438 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



tongues 



Phycosalyrnma ; the flowers are hexamerous, with six 

 alternating with the sepals, a 12-androus andrœcium or formed of 

 an indefinite number of stamens, a sessile ovary, a non-accrescent 

 receptacle. The inflorescence is that of Lafoensa. 



II. CRYPTERONIA SERIES. 



Crypter onia 1 (fig. 412-415), referred by authors to various other 

 groups, 3 appears to comprise somewhat abnormal Lythrariacece, whose 

 flowers are regular and polygamo-dicecious. The hermaphrodite 



flowers (fig. 412, 413) have 

 a cup-shaped receptacle, the 

 margin of which bears five 3 

 sepals and five perigynous 

 stamens, alternating. Each 

 is formed of a filament in- 

 curved in the bud, sur- 

 mounted by a basifixed 

 anther, united below by- a 

 glandular connective, de- 

 hiscing superiorly by a 

 longitudinal cleft, marginal 

 or more or less introrse. 

 The gynœcium is composed 

 of an ovary in greater part 

 superior, with two or more rarely three cells (fig. 413), complete or 

 incomplete, surmounted by a style with stigmatiferous extremity, 

 slightly enlarged at the top. In the internai angle of each cell, 

 sometimes near its exterior wall, sometimes more or less near the base, 

 is a placenta 4 bearing a great number of anatropous, transverse (fig. 

 415) or more or less ascending (fig. 413) ovules. In the female 

 flowers, the gynsecium being the same, the stamens have sterile 

 anthers. In the male flowers (fig. 414, 415), the receptacle is less 



Fig. 412. Hermaphro- 

 dite flower (-£). 



Fig. 413. Long. sect, of 

 hermaphrodite flower. 



1 Bl. Bijdr. 1151 ; Mus. Lngd.-Bat. 123, t. 42. 

 — Endl. Gen. n. 5756.— B. H. Gen. 783, n. 22. 

 —I/timlowia Wall. Fl. As. liar. iii. 13, t. 221 

 (not Bl.). — Em». Qen. n. 1905. — Lindl. Vej. 

 Kingd. (184G) 570.— Hook. Fl. Ind. ii. 573.— 

 Quilamum Blanc. Fl. d. Filipp. S51. 



- Especially to the lthmnnaceœ (Endl.), to the 



Salicinece, and to the Saxifragacece. 



3 There are also, here and there, tetramerous 

 flowers. 



4 It recalls, hy its organization, that of some 

 SaxifraffaceeB-Cwtonieee with ovarian cells com- 

 plete or nearly so. 



