plat] 



STijs (Ereatiurg at 3S0taug. 



902 



the two cells into winch the fruit is divi- 

 ded by a very narrow partition. Only one 

 species, P. orinocense, is known ; this grows 

 on granitic rocks on the banks of the 

 Orinoco, and is a tall timber tree, with 

 simple oblong leaves, furnished with sti- 

 pules, and terminal panicles bearing rose- 

 coloured blossoms. Its nearest allies are 

 the various species of Henriquezia, also in- 

 habitants of the Orinoco region. [B. S.] 



PLATYCARYA. Fortuncea. 



PLATYCERIUM. A very distinct and 

 remarkable genus of ferns commonly as- 

 sociated with the Acrostichece, but which it 

 has been proposed to place in a separate 

 section, from its producing its sori in large 

 amorphous patches, not as in the true Acro- 

 stichece universal over the fertile portions. 

 The species are few in number, chiefly 

 Eastern or Australian.and for the most part 

 tropical. They have heteromorphous coria- 

 ceous laciniate or lobate fronds, clothed 

 with stellate hairs, and the fertile ones are 



Platycerium Wallichii. 



articulate. The broad fronds are traversed 

 by several furcate ribs, between which 

 there is a close network of finer buried 

 veins. The large shapeless masses of spore- 

 cases are attached to a plexus of crowded 

 veins, and are quite naked. In P. biforme 

 they occupy a separate scutiform lobe, but 

 in the other species they are variously situ- 

 ated near the margin. [T. M.] 



PLATYCODON. A genus of bellworts, 

 having a funnel-shaped corolla, with a 

 broad five-lobed border, and the filaments 

 of the anthers broad at the base. The 

 species are perennial shrubs, natives of 

 Eastern Asia. Their leaves are alternate 

 and sessile ; and the flowers large and 

 handsome. The name is from the Greek 

 words signifying ' broad ' and ' bell,' in al- 

 lusion to the conspicuous corolla. [G. D.] 



PLATYCRATER. A genus of Hydran- 

 geacece, growing on moist rocks in the 

 north of Japan. It forms a small shrub, 

 with procumbent or rooting branches, ob- 



long acuminate serrate leaves, and a loose 

 terminal branched corymb of flowers, of 

 which the lower ones of each branch are 

 sterile with an expanded coloured calyx, as 

 in Hydrangea ; but the fertile flowers have 

 indefinite stamens inserted on an epigy- 

 nous disk or ring, [J. T. SJ 



PLATYLEPIS. A genus of cyperaceous 

 plants belonging to the tribe Hypolytrece. 

 The inflorescence is in solitary or compound 

 many-spiked heads. It contains six species, 

 which are either natives of South Africa or 

 Brazil. [D. M.] 



PLATYLOBIUM. A genus of Legumi- 

 nosos of the suborder Papilionacece and 

 tribe Genistece, consisting of Australian 

 shrubs with opposite simple leaves, and yel- 

 low pea-shaped flowers in the axils of the 

 leaves. The calyx is remarkable for its two 

 upper lobes uniting into a large rounded 

 upper lip. The pod is very flat, bordered by 

 a rather broad wing on the upper side, and 

 contains several seeds. Two species, P 

 triangulare and P. Murrayanum, with 

 acutely triangular leaves, both from Tas- 

 mania and South-eastern Australia, are oc- 

 casionally to be seen in our greenhouses, 

 and are handsome plants, while P. formo- 

 sum, from the same country, has ovate 

 leaves. 



PLATYLOMA. A genus of polypodia- 

 ceous ferns, often erroneously associated 

 with Pteridece or Cheilantlieos, but in reality 

 very distinct, and now representing a sepa- 

 rate group, the Platylomece. They are pin- 

 nate or bipinnate plants.with free venation, 

 and furnished with marginal oblong sori 

 the receptacles of which lie transversely, 

 being formed of the parallel apices of the 

 contiguous venules, the spore-cases becom- 

 ing laterally confluent into a broadish con- 

 tinuous marginal band, quite different from 

 the continuous linear receptacle of Pteris. 

 They are spuriously indusiate ; that is, the 

 margin is somewhat inflected over the 

 outer portions of the band. Some of the 

 species referred to Pellcea by authors be- 

 long here, the rest chiefly to Pteris. [T. MJ 



PLATYMISCIUM. A genus of Legumi- 

 nosm of the tribe Dalbergiece, consisting 

 of South American trees or shrubs, with 

 pinnate leaves always opposite— almost the 

 only instance of this arrangement amongst 

 trees of this order with compound leaves. 

 The flowers are yellow, disposed in racemes 

 either solitary in the leaf-axils, or clus- 

 tered on the older branches. Their struc- 

 ture is nearly the same as in Pterocarpus, 

 whilst the pod, broadly oblong and very 

 thin and fiat, is like that of some species 

 of Lonclwcarpus. There are about a dozen 

 species, some of them probably supply- 

 ing part of the hard woods used in or ex- 

 ported from Brazil. 



PLATYNEMA. The name of some tro- 

 pical Asiatic trees, supposed to constitute 

 a genus of Malpighiacew. They have op- 

 posite elliptical leaves; flowers in terminal 

 clusters ; a five-parted glandless calyx ; five 

 flat-stalked entire petals ; ten stamens, al- 



