702 CCVI. LACISTEMACE^. 



the habit of Buxus, cordate, margins thickened, penninerved ; stipules 0. Flowees 



axillary, solitary, many-hracteate ; bracts bifariously imbricate, in unequal pairs, 



membranous, ovate, acute, penninerved. PERiANTH-segments 4, ovate, mucronate, 



nerves parallel, sestivation imbricate. Stamens 8, inserted at the bottom of the 



perianth, the 4 opposite the lobes rather the longest ; filaments elongate, included ; 



anthers erect, ovoid, versatile, cells mucronate, dehiscence longitudinal. OvAETfree, 



4-lobed, 4-celled, narrowed into the styles ; styles 4, cohering into one conical 



4-grooved style, but at length free ; stigmas minute ; ovules 2 in each cell, collateral, 



pendulous from the apex, anatropous. Capsule 4-celled, loculicidally 4-valved at 



the top, cells 1-seeded. Seeds ovate, sub-compressed ; funiele short ; testa thin, 



2-lobed between the hilum and micropyle; albumen fleshy. Embeto straight, 



central, as long as the albumen ; cotyledons linear, fleshy ; radicle cylindric, obtuse, 



superior. 



ONLY GENUS. 



Geissoloma. 



A monotypic family, native of the mountains of South-west Africa, usually combined with Peneeaceee, 

 but differing wholly in the bracts, perianth, stamens, ovary, ovules, and seed. It has no known pro- 

 perties. — Ed.] 



CCVI. LACISTEMACE^} 



(Lacistemace^, Martius. — Lacisteme^, Meissner.) 



[Flowees§, spiked, bracteate and 2-bracteolate. Sepals 0-6 or 4, petaloid, 

 imbricate. Disk large, fleshy. Stameit 1, 2-fid. Oyavly free, l-celled; stigmas 3; 

 OVULES 3-6, pendulous, apical. Dbupe with a S-valved endocarp. Seed soUta/ry, 

 pendulousy arillate. Embeto straight, in a fleshy albumen. — Leaves alternate, 

 stipulate. 



Sheubs or TEEES. Leaves alternate, distichous, persistent, penninerved, often 

 pellucid-punctate ; stipules lanceolate, caducous. Infloeescence of axillary solitary 

 or fascicled spikes. Flowees ^ , minute, crowded ; bracts erose, lower empty ; 

 bracteoles 2, linear. Peeiawth of 2-6, usually 4 petaloid segments, persistent, the 

 anticous largest, posticous smallest, lateral exterior in estivation. Disk fleshy, 

 shorter than the perianth, often unequal, margin inflexed and lobed. Stamen 1, 

 anticous, inserted on the disk, persistent ; fllaments 2-fid, each arm l-celled, cells 

 dehiscing transversely^ pollen ovoid, smooth, 3-furrowed. Ovaex free, 1-eelled, 

 narrowed into the style ; stigmas 3, minute ; ovules 3-6, pendulous from near the top 

 of the cell, anatropous, funiele thickened. Feuit a drupe, l-celled, with a 3-valved 

 dry endocarp, each valve bearing a placenta on its axis, one only with a seedw 

 Seed pendulous ; aril complete, fleshy ; testa crustaceous ; albumen copious, fleshy. 

 Embeto central, straight; cotyledons ovate, flat, appressed, nerved; radicle long, 



cylindric. 



ONLY. GENUS. 



Lacistema. 



' This order is omitted in the original. — Ed. 



