XLVIII. PENvEACE^E. 



In this small family, the flowers are regular, tetramerous, niono- 

 perianthous and hermaphrodite. Those of Pcncca 1 (fig. 58-60) have 



Peiicca myrtifolia. 



Fig. 59. Flower (*). 



Fig. 58. Habit. 



Fig. 61. Long. sect, of flower. 



their floral envelope tubular or conical, coloured, 2 surmounted by- 

 four lobes, two lateral, an anterior and a posterior, in prefloration 

 valvate in the bud (fig 60). In the intervals, on the same level, are 

 inserted an equal number of alternate stamens, each formed of a very 

 short filament and a bilocular and introrse anther. 3 The two cells 



1 L. Sort. Cliff. 37 ; Gen. n. 138 (not Plum. 

 not Louit.). — Adans. Fam. des PI. ii. 225. — J. 

 Gen. 419.— G^îrtn. p. Fruct. iii. 243, t. 225.— 

 Pom. Diet. vi. 538 (part.). — K. Zinnœa, v. 676 

 (part.). — A. Juss. Ann. Sc. Nat. sér. 3, vi. 22, t. 

 1.— Endl. Gen. n. 2116.— H. Bn. Payer Fam. 

 Nat. 333 ; Adansonia, xi. 287. — A. DC. Prodr. 

 xiv. 484. 



2 White or pink. The nature of the tube (which 

 we here only provisionally attribute to the peri- 

 anth, and which we shall call a calyx only in imi- 



tation of most authors), could not be definitely 

 determined independently of the study of the 

 development. But it is probable from what we 

 observe in the neighbouring groups, that it 

 represents a receptacular organ, bearing at its 

 upper orifice the true perianth, represented by 

 the lobes and the andrcecium, whilst the bot- 

 tom supports the gynsecium, hence doubtless a 

 striking analogy between Penœa and Collet ia. 

 3 The pollen is (H. Mohl, Ann. Sc. Nat. 



