Menispermacecs.] flora indioa. 167 



Frutex magnus, ramulia glabris, ad nodos compressis; partes novellae pilia stel- 

 latis aubfurfaracese. Folia 3-6 poll, longa, f-2i lata, peliolo ^-pollicari. Cymce 

 foliis breviores, 1-3-pollicares, plan- vel paiiciflori. DriifcB in sicco acntse, i-poUi- 

 cares, pedicello brevi saffultEe. 



Dr. Wight distinguished three species by the inflorescence and shape of the leaves; 

 but these characters appear too variable to be relied on, several specimens now before 

 us being quite intermediate in shape of leaf. The number of flowers is certainly not 

 at all to be depended upon. 



VIII. MENISPERMACEiE. 



Mores abortu imisexuales, plerumque dioici. Sepala 4-13, pleram- 

 que 6 biseriaUa, rarius 4, rarissime 5 uniserialia, iiiterdum multi- 

 serialia, discreta vel rarissime gamosepala, sest. imbricata, rarissime 

 valvata. Petala 6, serie duplici imbricata, rarius 4 vel nulla, inter- 

 dum basi gamopetala (rarissime 5). Stamina petala numero sequautia 

 et iis opposita, vel plura (9-18) rarissimo 3; filamenta libera, vel in 

 columnam centralem cylindricam aut globosam coalita (in Odontocarya 

 biserialia, petalorum numero dupla) ; untherw valde varise, ad apicem 

 filament! adnatse et tunc extrorse vel lateraliter vel introrse imo trans- 

 verse dehiscentes, seu circa discum peltatum horizontaliter dispositse, 

 seu supra globum irregulariter sitae ; in floribus foemineis effcetae vel 

 nullse. Ovaria plerumque 3 (petalis exterioribus opposita), rarius so- 

 litaria, interdum 6 vel plura, tore inserta vel gynophoro brevi suffulta, 

 uniovulata. Ovula amphitropa, suturas ventrali peltatim affixa, raris- 

 sime anatropa, tegumento unico, mioropylo superiore, clialaza basin 

 ovarii spectaote. Styli terminales, subulati vel depress), interdura 3-5- 

 lobi. Carpella drupacea, styli cicatrice terminali vel saepius basilar! 

 notata ; pulamen lignosum vel fere osseum, obscure bivalve, per ovarii 

 maturationem in unaquaque fere specie modo diverse deformatum. 

 Semina putaminis cavitati plerumque valde irregular! conformia, hippo- 

 crepice curvata, vel uncinata vel circa processum internum putaminis 

 conchaaformia, rarissime recta. Testa tenuissime membranaoea. Albu- 

 men copiosum vel parcum, oleosum, sequabile vel membranee nuclearise 

 laminis tenuibus transversis ruminatum, interdum nullum. Embryo in 

 speciebus exalbuminosis crassus carnosus cotyledonibus amygdalinis, in 

 albuminosis centralis vel parum exoentricus ; radicula semper superior 

 et ad styli cicatricem spectans, sed in seminibus Lippocrepicis fere basi- 

 laris, cylindrica. Cotyledones valde varise, ssepe foliacese divarioatse et 

 in loculis separatis albuminis inclusse, plerumque normaliter appositse, 

 lineari-oblongae vel semicylindrioBe, radiculam diametro non superantes, 

 in exalbuminosis crassae amygdalinfe. — Frutices scandentes vel sarmen- 

 tosi, foliis exstipulatis alternis plerumque palminerviis et scepe peltatis, 

 peliolis basi (et interdum etiam apice) pseudo-articulatis et sapius basi vel 

 utrinque incrassatis. Flores inconspicui, plerumque minuti, paniculati, 

 racemosi vel cymosi, rarissime in axillis solitarii. 



As now correctly limited by the exclusion of Lardizabalaceis, and of a number of 

 genera which were only referred hither because their structure was quite unknown, 



