Steeculia.] 



STEUCULIACEM. 



99 



-ovules many or few, attached to the inner angles of the carpels. 

 Fruit dry or fleshy, dehiscent or indehiscent. Seeds sometimes 

 arillate, with or without albumen. — Natives of the tropics of both 

 hemispheres. 



-From the seeds of Theohroma Cacao, L., a tropical American tree, the 

 various preparation of cocoa and chocolate are manufactured. Cola 

 woA§, the produce of Cola acuminata, E., Br., a large tree inhabiting 

 ■Tropical Africa, are used for the same purpose. 



Flowers polygamous, petals 0. 

 J'lowers all 2-sexual, petals 5. 



Petals deciduous, anthers in groups at the 

 summit of the staminal-column and alter- 

 nating with staminodes. 



Eipe carpels of spirally twisted. follicles, 

 seeds without wings .... 



Fruit a woody capsule, seeds winged 



Totals deciduous, stam-tube antheriferous 

 throughout, staminodes 0. 



Petals persistent, stam-tube short : anthers 



in groups, alternating with staminodes. 



Bracteoles caducous ; fertile stamens 15, 



in 5 groups (of 3 each), alternating with 



5 petaloid staminodes .... 



Bracteoles persistent ; fertile stamens 5, 

 alternating with 5 ligulate staminodes . 



Petals persistent, stam-tube short, stamens 

 5, staminodes 0. 



Ovary 5-celled 



Ovary of 1 carpel 



Petals deciduous, with a concave dilated 

 claw ; fertile stamens in groups of 3 at the 

 base of 5 petaloid staminodes 



1. Stebculia. 



2. Helictebes. 



3. Pterospeemum:. 



4. EKIOLiENA. 



5. Pentapetes. 

 Melhania. 



7. Melochia. 



8. Walthebia. 



9. Abroita. 



1. STERCULIA, Linn.; Fl. Brit. Ind. i. 354. 



Trees or shrubs. Leaves simple, palmately lobed or digitate. 

 Flowers in panicles, polygamous. Calyx tubular, d-S-parted, 

 often brightly coloured. Petals 0. Staminal'Co\y\.m.TL bearing a 

 head or ring of sessile anthers. Carpels 1-7, sessile or on a gyno- 

 phore, foUicalar, woody or membranous when ripe. Seeds one or 



