Shrubs or undershrubs of heath-like appearance. Leaves opposite, entire, with sometimes gland-like stipules. Flowers solitary or in pairs in the axils of the leaves or in terminal spikes or heads, with 2 or 4 bracteoles, regular, 4-merous, hermaphrodite. Calyx-tube long. Sepals petal-like, red or yellow, valvate in bud. Petals none. Stamens 4, perigynous, alternating with the sepals. Anthers adnate, with a thickened connective, opening inwards by two longitudinal slits. Ovary superior, sessile, 4-celled. Ovules 2 or 4 in each cell, all or the lower ones ascending, inverted, the raphe turned outwards. Style simple with a 4-lobed or 4-parted stigma, or 4-cleft. Fruit a loculicidal capsule. Seeds exalbuminous. Embryo with very small cotyledons.—Genera 5, species 35. South Africa. (Plate 108.)

1. Ovules 4 in each ovary-cell, two of them ascending, two descending. Ovary and style cylindrical. Style simple. [Tribe ENDONEMEAE.] 2
Ovules 2, very rarely 4 in each ovary-cell, all ascending. Flowers in the
axils of crowded leaves or bracts. Bracteoles 2. [Tribe PENAEEAE.] 3
2. Flowers in the axils of coloured bracts, crowded in terminal spikes or heads. Bracteoles 2. Filaments much shorter than the anthers.
Anthers turned inwards in the bud; cells equalling the connective.—Species
1. Cape Colony. (Under Endonema Juss.) Glischrocolla A. DC.
Flowers in the axils of foliage-leaves, not crowded. Bracteoles 4. Filaments nearly as long as or longer than the anthers. Anthers turned outwards in the bud; cells much shorter than the connective. Seeds with an outgrowth at the top.—Species 2. Cape Colony. Endonema A. Juss.
3. Ovary and style 4-angled or 4-winged. Ovules 2 in each cell. Stamens very short.—Species 20. Cape Colony. (Including Stylapterus Juss.) Penaea L.
Ovary and style cylindrical. Style simple. 4
4. Calyx-tube short, oblong-oval, somewhat longer than the sepals. Stamens slightly exceeding the calyx-tube; filaments short. Ovules 2 in each cell.—Species 6. Cape Colony. (Under Sarcocolla Kunth). Brachysiphon A. Juss.
Calyx-tube long, cylindrical, much longer than the sepals. Stamens much exceeding the calyx-tube; filaments long. Anthers-cells almost equalling the connective.—Species 5. Cape Colony. Used as ornamental plants. (Plate 108.) Sarcocolla Kunth

[FAMILY 170.] OLINIACEAE

Shrubs or trees. Leaves opposite, entire, without stipules. Flowers in terminal cymose inflorescences, regular, 4-5-merous. Calyx petaloid, white or red. Petals much smaller than the sepals, white, valvate in bud. Fertile stamens 4-5, opposite to the petals, usually alternating with scale-like staminodes. Anthers nearly sessile, with a large connective. Ovary inferior, 3-5-celled. Ovules 2-3 in the inner angle of each ovary-cell, inverted, the raphe turned outwards. Style simple; stigma entire. Fruit a drupe. Seeds exalbuminous; embryo with folded cotyledons. (Under LYTRHACEAE, MELASTOMATACEAE, or RHAMNACEAE.)

Genus 1, species 7. South and Central Africa. Some species yield timber. Olinia Thunb.

[FAMILY 171.] THYMELAEACEAE

Leaves entire, without stipules. Flowers 4-5-merous. Sepals petaloid. Petals usually present. Stamens as many as and opposite to the petals, 4, or twice as many, 8 or 10. Anthers opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior, 1-5-celled. Ovule 1 in each cell, pendulous, inverted, with a ventral raphe. Style simple; stigma entire. Fruit a drupe or a nut. Embryo large, straight.—Genera 17, species 250. (Plate 109.)

1. Receptacle flat. Sepals free. Petals none, but 4-10 scales placed singly
or in pairs opposite to the sepals. Stamens 8-10, hypogynous. Ovary
4-5-celled. Low trees. Leaves alternate, dotted beneath. Flowers solitary or fascicled, axillary, white.—Species 7. West Africa. (Including
Makokoa Baill.) [Subfamily OCTOLEPIDIOIDEAE, tribe
OCTOLEPIDEAE.] Octolepis Oliv.
Receptacle concave. Sepals united. Stamens perigynous. Ovary 1-2-celled. 2
2. Ovary 2-celled, surrounded by a disc. Petals none. Stamens 8-10.
Fruit a drupe. Shrubs. Leaves alternate. Flowers in umbels, yellowish-green.—Species 10. Tropical and South Africa. [Subfamily
PHALERIOIDEAE, tribe PEDDIEAE.] Peddiea Harv.
Ovary 1-celled. [Subfamily THYMELAEOIDEAE.] 3
3. Petals present, usually smaller than the sepals and 2-parted, sometimes united into a ring. 4
Petals none, but sometimes 8 or more scales present, inserted below the stamens, and usually alternating with them. Stamens 8-10. 9
4. Calyx-tube constricted and jointed above the ovary, the upper part falling off after flowering. Fruit with a membranous exocarp. [Tribe
GNIDIEAE.] 5
Calyx-tube not jointed, persisting in fruit or falling off as a whole. Fruit with a hard or fleshy exocarp. Stamens 8-10. [Tribe DICRANOLEPIDEAE.] 6
5. Stamens 4, inserted in the upper part of the calyx-tube, nearly sessile, with a broadened connective. Petals thick-fleshy, surrounded by hairs. Shrubs or undershrubs. Leaves small, leathery. Flowers solitary or in pairs in the axils of the leaves.—Species 25. South and
Central Africa. Struthiola L.
Stamens 8 or 10, in two whorls very distant from each other and inserted in the upper part of the calyx-tube and at the throat. Trees, shrubs, or undershrubs. Flowers in heads, more rarely arranged spike-like in the axils of the upper leaves.—Species 125. Southern and tropical Africa.
Some species are used as ornamental, medicinal, or textile plants.
(Including Arthrosolen Mey. and Lasiosiphon Frees) Gnidia L.
6. Petals united into a ring. Stamens 10. Shrubs. 7
Petals free, 2-partite. Leaves herbaceous. 8
7. Petals united into a nearly entire ring. Ovary short-stalked, surrounded at the base by a cup-shaped or slashed disc. Flowers in few-flowered axillary clusters or in short terminal racemes.—Species 6. Central
Africa to Delagoa Bay. Synaptolepis Oliv.
Petals united into a slashed ring. Ovary sessile. Disc none. Flowers in long-stalked spikes or heads.—Species 2. Madagascar and Comoro
Islands. Stephanodaphne Baill.
8. Flowers 4-merous. Petals thickish, almost erect. Staminal whorls remote from each other. Anthers nearly sessile, slightly exserted. Disc
none. Ovary sessile, hairy. Style included. Shrubs. Leaves opposite.
Flowers in terminal umbels.—Species 1. East and South-east
Africa. Englerodaphne Gilg
Flowers 5-merous. Petals thin, spreading. Staminal whorls approximate.
Anthers more or less exserted. Disc cup-shaped. Ovary short-stalked.
Style long. Shrubs or trees. Leaves alternate. Flowers solitary or in pairs, axillary.—Species 25. Central Africa. Dicranolepis Planch.
9. (3.) Stamens 10, inserted at or below the middle of the long, narrowly funnel-shaped, not jointed calyx-tube at the same level. Filaments short, unequal in length. Anthers included. Corona none. Disc ring- or saucer-shaped. Ovary sessile. Style short. Twining shrubs.
Leaves opposite or nearly so, leathery. Flowers in axillary clusters, greenish-yellow.—Species 2. West Africa. [Tribe CRATEROSIPHONEAE.] Craterosiphon Engl. & Gilg
Stamens inserted at the throat or the upper part of the calyx-tube; in the latter case calyx-tube wide or jointed. [Tribe DAPHNEAE.] 10
10. Calyx-tube bearing in its upper part a corona of 8 or more scales, jointed above the ovary, the lower part persistent in fruit. Flowers 4-merous.
Filaments thread-like. Anthers exserted. Ovary sessile. Fruit dry.
Shrubs. Leaves small, leathery, sometimes needle-shaped. 11
Calyx-tube without a corona, but sometimes the ovary surrounded at the base by a disc or by several glands. 12
11. Flowers solitary, white or reddish. Sepals equal in length. Corona inserted in the middle of the calyx-tube.—Species 5. South Africa.
Some are used as ornamental plants. Cryptadenia Meissn.
Flowers in fascicles or heads. Corona inserted next to the throat of the calyx, and formed of 8 scales which alternate with the stamens.—Species
20. South Africa. Some are used as ornamental plants. (Plate 109.) Lachnaea L.
12. Calyx-tube constricted and jointed above the ovary, the upper part, rarely the whole calyx, falling off after flowering. 13
Calyx-tube not jointed, persistent in fruit or falling off as a whole, the segments sometimes falling off singly. Filaments and style short.
Flowers 4-merous. 16
13. Filaments very short. Staminal whorls widely separated. Disc minute or wanting. (See 5.) Gnidia L.
Filaments long. Staminal whorls approximate, rarely somewhat distant, but then disc distinctly developed. Shrubs. 14
14. Flowers 5-merous. Segments of the calyx much shorter than the tube.
Disc saucer-shaped, lobed. Ovary hairy. Fruit dry. Seeds without albumen. Flowers in terminal heads.—Species 6. South Africa and Madagascar. Some are used as ornamental plants. Dais L.
Flowers 4-merous. Segments of the calyx nearly as long as the tube.
Disc none. Ovary glabrous. Seeds with a copious albumen. Leaves opposite. Flowers solitary and axillary, or in terminal spikes. 15
15. Fruit fleshy. Calyx-tube short, urn-shaped.—Species 1. South Africa. Chymococca Meissn.

THYMELAEACEAE.