198 vi. anonace:^. 



yellowish. Sepals 3, rarely 2 {Disepalum), distinct or united at the base, or coherent 

 in a 3-lobed or -toothed calyx (Oyathocalyx), valvate or imbricate in bud. Petals 

 usually 6 2-seriate, rarely 4 2-seriate {Disepalum), or only 3 1-seriate {Unona), rarely 

 coherent {Hexalohus), hypogynous, valvate, or rarely imbricate in bud. Stamens in- 

 definite, multi- seriate on a thick torus; anthers adnate, 2-celled, cells dorsal or 

 lateral, opening by a longitudinal slit, contiguous or separate, usually concealed by 

 the overlapping dilated tops of the connectives ; rarely definite, vrith the anthers not 

 concealed by the connective, hardly or not at all dilated (Miliusa, Orophea, 

 Bocagea, &c.). Carpels oo, rarely definite {Asimina, Xylopia, Bocagea, &c.), or 

 solitary {Oyathocalyx), distinct, or rarely coherent {Anona, Momdora), sessile on the 

 top of the torus ; style short, thick, or ; stigma thick, capitate, or oblong, some- 

 times furrowed or 2-lobed or radiate (Monodora) ; ovules 1-2, erect, basilar, or 1- ex, 

 fixed either to the suture, or very rarely all over the walls of the ovary {Monodora), 

 anatropous, raphe ventral, micropyle inferior. Eipe Caepbls sessile or stipitate, 

 distinct, or united into a oo-ceUed fruit {Anona), or 1-celled (Monodora), dry, fleshy 

 or pulpy, indehiscent or 2-valved. Seeds with copious ruminate albumen. Embryo 

 minute, basilar ; radicle near the hilum, inferior. 



The genus Eupomatia, which is closely allied to An<maeeeB, presents remarkable anomalies of structure. 

 Sepals and petals imited into a conical mass, inserted on the upper edge of a turbinate torus, from which 

 it is transversely separated like an operculum. Stamens numerous, perigynous; inner many-seriate, 

 sterile, petaloid ; outer few-seriate, linear-lanceolate ; connective longer than the anther-cells, acuminate. 

 Ovary inferior, buried in the torus, and composed of several thick carpels ; ovules numerous, inserted on 

 the ventral . suture ; styles connate, terminated by a plane stigma, hollowed into as many areolae as there 

 are carpels. Fruit a truncate berry, crowned by the margin of the torus. Seeds angular. — The sterile 

 inner stamens are connivent, and very closely imbricate over the stigma, which .are thus shut oif 

 from communication vrith the outer fertile stamens, rendering fertilization impossible; but, as 

 E. Brown observed, they are gnawed by insects, whose introduction thus assists the transport of the pollen 

 to the stigma. 



Anmacem are near Myristice<s (see this family). They approach ScMzandrete, Lardizabalecs and Meni- 

 spermea in the ternary arrangement of the calyx and corolla, hypopetalism, extrorse anthers, berried fruit, 

 copious albumen, basilar embryo (at least in Lardizabale(s and Schizandreai), alternate leaves and axillary 

 flowers ; but in Schizandreee the flowers are diclinous, the aestivation imbricate, the ovules pendulous, the 

 radicle superior, and the albumen is not ruminate. The aifinity with Magnoliacea rests on the same 

 features, and the diagnosis on the same differences; besides which, in the latter, the leaves are stipulate, 

 and the seeds have generally a fleshy testa (^Magnolia). Anonacees are also near DiUeniacees in hypo- 

 petalism, polyandiy, adnate anthers, polygyny, erect anatropous ovules, copious fleshy albumen, basilar 

 embryo, woody stem and alternate leaves; but in DiUeniacece the leaves are sometimes stipulate, the 

 flowers are terminal and quinary, the aestivation is imbricate, and the albumen is not ruminate. 



Anonarem are nearly all tropical. Some {Asimina) reach 33° N. latitude in America. Asia and 

 America possess about the same number of species ; somewhat fewer are met with in Africa. Anona and 

 ItoUinia have not yet been observed in Asia. Several Anonas inhabit Africa. 



