276 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



we include in tMs genus the plant from the Amazon, wit]i4-5-inerous 

 flowers, that has been named Cyrtospermum, and then Drepano- 

 spermum. 



In HoUgarna and Drimycarpus formed of trees with simple leaves 

 from tropical Asia, the flowers have also the general organisation 

 of those of Semecarpus, differing however considerably in the recep- 

 tacle being concave, enveloping the ovary which occupies the centre, 

 whilst the perianth and androceum are inserted " epigynously " on 

 the edges. The first has the corolla valvate and three distinct styles, 

 whilst the latter has imbricate petals and a single style with stigraa- 

 tiferous apex capitate and hardly trilobate. 



Thyrsodium, consisting of trees from tropical America, with impari- 

 pimiate leaves, and which have been joiaed to a totally different group, 

 that of the Burserece, approach Brimycarpus and HoUgarna by their 

 cupular receptacle. But the ovary, situated at the bottom of the 

 receptacle, is however completely free. It contains a single cell with 

 an ovule suspended at the summit of a funicle inserted above on the 

 side of the cell, and the style surmounting it is single, like that of the 

 Anacardium. The stamens, equal in number to the petals, at first 

 imbricate, and with which they alternate, are also inserted on the edges 

 of the receptacular cup. 



Beside these genera may be placed Pentaspadon, trees from 

 Borneo and Sumatra, having almost the flower of Semecarpus, with 

 an ovary surmoimted by a simple style in the female flower, but 

 with two or three divisions in the male, where it remains sterile, 

 and ten stamens, five of which, viz., those superposed to the 

 petals, are reduced to stipitate glands ; and Corynocarpus, a shrub 

 from New Zealand, in which the alternipetalous staminodes are small 

 petaloid blades, whilst the five fertile stamens are superposed to the 

 petals, and its unilocular ovary, surmounted by a style having a 

 capitate apex, contains, inserted on a parietal placenta, a descendent 

 ovule, having the micropyle brought upwards under the point of 

 attachment of a short funicle. The leaves of Corynocarpus are 

 simple, whilst those of Pentaspadon are compound pinnate. 



