BUBIACEM 299 



has the pentamerous flowers of Ghiococca, united in elongate clusters 

 of cymes, with imbricate corolla and long subulate rigid sepals, 

 persistent under the fruit, which is dry, much compressed perpen- 

 dicular to the partition and finally separates into two inwardly 

 dehiscing cocci. Machaonia comprises tropical unarmed or spinous 

 trees or shrubs of both Americas whose flowers in clusters of cymes, 

 terminal and corymbiform, have five equal or unequal sepals, a much 

 imbricated corolla, free stamens, inserted at the throat of the corolla, 

 and introrse anthers. The fruit, compressed perpendicular to the 

 partition, separates into two dry suberose indehiscent cocci. Placo- 

 carpa mexicana is a small microphyllous shrub whose flowers, solitary 

 or united in few-flowered cymes, are those of Machaonia, usually 

 tetramerous, with elongate spathulate persistent sepals. Erithalis, 

 plants of the Antilles and neighbouring shores of the two Americas, 

 has larger flowers, generally numerous, united in terminal compound 

 and corymbiform cymes, with a short calyx and an elongate corolla 

 of 5-10 lobes nearly valvate or imbricate at the margin, especially 

 above ; as many stamens with filaments inserted near the lower part 

 of the corolla and extrorse anthers. The ovary, 4-10-celled with 

 one descending ovule in each cell, is surmounted by a compressed 

 style, papillose at the margin, and the drupaceous fruit contains 4-10 

 putamens the albuminous seeds of which have an axile embryo with 

 inferior cotyledons. Ghione, very analogous to the preceding in its 

 external characters, is distinguished from it by the short round very 

 imbricate lobes of the corolla, subauriculate at the base, the dorsifixed 

 and introrse anthers and the bilocular ovary surmounted by a style 

 divided above into two truncate branches enlarged at the summit. 

 The drupaceous fruit has a two-celled putamen, and the macropod 

 embryo has inferior cotyledons. They are also shrubs of the Antilles 

 with compound terminal cymes. , 



Guettarda (fig. 286-289), which has been referred to a separate 

 tribe (Guettardece), very closely approaches Erithalis in its fundamental 

 organization. It is a very polymorphous genus. In the old world 

 species, the oldest known and to which the name Gadamba has been 

 given, the flowers often have from five to ten parts and are 

 hermaphrodite or polygamo-dioecious. They have an inferior ovary 

 which may be hollowed into as many cells as there are lobes in the 

 corolla ; and the latter, more or less elongate, thick, hairy, straight 

 or curved, is imbricate in the bud. The enclosed stamens are 



