116 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



Fig. 170. Seed. 



Fig. 171. Lomg. 

 , sect, of seed. 



and monospennous. In Johannesia, a type also of a section {Jolian- 

 nesiece), the calyx is formed of a thick sac whose gaping opening is 

 edged with four or five very short teeth. The petals are imbricated 

 or contorted, and the rest of the flower is similar to that of 

 Jatropha, Sarcoclmium, Galearia. Only one species is known, a 

 Brazilian tree, with compound digitate leaves and flowers disposed 



in compound cymes. Jleurites 



AlmHte.[E-meoc0e,)vevmeiJlm. ^-^^^ BanCOuKer), COmpOSed of 



trees from the warm regions of 

 Asia and Oceania, has simple 

 leaves digitinerved at the base 

 and more or less cut. The 

 flowers, fruits, and seeds (fig. 

 170, 171) are similar to those of 

 the preceding genera, but the 

 valvate calyx is irregularly 

 divided into a variable number 

 of straps, and the stamens, instead of being indefinite in number, 

 are united in large quantities upon a common elongated receptacle. 

 Saffofia, consisting of trees with simple leaves from Guiana, has also 

 numerous stamens at the centre of the male flower. The sepals 

 and petals are imbricated and the male flowers have five altemir 

 petalous glands which are wanting in the female flowers. Ghceto- 

 carpus^ composed of eastern India and tropical America, has also 

 simple leaves. The tetramerous flowers have an imbricated calyx 

 but no corolla, and from eight to sixteen stamens ; they may thus 

 be considered as a quarternary floral apetalous type of Jatropha or 

 Sagotia. 



Eevea constitutes a small sub- series in this group. The moncer 

 cious flowers are apetalous, and the gamosepalous calyx has long 

 valvate or subinduplicate divisions. The introrse anthers, collected 

 in one or two verticils, are applied vertically to the surface of a 

 central erect cylindrical column, surmounted by a small terminal 

 body. The ovary is surmounted by a column-shaped style. It 

 consists of trees with alternate digitate trifolioliate leaves and monce- 

 cious flowers united, much ramified compound cymes. They are 

 natives of north-eastern South America. (Guiana, Para.) 



In Trigonostemon., formed of trees and shrubs of tropical Asia 

 the anthers may be like those of Hevea^ extrorse collected upon a 



