128 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 
stigmatiferous apex; the fruit is not well known.' This genus com- 
prises two or three species’ from tropical America, especially Brazil, 
unarmed trees whose pinnately compound or decompound leaves have 
coriaceous leaflets and small caducous stipules. The flowers form 
branching and compound racemes or false corymbs. 
Apuleia@ has polygamous trimerous flowers. The receptacle forms 
a little obconical pocket whose edges bear three sepals of which the 
anterior overlaps the edges of the two others, and of these one over- 
laps the other posteriorly (fig. 112): the petals are alsothree in number, 
perigynous, alternating with the sepals, and slightly 
imbricated in the bud. The androceum consists of 
three (more rarely two) alternipetalous stamens, 
each of a free filament suddenly tapering towards 
its apex, by which it is inserted near the base of an 
erect introrse two-celled anther of longitudinal de- 
hiscence. The central gynzeceum consists of a 
shortly stipitate ovary containing a few descending 
ovules‘ and surmounted by a terminal style with a 
slightly dilated stigmatiferous head. The fruit is 
a flattened oval or oblong, thin coriaceous indehiscent one- or two- 
seeded pod, whose dorsal edge is prolonged into a very narrow linear 
wing. The seed, attached by a pretty long funicle, contains a 
greenish embryo surrounded by a translucent albumen. <Apuleia 
consists of two or three species of unarmed trees from tropical 
America.’ Their flowers, often developed before the imparipinnate 
leaves, are collected into lateral fals: umbels on the sides of the 
branches or in the axils of the leaves. 
Distemonanthus’ is a tree from tropical Africa whose flowers come 
out before the alternate imparipinnate leaves, just as in Apuleia 
precox, and possess an imbricated pentamerous calyx ; but they have 
only the three posterior petals, the anterior being altogether absent 
Apuleia przcox. 
Fia, 112. 
Diagram. 
1 «Legumen (si rite Lic relatum) oblongum 
plano-compressum coriacenm, 2-valve. Semina 
transversa ovoidea” (B. H., Gen., 570). This 
description of the .pod and seeds is taken from 
Pl. 94 of the seventh volume of VELLOZO’s 
Flora Fluminensis (Plerocarpus). 
2 Poxt., Pl. Bras. Icon., ii. 90, t. 160.— 
Watp., Rep., v. 559. 
3 Mart., Herb, Fl. Bras., 123 (nec GzRty., 
nec Lrss.).—Enp., Gen. n. 6759.—B. H., 
Gen., 574, u, 330.—Zenkeria Ann., in Mag. 
Zool, et Bot., ii. 548. 
4 Rarely more than two. 
5 Voe., in Linnea, xi. '393 (Leptolobium).— 
Watp., Rep., v. 571. 
6 Bentu., Gen., 573, n. 329. The only known 
species is D, Benthamianus, hitherto undescribed. 
[Oxtv. (Fl. Trop. Afr., ii. 252) describes a second 
species, D. laxus OLiv.} 
