232 
NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 
from the other in its appearance and foliage, which much resembles 
that of several of the Malvaceae, particularly the Hermannie. This 
only confirms what is known of the close affinity of the Ch/enacee 
and the M/alvacee with two-celled anthers. Only the stamens of the 
Chlenacee are not monadelphous in the same way as those of a large 
number of Aalvaceæ. Their filaments are not united among them- 
selves, at the base, in a kind of tube, but are inserted upon the 
interior surface and close to the base of a circular dise, in the shape 
of a short vertical cylinder with superior independent edge. Ziliacee. 
bears a great analogy with Ch/enacee, but the latter has an imbri- 
cated calyx like Zernstremiacee and Dipterocarpee, which are also 
very nearly related. But the Ch/enacee are distinguished from all 
others by the trimerous type of their imbricated or contorted calyx, 
by their corolla formed of five or six petals, by their stipules,’ the 
nature of their involucre, their disc, their petals, generally contorted,’ 
and by the character of their seeds.’ Scarcely anything is known of 
the uses of the Chlenacee, which are all natives of Madagascar. The 
fleshy involucre of Sarcolena grandiflora (vulg. Vaa-sow) has, accord- 
ing to Duprrir-Tuovars, the taste of medlars. Rats eat it. 8. multi- 
fora Dur.-Tu. (figs. 235-237), or Voamassa of the natives of 
Madagascar, is, according to BERN1EK, an aromatic shrub, the leaves 
of which are chewed as a remedy for toothache. 

1 In certain Sarcolenas they are said to be 
large, analogous to those of certain Fig-trees (Fr., 
Figuiers). The young leaves, which have their 
mode of vernation, have often without doubt 
been taken for them. Their limb frequently 
presents, as in Ærythroxylon, fornicate longi- 
tudinal lines similarto the nerves of several Melas- 
tomaceæ, and which are only impressions produced 
by the edges of the leaves at a certain distance 
from the midrib of the limb during the period 
of præfoliation ‘when the foliaceous parenchyma 
is soft and yielding. 
2“ A tribu Bonnetliearum velut a Diptero- 
carpets, quibus æstivatio eadem, imprimis semi- 
num albumine distinguuntur.” 
194). 
# We have been able to study completely those 
of Scleroolæna Richardt where they have an oval, 
cordate form, flat or concave on the side of the 
hilum which occupies almost the middle of the 
height of the concave face, and to the plane of 
which the embryo is parallel, with fornicate coty- 
ledons, digitinerved at the base, interposed to two 
parallel layers of tolerably solid fleshy albumen, 
In the other Chlænaceæ the general organization 
of the seed is the same; but especially when 
numerous, they are more or less deformed by a 
reciprocal pressure. 
(B. H., Gen. 
