E UPHORBIA GE^. 



141 



Stephampodivm 

 Engleri. 



Bichapetalum hispidum. 



Close beside Bichapetalum are placed two genera very closely allied 

 to it: Stephanopodium^ (fig. 226), distinguished principally by tbe 

 petals being united, sometimes for a very great 

 distance in a gamopetalous corolla bearing tbe sta- 

 mens; and Tapura^ (fig. 227 

 -229), also having a gamo- 

 petalous corolla, but irre- 

 gular, imbricated and with 

 fertile stamens, generally 

 fewer, more rarely equal in 

 number to the divisions of 

 the corolla.^ The disk is 

 unilateral. The two last 

 genera have alternate 

 leaves, and the flowers in ^^^L^Zt'^f^' 



Fig. 225. Longitudinal sectiQn 

 of flower (I). 



■(«• 



glomerules, drawn up as far 

 as the summit of the petiole. The first has only American species, 



Tapiira guiawnsis. 



Fig. 227. Flower (f ) Fig. 228. Diagram. Fig. 229. Longitudinal 



section of flower. ' 



at present four in number ; * the latter is represented by a species 



• PcBPp. et Enbi. Nov. Qen. et Spec. iii. 40. t. 

 246.— B. H. Qm. 341, u. 2.— H. Bn. in Payer 

 Fain. Nat. 308. 



= AuBL. Guian. 126, t. 48.— J. Geiv. 419.— 

 PoiR. Suppl. vii. 587 ; III. t. 122.— DO. Prodr. 

 ii. 58.— Bndl. Qen. n. 6759.— B. H. Gen. 341, 

 996, n. 3.— H. Bn. in Payer Fam. Nat. 308 ; in 

 Adcmsonia, xi. 110. — Rohria Scheeb. Oen. 30 

 (neo Vahl). 



' This has only been seen at present in one 

 American species, T, eapitulifera, the type of our 



section Dischizolwna. The meiostemonous spe- 

 cies have usually three fertile stamens, alternate 

 with the two large double-headed petals; the 

 others are sterile. The plane of symmetry|pasa- 

 ing hy the middle of sepal 2 and in thej.inter- 

 val» f sepals 1 and 3, cuts at an angle of 1/lOth 

 of the circumference the plane of symmetry of 

 the corolla (fig. 228), the androceum and the 

 gynseceum. (See Ademsonia, xi. Ill, 112). 



* Walp. Sep. ii. 828; v. 408.— H. Bn. in 

 Adansonia,xi. 109, t. 9. 



