136 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



fifteen.^ The gynseceum presents a smaller number of variations. The 

 style-branches, generally cylindrical, may become flattened as in 

 Conosapium and Tceniosapium ; ^ characters which have been judged 

 sufficient to distinguish genera, but to which we do not accord the 

 same value. It is the same as to the height to which the style, 

 single at first, afterwards separates into two or three stigmatiferous 

 branches, always entire or more or less recurved and revolute. In 

 Adenopeltis (fig. 212) the division takes place almost at the summit 

 of the ovary. The seeds, with or without an arUlate dilatation 

 of the micropyle or of the whole extent of their surface, being in 

 general completely anatropous, so that, although the chalaza is quite 

 inferior, this organ may in Dactylostemon rise more or less upon the 

 inner edge, variations which seem to us quite insufficient to consti- 

 tute distinct genera. Thus composed, this genus contains about a 

 hundred and twenty-five species.^ These are trees, shrubs, or even 

 suffrutescent or herbaceous plants; they are met with in aU warm 

 regions^ especially in America. They have alternate, rarely opposite 

 stipulate or exstipulate leaves. The simple penninerved limb often 

 bears two lateral glands at the base ; it is the same with the bracts, 

 bractlets, and sometimes even the sepals. These glands are, more- 

 over, very variable in form, more or less hollowed in cups, sacs, or 

 tubes, sessile or stipitate and claviform. The flowers are disposed 

 in racemes or spikes generally terminal, loaded with bracts whose 

 axil contains a flower or a cyme, often three-flowered. In the 

 monoecious species the female flowers occupy the axUs of one or 

 several inferior bracts of the inflorescence, and the male flowers, 

 much more numerous, occupy the summit, 



Close beside Exccecaria, we place : Senefeldera, consisting of trees 

 from Brazil, generally with from six to eight stamens, bi-seriate, 

 borne upon a conical receptacle, an obovoid trilobed imbricated male 

 calyx, and a capsular fruit with arillate seeds ; P achy stroma^ also a 

 Brazilian tree, is also nearly allied to Exccecaria, which has a calyx 



1 Besides this, in certain species, a true many- nopeltis, Sehastiania), 1190 {Maprounea), 1192 

 flowered glomenile has sometimes been de- (^Actinosteimn) , 1195 {Dactyhstemon), 1201 Toe- 

 scribed as a single flower. niosapium, Excwsaria). — Benth. Fl. Austral. 



2 M. Aeg. Prodr. 1200. — H. Bn. in Adan- vi. 161 {Sebastiania), 152 ; M. Honghong, 302 

 sonia, ii. 31, [SHUingia). . {Stillingia). — H. Bn. in Adamonia, 77, 286, 



*M. Arg. Piodr. 1154 (^Conosapium), 1155 350; ii. 27, 227; iii. 162; T. 320; vi, 323 



{Stillingia), 1163 [&ymnostiUingia), 1164 [Ade- [Stillingia). 



