Trees or shrubs. Leaves alternate, undivided, without stipules. Flowers in axillary cymes, regular, hermaphrodite. Calyx 6-10-toothed. Petals 6-10, free or slightly cohering at the base, narrow, valvate in bud. Stamens as many as the petals and alternate with them, or more. Filaments short, free or nearly so, hairy. Anthers long, adnate, opening inwards or laterally by two longitudinal slits. Disc cushion-shaped. Ovary inferior, 1-celled, rarely 2-celled. Ovule 1 in each cell, pendulous, inverted, with a ventral raphe. Style simple; stigma lobed. Fruit a drupe. Seed with a large central embryo and fleshy albumen. (Under CORNACEAE.)

Genus 1, species 2. Tropics. Used medicinally. (Including Marlea Roxb. and Stylidium Lour.) Alangium Lam.

[FAMILY 179.] COMBRETACEAE

Trees or shrubs, rarely undershrubs. Leaves entire, without stipules. Flowers in spikes heads or panicles, regular or nearly so, 4-6-merous. Petals free or wanting. Stamens usually twice as many as the sepals. Anthers versatile. Ovary inferior, rarely half-inferior, 1-celled. Ovules 2-3, rarely 4-6, pendulous from the apex of the cavity, inverted. Style simple. Fruit a one-seeded drupe or nut, rarely incompletely dehiscent, usually angled or winged. Seeds exalbuminous.—Genera 12, species 330. Tropical and South Africa. (Plate 113.)

1. Ovary half-inferior. Petals 5. Stamens 10. Ovules 2, with a short funicle. Fruit dorsally compressed, dry, indehiscent. Embryo with very thick, almost hemispherical cotyledons.—Species 2. West Africa.
[Subfamily STREPHONEMATOIDEAE.] Strephonema Hook. fil.
Ovary inferior. Ovules usually with a long funicle. Fruit winged, angled, laterally compressed, or terete. Embryo with flat, folded, or twisted cotyledons. [Subfamily COMBRETOIDEAE.] 2
2. Flowers with bracteoles adnate to the ovary, arranged in spikes or racemes.
Sepals persistent. Petals 5. Cotyledons twisted. [Tribe LAGUNCULARIEAE.] 3
Flowers without bracteoles. Sepals deciduous, rarely persistent, but then flowers in heads. 4
3. Leaves opposite. Flowers sessile. Stamens 10. Ovules 2; funicle short.—Species
1. Coasts of West Africa. Yields timber, tanning and dyeing materials, and medicaments. Laguncularia Gaertn.
Leaves alternate. Flowers stalked. Ovules 4-6; funicle long.—Species
1. Coast of East Africa and Madagascar. Lumnitzera Willd.
4. Petals 4-5, rarely none; in this case, as usually, leaves opposite. Flowers mostly hermaphrodite. Funicle usually tubercled. Cotyledons flat or folded, more rarely twisted. [Tribe COMBRETEAE.] 5
Petals none. Leaves alternate, rarely almost opposite. Flowers mostly polygamous. Sepals deciduous. Funicle usually smooth. Cotyledons
twisted. Trees or erect shrubs. [Tribe TERMINALIEAE.] 10
5. Petals absent. Sepals 5. 6
Petals present, sometimes minute, rarely absent, but then sepals 4. 7
6. Calyx campanulate, divided down to the ovary, wing-like in fruit. Cotyledons twisted. Climbing shrubs. Flowers in panicled spikes.—Species
1. Madagascar. Calycopteris Lam.
Calyx tubular-campanulate, lobed or cleft, net-veined, corolla-like, deciduous.
Fruit woody. Cotyledons flat. Flowers in heads or short spikes.—Species 9. Madagascar. (Under Combretum L.) Calopyxis Tul.
7. Flowers ebracteate, arranged in heads which are subtended by 4 involucral bracts. Sepals persistent. Petals 5, strap-shaped. Stamens 10.
Ovules 4-6. Fruit elongate, spindle-shaped, obscurely 5-angled, clothed with long hairs. Erect shrubs or trees. Leaves opposite, dotted.—Species
1. Central Africa. Used medicinally. Guiera Adans.
Flowers bracteate, arranged in spikes or racemes. Sepals deciduous.
Fruit winged or angled. 8
8. Flowers polygamous (hermaphrodite and male). Fruit 2-, rarely 3-4-winged, indehiscent. Trees or erect shrubs.—Species 5. Central
Africa to Delagoa Bay. (Under Combretum L.) Pteleopsis Engl.
Flowers hermaphrodite. Fruit 4-5-winged or 4-5-angled. 9
9. Calyx-tube above the ovary very long and thin, filiform; style adnate to it.
Ovules 3-4. Flowers 5-merous. Fruit dehiscing at the top along the
5 angles. Climbing shrubs. Lower leaves alternate, upper opposite.—Species
3. Tropical and South-east Africa. Used as ornamental or medicinal plants. Quisqualis L.
Calyx-tube not elongate-filiform. Ovules 2-3; funicles equal in length.
Fruit indehiscent. Leaves opposite or whorled, sometimes intermixed with alternate ones.—Species 230. Tropical and South Africa. Some species yield timber, gum, tanning and dyeing materials, arrow-poison, medicaments, and fatty seeds; several serve as ornamental plants.
(Including Cacoucia Aubl., Campylochiton Welw., Campylogyne Welw., and Poivrea Comm.) (Plate 113.) Combretum L.
10. (4.) Flowers and fruits in globose heads. Receptacle (calyx-tube) prolonged above the ovary into a stalk. Calyx-lobes 5, reflexed. Ovules 2.
Fruits erect or spreading, flat, 2-winged, produced into a long beak; pericarp corky. Shrubs.—Species 1. Central Africa. Yields timber, dyes, a substitute for soap, and medicaments. Anogeissus Wall.
Flowers and fruits in sometimes ovate, usually panicled spikes. Receptacle not much prolonged. Fruit not long-beaked but sometimes acuminate; pericarp leathery or drupaceous. 11
11. Fruits crowded in a cone, bent downwards, flat, 2-winged, acuminate; pericarp leathery. Flowers in short panicled spikes, 5-merous. Calyx-lobes erect. Ovules 2.—Species 2. Central Africa. They yield timber, tanning materials, and medicaments. Conocarpus Gaertn.

COMBRETACEAE.

FLOW. PL. AFR.

Pl. 113.

J. Fleischmann del.