76 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



II. XANTHOPHYLLUM SEKIES. 



The flowers of Xanthophyllum'^ (fig. 110-112) are outwardly 

 analogous to those of the Polygaleee, although their five sepals and 

 imbricated petals are generally less unequal. The eymbiform keel 

 is entire. The stamens are eight in number ; they are composed of 



XantliophyUum Jlavesoem. 



Fig. 111. Fruit. Fig. 110. Long. sect, of flower {\). Fig. 112. Embryo (f). 



filaments free, or united for a variable distance among themselves or 

 with the petals, and of bilocular, introrse anthers, dehiscing by 

 short clefts. The stamens are placed as in the Milkworts. The 

 gynseceum, surrounded by a more or less thick circular disk, is 

 formed of a superior unilocular ovary, tapering above into an arched 

 style whose swollen summit is covered with stigmatic papillae. In 

 the ovary are two more or less prominent parietal placentas, each 

 bearing from two to six ovules, at fiist descendent, then more or 

 less oblique in all ways, anatropous, with micropyle constantly 

 directed towards the placenta. The fruit is a coriaceous berry, con- 

 taining one or a small number of seeds whose coats cover a thick 

 albuminous or exalbuminous embryo, fleshy cotyledons and a short 

 non-prominent radicle. Xanthophyllum^ which may be defined as Poly- 

 galacece with pluriovulate parietal placentas and fleshy fruit,^ consists 

 of trees and shrubs from tropical Asia and Australia. The 



' KoxB. PL Ooromand. ui. 82, t. 24 ; Fl. Ind. 

 ii. 221.— Endl. Qm. n. 5657. — Payee Fam. 

 Nat. 109.— B. H. Qen. 139, 974, n. \Z.—JmUa 

 Bl. Bijdr. 60 (neo Wall.). — Macintyria F. 

 MuELL. Fragm, Fhyt. Austral, v. 8, 57. 



^ We should perhaps comprise in this series, 



whose characters would in this case be modi- 

 fied, Moutabea (Adbl. &uian. 679, t. 274 ; — J. 

 Gen. 420 ;— Endl. Gen. a. 4265 ; Makt. Fl. 

 Bras. Ebenae. 13, t. 5, 6 ;— B. H. Gen. 140, n. 

 14; Cryptostomum Schreb. Gen. n. 344; — 

 Acostn K. et Pav. Prodr. i. t. 1 ; Fl. Per. i. 5, t. 



