96 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



i 



tropical America. The corolla is always reduced to one petal, the 

 anterior one. The androceum also generally consists of only one 

 fertile stamen ; but the number of ovules in one cell is more than 

 two. In Callisthene (fig. 132-184), the capsular fruit has a thick 

 columella, which persists after the fall of the yalves. In Qualea, 

 the columella is wanting or scarcely developed. The ovary cells are 

 often incomplete ; the ovules, disposed obliquely in two rows at the 

 back of the placentas, are incompletely anatropous or almost ortho- 

 tropous, and already surmounted by a wing-shtiped dilatation still 

 more manifest in the seeds. The posterior spur is sometimes reduced 

 to a very small size. 



TI. EEISMA SEEIES. 



JErisma^ (fig. 135-137), which alone constitutes this small series, 

 has the externally irregular, pentamerous, monandrous flowers of 



Erinma violaceum. 



Fig. 135. Flower. 



Fis. 137 



sect, of 



Fig. 136. Long. sect, of 

 flower. 



Vochpia, the corolla being also reduced to the anterior petal ; but 

 the ovary plunged in the concavity of the receptacle, obconical and 

 spurred behind, is quite inferior as regards the insertion of the calyx, 



1 EuDGE, PI. Quian. Ear. i, 7, t. 1 (1805). — 

 DC. Prod/r. iii. 29. — Spach, Suit, a Buffon, vii. 

 328.— Endl. Gen. n. 6073.— Payer, Elem. 150, 

 fig. 258-262. — H. Bn. in Payer Fam. Nat. 352. 



— B. H. Gen. 976, n. S.—Sebraa Eiem. et 

 SoH. Si/it. i. 4 (ex Endl. loe.eit.). — Bittmaria 

 Speeng. Syst. i. 4 (ex Ejjdl.). 



