268 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



Anthospermma 

 eBthiopieum. 



The flowers' are axillary, solitary or in cymes, often sessile, accom- 

 panied with bracteoles. There are species in which they are borne 

 on the elongate axes, of the^ cyme. In A. Grocyllis,^ of which a 

 separate genus has been made,^ the flowers, pentataerous or uni- 

 sexual, have thicker staminal filaments inserted 

 higher up on the corolla than in other spe- 

 cies. The style is also thicker and divided 

 only in its upper portion. In Anthospermum, 

 to which the name Nenax * has been given, 

 the partition separating the cells presents a 

 sort of reduplication which, as in some Um- 

 bellifercB (pp. 96, 98), produces two false 

 cells without ovules between the fertile cells. 



Coprosma is extremely ne&r Anthospermum ; 

 it has the same polygamo- dioecious flowers of 

 4-6 parts. They are solitary or grouped in 

 axillary or terminal cymes ; sometimes sub- 

 sessile. The fruit is a drupe with two plano- 

 convex putamens, sometimes four, the number 

 of ovarian cells being also four, as in Nenax 

 among the Anthosperms. They are Oceanic 

 shrubs ranging from the tropics to New Zea- 

 land ; there is said to be one in Juan Fernandez. 

 The leaves, opposite and accompanied with 

 connate interpetiolar stipules, are ordinarily 

 large and penninerved. Normdndia, notwith- 

 standing a peculiar habit, differs little from 

 Coprosma with flowers in terminal cymes. Its 

 valvate corolla has five short lobes, and the 

 staminal filaments, inserted at the base of the 

 corolla, are longer in proportion as the gynse- 

 cium of the polygamous flowers is less deve- 

 loped. The anther cells are prolonged downwards each in a long 

 point, and the fruit at maturity separates into two cocci which open 



Fig. 238. Long, 



Beet, of female 



flower (f). 



' Small, not showy, whitish, yellowish or 

 greenish, inodorous or with variahle odour. 



2 SoND. loc. cit. 32, II. 18. 



•■* Crocyllis E. Msr. exs. Diig.—S. H. Oen. il. 

 136, n. 294. 



* GcMRis. Fruct. i. 165, t. 32, fig. 7.— B. H; 

 Gen. ii. 140, n. 306. — Ambraria Cruse, iJ«A. 

 Cap. 16, t. 1, fig. 3, 4.— Rich. Muh. 59, t. 2, fig. 

 2.— Endl. Qen. u, 3106.— Hakt. and Sond. Fl. 

 Cap. iii. 33. 



