128 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



at the base. Fragariopsis^ consisting of climbing shrubs from Brazil, 

 owes its name to its androeeum, formed of a very variable number of 

 antbers, applied upon the conical surface of a glandular receptacle. 

 The quadrilocular ovary is also surmounted by a wide obpyramidal 

 style bearing above four small stigmatiferous lips. All these genera 

 recall the organisation of Plukenetia., which has also a large style, 

 of variable form, almost spherical or obpyramidal, with stigmatiferous 

 lips more or less prominent, a fruit with three or four shells, more or 

 less projecting or horned, and anthers indefinite in number, four- 

 lobed, extrorse, inserted on a conical or hemispherical receptacle. 

 This genus is found in America, Africa, and tropical Oceania. 



Dalechampia (fig. 190-195), of which a special tribe has been 

 made, should, it appears to us, only form a sub-series near the pre- 

 ceding genera. It has a great analogy with Plulcenetia, the style 



DalecJiampm {Gremopliyllum) spathulata. 



Fig. 190. Inflorescence seen from tte side of 

 the female flower. 



Fig. 191. Inflorescence seen from the side of 

 the miile flower. 



Dalechampia Cremophyllum) spathulata. 



being also in one piece, but more elongated in a club or column, 

 with stigmatiferous lobes little developed, corresponding to the 



ovary cells or to the interposed par- 

 titions (fig. 194, 195). The recep- 

 tacle, bearing an indefinite number 

 of stamens, becomes a column 

 longer and thinner. The flowers of 

 both sexes are collected in a con- 

 tracted mass, surrounded by two 

 bracts, often coloured, forming a 

 general involucre to the inflores- 

 cence. There is also a special in- 

 volucel for the male flowers united in a capituliform cyme, and for the 

 female, forming without and below the males, a small three-flowered 

 cyme. Species of Dalechampia have been found in all hot regions. 



Fig. 192. Long. sect, of inflorescence. 



