250 NATURAL HISTORY OP PLANTS. 



sepals decurrent at base beyond insertion. Germen sessile, sur- 

 rounded at base by glands (staminodes ?) few or oo , 3-locular ; style 

 branches 3, peripheric and discrete at base, inserted round vacant 

 apex of germen, from the base or only at the apex, suddenly dilated 

 into an OToid-compressed mass inwardly and longitudinally sulcata 

 stigmatiferous ; ovules in cell 2-nate, sometimes as if with thick 

 obturator very small. Capsule, sometimes outwardly suberose; cocci 

 3, 2-valved, 1-2-spermous ; seeds smooth, arillate at micropyle ; 

 cotyledons of albuminous embryo^ foliaceous elliptical, 5-plinerved 

 at base. — Glabrous shrubs, often partly lavender-coloured leaves op- 

 posite entire coriaceous penninerved ; flowers ^ at summit of twigs or 

 in the axils of the upper branches composite-cymose, each cyme 1- or 

 2-sexual ; female central ; male peripheric. (N. Caledonia.^) 



142. Bureavia H. Bn.* — Flowers dioecious apetalous (nearly of 

 Dissiliaria) ; male sepals 4, inserted on shortly depressed conical 

 receptacle, alternately imbricated. Stamens 8-12 ; filaments free 

 erect ; exterior aggregate inserted round glands in irregularly 4-6- 

 agonal disk, and encircling more interior stamens 2 (or more rarely 

 3, 4); anthers extrorse, 2-rimose. Female flowers 3-4-merous; 

 receptacle thick conical ; sepals short rather thick at base, imbricated. 

 Disk hypogynous annular submembraneous unequally imbricated at 

 apex. Germen ihick sessile ; cells 3, 4, oppositisepalous ; style 

 branches 3, 4, thick, fleshy, subelliptical, the middle inwardly sul- 

 cate, more or less patulous ; ovules 2-nate and smaller by thick obtura- 

 tor. Fruit subdrupaceous, 3-4-coccous ; exocarp coriaceous subfleshy 

 solubile from endocarp ; cocci solute from ligneous columella dilated 

 at apex ; seeds 1 , 2, crowned with the filiform very densely comose 

 lobes of aril* springing from the micropyle as well as from the hilum 

 and persistent obturator ; testa otherwise nitid ; ^ cotyledons of copi- 

 ously albuminous embryo ^ wide plane. — Small trees ; leaves opposite 

 petiolate exstipulate simple coriaceous penninerved ; male flowers in 

 crowded fasciculate composite-cymiferous racemes in axils of upper 

 sometimes falling leaves ; bracts and bractlets opposite ; female 

 axillary or springing fi"om wood subsessile, solitary or glomerate few 

 bracteate ; fructiferous pedicels short thick. (iV. Caledonia,^) 



1 Green. " Black or very dusky. 



2 White, small crowded. ' Viresoent. 



3 Species 2, of which 1 is oligaudrous. » gpec. 2. H. Bn. he. cit. 84 ; in Adantonia, 

 « In Adansonia, xi. 83. ii. 216 {Bahghia f). — M. Aeg. Prodr. 1117, n. 

 " Yellowish. 2 {Codieeum ?). . < 



