226 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 
the bud, and sometimes accompanied by two very small lateral 
petals. The androceum consists of an indefinite number (often 
very large) of declinate hypogynous or nearly hypogynous stamens, 
composed of free or shortly coherent filaments, and introrse two- 
celled anthers of longitudinal dehiscence. Sometimes the stamens 
are all of nearly equal size, both in filament and anther; sometimes 
on the contrary, those next the standard are shorter than those on 
the opposite side of the flower, while some of these last may 
assume considerable dimensions, both anther and filament being at 
once longer and thicker. The free superior gynzeceum consists of 
one, or more rarely of two, carpels (figs. 203, 204). The ovary 
Tounatea microstyles. 
Fie. 203. Fie. 204. 
Flower (2). Longitudinal section of flower. 
is stipitate, often bowed; it contains an indefinite number of de- 
scending ovules whose micropyles look upwards and outwards, and 
it tapers above into an acute style whose undilated or slightly 
capitate apex is covered with stigmatic papille. The pod is ovoidal 
or elongated, cylindrical or turgid, indehiscent or bivalve. It contains 
an indefinite number of arillate or exarillate seeds whose coats en- 
fold an embryo, sometimes accompanied by albumen, which has 
thick cotyledons and a short inflexed radicle. Zownatea comprises 
unarmed trees from tropical America; one species alone has been 
found in Africa. The leaves are alternate, imparipinnate or 
unifoliolate, and possess two small or leafy lateral stipules. The 
flowers are solitary or grouped into single or fascicled racemes, inserted 
on the nodes of the old wood, or rarely axillary to the living 
branches, but pretty frequently forming ramified racemes, the leaves 
of the branches being replaced by bracts. These last are usually 
small and very caducous, and the flower is accompanied by two 
