MALVACEÆ. 71 
insular and continental Africa, abounding particularly in the 
islands on the eastern’ coast. The leaves are alternate, provided 
with stipules, and often cordate and palminerved. The flowers are 
in axillary or terminal cymes, pedunculate, often ramified, often also 
resembling umbels or capitula, and surrounded by several bracts 
like an involucre. ach pedicel is provided with two or three uni- 
lateral bractlets of very variable dimensions, free or connate, and 
often caducous. The genus includes about twenty-five species,’ of 
which several described as distinct are very variable in form. 
The genera collected in this series 
of Dombeya proper are very nearly 
related. They are, first, Trochetia 
(fig. 102), which have often multi- 
ovulate ovary cells, or which, when 
they have only two ovules in each 
cell, have below each of them an 
obturator, or rather the cells are 
divided into uniovulate demi-cells 
by a false partition; the calyx 
is coriaceous, the style formed of 
five thick radiating branches; the 
flowers generally few in number or 
even solitary, accompanied by very small bractlets, or without bractlets. 
The Asterias are species of Dombeya without petaloid staminodes, and 
with twenty fertile stamens. Æwizia, likewise, has no staminodes, but it 
has an ovary with ten biovulate cells and styles almost free. Penta- 
petes has pluriovulate ovary cells, a simple style, petaloid staminodes, 
and from ten to fifteen fertile stamens. Cheirolena has most of the 
characters of Pentapetes, but its fertile stamens are detached a little 
below the exterior surface of the androceum tube, and the three 
bractlets which accompany the flower are digitate. Finally, A/e/hania 
consists of Dombeyas having not more than ten monadelphous sta- 
mens, five sterile and petaloid, superposed to the petals, and five 
fertile, and alternate. 
Trochetia Erythroxylon. 

Fie, 102. 
Flower. 

1 Some species collected in India have perhaps 
been introduced here ? 
2 Watt., Pl. As. Rar., iii. t. 235.—ENDL, 
Iconogr., t. 118 (Xeropetalum).—Pu., in Fl. 
des Serr., vi. 225, t. 605.—Hanrv, et SOND. 
Fl. Cap., i. 220; Suppl, 590.—Haxy., Thes, 
Cup, t. 89, 137, 138.—Masr., in Oliv, Fl. 
Trop. Afr., i. 226.—Bot, Mag., t. 2503 (As- 
trapæa), 2905, 4544, 4568, 4578, 5487.—W ALP., 
Rep, i. 349; ii. 797; Ann., ü. 167; iv. 325; 
vil, 423. 
