LEGUMINOS2-CHISALPINIEZ. 135 
with these ; each consists of a free filament more or less inflexed at the 
bud, and an introrse’ two-celled anther of longitudinal dehiscence. 
The free superior gynzeceum is composed of a shortly stipitate one- 
celled ovary surmounted by a style which is at first reflexed,’ and 
ends in a little stigmatiferous head. On the parietal placenta, 
which is posterior, are inserted two obliquely descending anatropous 
ovules, with the micropyles looking upwards and outwards.’ The 
fruit is a shortly stipitate pod (fig. 126), with a pericarp of variable 
thickness, fleshy, but finally bivalve.* It contains a descending 
seed attached by a pretty long slender funicle. From the um- 
bilicus and the adjacent part of the seed-coats grows a fleshy 
aril, forming a sort of hood (fig. 127) enveloping the seed more or less 
completely. The exalbuminous embryo has very thick plano-convex 
cotyledons, whose auricled bases form a complete sheath around the 
superior radical.’ This genus consists of unarmed trees, nearly all 
natives of tropical America,’ only three species out of twelve being 
African. The alternate paripinuate leaves have one or more pairs of 
unsymmetrical leaflets,» and two caducous lateral stipules. The 
flowers form simple or ramified spikes, or racemes with very short 
pedicels, axillary to the leaves or terminating the young branches. 
Each flower is axillary to ascaly bract, usually caducous, but which 
may be persistent, and is then better developed.’ 
1 The face of the anther often looks outwards 
in the bud owing to the inflexion of the fila- 
ment, which is folded on itself near the apex. 
The anther is often versatile. 
2 Sometimes even revolute; in the very 
young bud its tip reaches to the back of the 
ovary. 
3 They have two coats. In several cultivated 
flowers of C. officinalis I bave observed four 
ovules in two vertical rows. 
4 In several American species the lower part 
of the pod is flattened and indehiscent as in 
Hardwickia, the valves only separating near the 
apex. The freit of most of the Copaivas is 
apiculate. 
5 This aril appears to be altogether absent in 
the African species, which have been made into 
the genus Gorskia (BoLLz, in Pet. Mossamb. 
Bot., i. 15, fig. 3). In this group the leaves 
have two many-ribbed leaflets, and the fruit is 
thin and flattened. In C. hymeneifolia Moric. 
(Pl. Now. Amér., t. 1), the aril is obliquely 
turbinate under the seed. In C. nitida Mart., 
and other Brazilian species, it forms a fleshy or 
submembranous sac, covering some two-thirds 
of the seed, and is obliquely truncate. In one 
African species it covers the whole seed according 
to BentHam. 
§ In C. Mopane Krrx (ex BEnta., in Trans. 
Linn, Soc., xxv. 317, t. 43 A), the cotyledons 
are well developed, and corrugated and filled 
with reservoirs of resinous juice. In this species 
the leaf consists of two leaflets. 
7 Jacq., Amer., 133, t. 86.—H. B. K., Nov. 
Gen. et Spec., vi. t. 659.—Hayneg, in Linnea, i. 
418; Arzn., x. t. 12-23.—Watp., Rep., i. 854. 
For the African species of Copatfera see OLIV., 
Fi. Trop. Afr., ii, 313. : 
8 There is one Brazilian species whose leaves 
possess numerous little leaflets, and resemble 
those of Schotia. In other species from the 
same country, with only two leaflets, the vena- 
tion of these is pinnate, instead of being as in 
Gorskia. 
® This is the case in C. copallina (C. Guibour- 
tiana Buntu.— Guibourtia copallina BENN., in 
Journ, Linn. Soc., i. 150), an African species, 
with bifoliolate leaves, and rather large flowers 
whose persistent bractlets are one-quarter the 
length of the calyx. 
