LAURACEZI. 445 
veined vertical wings, equal or unequal in size. The body of the achene 
contains within its narrow cavity a descending seed whose exalbumi- 
nous embryo has a short superior retracted radicle, and thick fleshy 
plano-convex cotyledons.’ J/igera consists of clinging shrubs, with 
sarmentose stems and alternate trifoliolate leaves whose leaflets are 
petiolulate, entire, and acuminate. The flowers form long lax rami- 
fied racemes of cymes. The ramifications and pedicels occupy the 
axils of more or less narrow bracts; and each flower is accompanied 
by two or three bractlets at its base. Some half-dozen species of this 
genus are known,’ all natives of tropical Asia and the islands of Ma- 
laysia. 
VIII. HERNANDIA SERIES. 
Hernandia (figs. 273-278), placed by most authors in a very dis- 
tant group, appears to us‘ to represent the diclinous type of [/hgera. 
Hernandia sonora. 
Fia. 274. 
Long. section 
of male flower (+). 
Fia. 273. 
Inflorescence (2). 
Fra, 275. 
Male flower 
(perianth removed). 
The flowers of this genus are monecious, some being female and pen- 
tamerous, others male and tetramerous, in the New Caledonian species 
H. Vieillardi In other instances the male flower is trimerous, and 
1 Sometimes grooved on the convex side by 
one or more irregular furrows. 
2 Span., in Linnea, xv. 187.—M1Q., Fl. Ind.- 
Bat., i. 1094; Suppl. i. 333, t. 1; in Dus, 
Lugd.-Bat., ii. 213. 
3 Prum., Gen, 6, t. 40.—L., Gen. 374, n. 
925.—J., Gen. 81.—GzRtN., Fruct., i. 139, 
t. 40.—Lamx., Dict,, iii, 122; Suppl., iit. 146 ; 
Til, t. 755.—Enovr., Gen., n, 2108.—MEIssnN., 
Prodr., 262.—H. By., in Adansonia, v. 188.— 
Hernandiopsis Mrissn., Prodr., 264. 
4 See Adansonia, loc. cit., 190. 
5 Hernandiopsis Vieillardi Muissn., loc. cit. 
—Hernandia cordigera ViEtLu., in Ann. Se. 
Nat., sér. 4, xvi. 62. This species, it appears to 
us, should not be separated from the rest of the 
genus Hernandia on account of the type of its 
flowers, because they have in other respects just 
the same organization. Here and there we do 
find trimerous males and hermaphrodite females ; 
and the former numbers may be found in true 
Hernandias. 
