POLYOALAOE^. 75 



Beside Polygala are placed several very nearly allied genera, 

 most of wMcli were not originally separated and wMcli have its 

 general floral organisation. These are : Phlehotcenia^ formed of shrubs 

 from the Antilles, whose lateral petals are independent of the keel, 

 the superior being shorter. The lateral sepals form two large wings ; 

 and the capsular fruit has two cells, each bordered with two vertical 

 wings much more developed on the posterior side ; Muraltia (fig. 

 107-109), consisting of plants from South Africa whose sepals are 

 but slightly unequal, the stamens seven or eight in number, and the 

 capsular fruit surmounted by four horns or ribs ; Mundtia, native to 

 the same country, whose lateral sepals are larger than the others, and 

 whose fruit is drupaceous ; Monnina, from tropical America, with 

 the lateral sepals dilated into wings, the upper petals connate with the 

 staminal tube within the keel, the ovary generally reduced to one 

 cell the development of the posterior one being arrested, and the 

 fruit unilocular, drupaceous or dry, marginate or winged upon the 

 edges. Comesperma has generally caducous sepals, and the lateral 

 petals are united with the keel in the Australian species, and 

 free or nearly so in the South American, the latter being 

 named Bredemeyera. The capsular fruit, tapering to a long angle at 

 the base contains seeds covered with long hairs generally forming a 

 large pencU descending to the lower part of the cells. In Securidaca, 

 to a flower like that of Volygala^ succeeds a unilocular, samaroid 

 fruit surmounted by a long membranous nerved wing, sometimes 

 wide and short ; it consists of shrubs, generally climbing, from the 

 tropical regions of both worlds. 



In Carpolobia and Trigoniastrum, considered by most authors as 

 abnormal genera but still inseparable from this family, the petals are 

 less unequal than in the preceding genera. In the former, natives of 

 tropical Western Africa, they are united into a gamopetalous corolla, 

 cleft above ; the lateral sepals are developed into wings ; the stamens 

 are five in number and the fruit is drupaceous. In the latter, 

 belonging to Malaysia, the sepals are but slightly unequal ; the 

 petals almost independent ; the stamens five in number ; and the 

 trilocular ovary succeeded by a dry fruit with three wings, 

 separating finally into three saramoid carpels. 



