puta- 

 men crustaceous or bony more or less late 2-valved ; seed unequally 



