XCVII. PEDALIXE.E (STAFF). 



539 



asymmetric. Ovary superior (very rarely inferior), sessile, 2- (rarely 1-) 

 3- or ^-celled ; cells often completely or incompletely divided by spurious 

 septa ; style filiform, slightly exceeding the anthers ; stigma 2-lobed, 

 lobes ovate to linear; placentas central ; ovules 1 to many in each cell. 

 Fruit very variable, dehiscent or indehiscent, often provided with spines, 

 horns or wings. Seeds 1 to many in each cell, sometimes winged, with 

 a delicate or stout testa ; albumen very thin. Embryo straight ; coty- 

 ledons flat ; radicle short. — Annual or perennial herbs, rarely shrubs or 

 small trees, more or less covered with sessile mucilage-glands (at least 

 the younger parts). Leaves opposite or the upper alternate. Flowers 

 mostly axillary and solitary, rarely in few- to many-flowered axillary 

 and terminal inflorescences ; pedicels usually with nectarial glands 

 (modified flower-buds) at the base. 



Species about 60 in the tropics and the extra-tropical cou 

 hemisphere of the Old World. 



All the African Pedalinece belong to the tribe Pcdaliece. 

 * Unarmed herbs with solitary or fascicled Rowers in 

 the leaf-axils. 

 Ovary and fruit 2-celled, cells undivided. 



Ovules 1-12 in each cell ; fruit indehiscent 

 (where known). 

 Corolla not or only slightly gibbous at the 

 base. 

 Fruit quadrangular-pyramidal with or 

 without a stout spine at the base of 

 each angle ; annual herbs . 

 Fruit winged ; perennial herbs with a 

 frequently swollen persistent stem- 

 base ...... 



Corolla with a large sac-like gibbosity at the 

 base ....... 



Ovules numerous in each cell ; fruit tardily 

 dehiscent, armed with hook-bearing horns 

 Ovary and fruit 2-celled, cells completely or 

 incompletely divided by spurious septa. 

 False septa of ovary and fruit imperfect towards 

 the apex ; fruit a loculicidal, many-seeded 

 capsule. 

 Cells of ovary and capsule very unequal, the 



posticous small and indehiscent 

 Cells of ovary and capsule equal. 



Capsule acute or beaked, without lateral 

 appendages ..... 



Capsule with 2 divergent horns or spines 

 at the apex ..... 



Ovary and fruit completely divided by false 

 septa. 

 Fruit without central spines; ovules 3 in 

 each division ..... 



Fruit disc-shaped, with 2 central spines ; 

 ovules 2 in each division 

 Ovary and fruit 1-celled with a rudimentary 

 septum ...... 



ntries of the southern 



1. Pedalium. 



Pterodiscus. 



HOLX'BIA. 



Harpagophytum. 



ft 



5. PROGERIA. 



■ft 



Sesamoi. 

 Ceratotheca. 



Pretreothamxus. 

 Pretrea. 



LlXARIOPSIS. 



