10 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 
of the style is very variable in form, sometimes linear, papillose on 
one side or swollen and club-shaped, or with an irregular head, or 
separated into papillose branches, as in JM/iradilis, or even divided 
into long penicillate rays. The stamens are much exserted in the 
greater part of the Pisonias proper, but in certain species, or in the 
unisexual flowers, they protrude very little from the perianth,’ and 
the genus Veea in everything else similar to the other Pisonias, is 
distinguished only by its stamens, which should be constantly 
included ; this, however, is not quite absolute. The greatest varia- 
tions may be observed in the fruit and in the seed; first as to the 
indusium formed round the pericarp by the hardened portion of the 
perianth. It is globular, ovoid, clavate, or much elongated into a 
cone. The five prominent ribs which it bears are either naked and 
little visible, or occupied by glands which cover it over with a 
viscid secretion. These capitate and stipitate glands are prominent 
at the surface (figs. 16, 17), and produce a very abundant glutinous 
juice. The fruit fills all, or a variable portion, of this sac. The seed 
which it encloses is occupied almost entirely by the embryo, which 
is as long or longer than itself. In the latter case the cotyledons 
are more or less corrugated in their length; or their apex is 
folded back more or less upon the base,’ as in /irabilis and other 
analogous genera. Moreover, the two cotyledons envelop each 
other. The more they enlarge the more concave they become on 
the posterior side. Their curved edges bend to meet inside ; besides 
which they are involute once or even several times upon themselves. 
The albumen, becoming proportionally less as the cotyledons encroach 
upon its mass, occupies the concavity, and is sometimes reduced to 
a thin tongue, which fills the depression of each half of the posterior 
cotyledon. Sometimes it is not more than a thin strip or a 
sort of mucous filament,* occasionally even disappearing completely. 
With all these variations in flower and fruit the Pzsonias present 
very constant characters in their organs of vegetation. They are 
always trees or shrubs, inhabiting the warm regions of all parts of 

1 Tt is in the species of the New World that in Berl. Akad. Abhandl. (1831), 219; (1832), 
the stamens are described as included. ts ds 
2 R. ct Pav., Prodr., 52, t. 9; Fl. Per. et 3 This is seen in certain seeds of Viel- 
Chil., 90.—J., in Ann. Mus., ii. 275.—ENDL,  lardia. 
Gen., n. 2011. —Cuors., Prodr., 447. — 4 For example,-in Calpidia lanceolata Dur- 
Nebra Nononu., mss.~— Mitscherlichia K., Tu., and in several others, 
