308 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



GENEEA. 



I. SPONDIE^. 



1. Spondias L. — Flowers hermaphrodite or polygamous ; recep- 

 tacle depressed conical. Calyx small, 4-5-fid. Valvate or subimbri- 

 cate, deciduous. Petals 4, 5, alternate, longer, subvalvate, patent. 

 Stamens 8-10, 3-seriate; filaments free, inserted below crenulate or 

 lobate hypogynous disk; anthers introrse, 2-rimose. Carpels of 

 superior gynseceum, 4, 5, or more rarely 6-15, sometimes 2, 3 

 (Poupartia) ; germens nearly free from base or more or less high 

 connate ; style same in number, free connivent stigmatiferous at 

 apex; ovule in cell 1, descendent; micropyle at first introrse supe- 

 rior. Fruit drupaceous ; putamen ligneous and bony, outwardly 

 glabrous or echinate, foraminate at apex; cells 1-5 or more rarely 

 6-15, erect or divergent {Ct/thercea) ; seeds descendent ; cotyledons 

 of exalbuminous embryo fieshy plano-convex ; radicle short superior. 

 — Trees ; leaves alternate usually collected at summit of twigs ; im- 

 paripinnate ; folioles opposite ; flowers collected in terminal much 

 ramified compound cymiferous patent racemes. 



2. Buchanania Eoxb. — Flowers hermaphrodite ; valvate teeth 

 or lobes of short gamophyllous calyx afterwards not touching. Petals 

 5, imbricated. Stamens 10, 2-seriate inserted below thick orbicular, 

 entire or 5-crenate disk ; filaments free ; anthers introrse, 2-rimose. 

 Carpels of gynseceum 5, oppositipetalous free ; one fertile in each, 

 1-locular; ovule suspended from summit of basilar funicle with 

 superior micropyle ; rather more acute or truncate apex of erect 

 style thicker in fertile carpel. Drupe small scantily fleshy ; puta- 

 men crustaceous or bony more or less late 2-valved ; seed unequally 



