MALPIGHIACKAE 277 



than the leaves, many-flowered. Flowers violet and white, fragrant, about 

 8 mm long, the petals pubescent. Fruit drupaceous, ellipsoid, about 1.6 

 cm long. (Fl. Filip. pi. ^20.) 



Occasionally cultivated, Singalon, etc., fl. March; widely distributed in 

 the Philippines. Timor. 



73. MALPIGHIACEAE (Malpighia Family) 



Shrubs, trees, or woody vines. Leaves opposite, entire, glandular at the 

 base or on the petioles. Inflorescence axillary or terminal, racemose, the 

 pedicels jointed. Flowers perfect, regular or irregular. Calyx S^partite, 

 one or more lobes furnished ~with a large gland, or eglandular. Petals 5, 

 clawed or not. Stamens 10, equal, or one much larger than the others; 

 filaments free or connate below. Ovary 3-celled; styles 1 to 3; ovules 

 solitary in each cell. Fruit capsular or of variously winged samarafe. 



Genera 55, species about 650, widely distributed in the tropics, but 

 chiefly American, 5 genera and about 15 species in the Philippines. 



An erect shrub; fruit not winged; cultivated only 1. Galphimia 



A scandent woody vine; fruit radiately several-winged 2. Tristellateia 



1. GALPHIMIA Cavanilles 



Shrubs with small, opposite, mostly entire leaves, usually more or less, 

 glaucous beneath, glandular on the margins near the base or at the apex 

 of the petioles. Inflorescence terminal, racemose, the pedicels 2-bracteo- 

 late. Flowers yellow. Calyx 5-partite, usually eglandular. Petals sub- 

 equal, glabrous, clawed. Stamens 10, all perfect, the filaments distinct or 

 united at the base. Ovary 3-celled; styles 3. Capsule of 3 indehiscent cocci. 

 (Anagram of Malpighia, another genus of the family.) 



Species 11, all in tropical America, a single introduced and cultivated 

 one in the Philippines. 



1. G. GLAUCA Cav. Cuisia (Tag.). 



A shrub 1 to 3 m high, glabrous, the branches slender, brownish. 

 Leaves opposite, oblong or elliptic-oblong, petioled, 1.5 to 5 cm long, 0.8 

 to 1.8 cm wide, acute. Flowers in terminal racemes, yellow, about 1.5 

 cm in- diameter, their pedicels 1 cm long or less. Carpels small. 



Occasionally cultivated for ornamental purposes, not spontaneous, fl. 

 all the year. A native of tropical America. 



2. TRISTELLATEIA Thenars 



Scandent wobdy shrubs. Leaves opposite or whorled, the petioles with 

 1 or 2 glands at the top. Flowers yellow, in terminal or lateral racemes. 

 Calyx 5-partite. Petals 5, clawed. Stamens 10, all perfect. Filaments 

 truncate and jointed at the top. Ovary 3-lobed; styles 1 to 3, slender, 

 one or more reduced to small papillae. Ripe carpels 3, each with 3 or 

 more wings, more or less united, the whole forming a stellate fruit. 

 (Latin "three" and "star," referring to the star-like wings of the 3 



CSiFDGIs ) 



Species about 16, almost all in Madagascar, the following widely dis- 

 tributed in Malaya and the only Philippine representative. 



