70 NATURAL HISTORY OP PLANTS. 



GENEEA. 



1. Platytheca. — Flo-wers hermaphrodite regular; receptacle short 

 convex. Sepals 5 valvate. Petals 5, alternate free, induplicate- 

 valvate, patent, deciduous. Stamens 10, 2-seriate ; the 6 exterior 

 oppositipetalous smaller ; filaments short free ; anthers continuous 

 with filament, 1-seriate, 4-locellate at apex tapering to 1-porous 

 rostrum. Germen free, 2-locular, style entire thin stigmatiferous 

 truncate at apex ; ovule in each cell solitary desoendent ; micropyle 

 extrorse superior. Fruit capsular, loculicidal and septicidal 

 4-valved. Seed descend ent glabrous; albumen fleshy or sub- 

 cartilaginous ; embryo axile more or less elongate ; radicle superior ; 

 cotyledons semiterete. — Delicate small shrubs; branches herba- 

 ceous ; leaves verticillate cricoid exstipulate ; branches incrassate 

 below insertion; flowers axillary solitary pedunculate. {South 

 W. Australia.) See p. 67. 



2. Tremandra R. Be. — Flowers (nearly of Platytheca) 5-merous ; 

 stamens 10, 2-seriate; 5 smaller interior to a like number of 

 oppositipetalous glands; filaments filiform; anthers "articulate," 

 2-locular dehiscing by apical subvalvate pore. Germen 2-locular ; 

 cells 1, 2 -ovulate. Capsule loculicidal 2-valved ; seeds fur- 

 nished at chalaza with strophiform cochleate contorted aril. Other 

 characters of Platytheca. — Stellate-tomentose shrubs ; leaves opposite, 

 ovate, dentate; flowers axillary solitary. {South-West Australia.) 

 See p. 68. 



3. Tetratheca Sm. — Flowers {-aea-Aj oi Platytheca) 4, 5-merous; 

 stamens twice as numerous as the petals, 1-seriate, in pairs opposite 

 the petals; anthers 2-locular or 2-seriate 4-locellate. Gyngeceum of 

 Platytheca ; style entire or 2-fid at apex ; ovules in cell 1-4 

 descendent. Fruit seed and other characters of Tremandra. — 

 Glabrous or glandular-pilose small shrubs ; leaves alternate, opposite 

 or verticillate cricoid or plane sometimes subnil ; flowers axillary 

 solitary. {Extratrop. Australia.) See p. 68. 



