Shrubs or trees. Leaves alternate, undivided, without stipules. Flowers in axillary racemes. Petals 5, valvate in bud. Stamens 5, opposite the petals; filaments short. Disc obscure. Ovary inferior, 1-celled, with a free filiform placenta and 3 pendulous ovules. Style divided into 3-5 two-or three-cleft lobes. Fruit woody, surrounded by the fleshy receptacle. Seeds with a thin coat; embryo minute, situated at the apex of the 8-furrowed albumen. (Under OLACACEAE.)
Genus 1, species 3. Equatorial West Africa. Octoknema Pierre
SUBORDER LORANTHINEAE
[FAMILY 61.] LORANTHACEAE
Shrubs, parasitic upon trees. Leaves undivided, exstipulate, sometimes scale-like. Perianth simple, with 2-6 valvate segments, often surrounded at the base by a calyx-like outgrowth of the receptacle. Stamens as many as and opposite the perianth-segments and inserted on them. Ovary inferior, with 1-4 indistinctly developed ovules. Style and stigma simple. Fruit succulent. Seeds albuminous.—Genera, 4, species 300. (Plate 37.)
1. Receptacle with a calyx-like outgrowth surrounding the base of the perianth.
Flowers usually hermaphrodite. Anthers usually stalked and opening by two longitudinal slits. Style more or less filiform. Leaves well-developed.—Species 250. Tropical and South Africa. Some are used medicinally. (Plate 37). [Subfamily LORANTHOIDEAE.] LORANTHUS L.
Receptacle without a calyx-like outgrowth. Flowers unisexual. Anthers sessile. [Subfamily VISCOIDEAE.] 2
2. Anthers adnate to the perianth; cells several or many, opening by pores.
Placenta basal. Flowers in clusters of 3 or more.—Species 50. Some of them yield bird-lime or are used medicinally. “Mistletoe.” [Tribe
VISCEAE.] Viscum L.
Anthers seated on the perianth, but not adnate to it; cells 1-2, opening by longitudinal or transverse slits. Placenta central. Leaves scale-like. 3
3. Anthers 1-celled, opening by a transverse slit. Perianth of the male flowers
2-5-parted, of the female 2-parted. Flowers dioecious, solitary.—Species
1. North-West Africa. [Tribe ARCEUTHOBIEAE.] Arceuthobium Marsch. Bieb.
Anthers 2-celled, opening by 2 longitudinal slits. Perianth 3-parted.
Flowers monoecious, disposed in rows.—Species 5. Madagascar and neighbouring islands. (Bifaria Van Tiegh.) [Tribe PHORADENDREAE.] Korthalsella Van Tiegh.
SUBORDER BALANOPHORINEAE
[FAMILY 62.] BALANOPHORACEAE
Succulent herbs without green colour, parasitic on roots, upon which their root-stock is seated. Leaves reduced to scales. Flowers in spadix-like spikes or heads, red, unisexual. Perianth in the male flowers of 3-6 segments, in the female 3-lobed or wanting. Stamens as many as and opposite the perianth-segments, sometimes one of them abortive. Ovary inferior or naked, 1-celled. Ovules 1-3, pendulous from a central placenta or from the apex of the cell or adnate to the wall of the ovary, without coats. Style simple, sometimes very short; stigma entire or lobed. Fruit a drupe. Seed without a testa; albumen copious; embryo small, apical, undivided.—Genera 4, species 6. Tropical and South Africa.
1. Fertile stamens 2. Female flowers with a 3-lobed perianth. Ovules 3.
Stigma 3-lobed, borne on a long filiform style. Spadices oblong, solitary.—Species
2. South Africa. [Subfamily MYSTROPETALOIDEAE.] Mystropetalon Harv.
Fertile stamens 3 or more. Female flowers without a perianth, but the base of the style sometimes surrounded by a tubular outgrowth of the receptacle. Stigma entire or sessile. 2
2. Stamens free. Anthers globose, many-celled. Ovules 3. Stigma sessile.
Spadices panicled. Root-stock not resinous.—Species 1. South and
East Africa. [Subfamily SARCOPHYTOIDEAE.] Sarcophyte Sparrm.
Stamens united. Anthers 2-4-celled. Ovule 1. Style and stigma simple. Spadices solitary. Root-stock resinous. [Subfamily BALANOPHOROIDEAE.] 3
3. Anthers 3-6, linear, 4-celled. Ovary linear. Ovule adnate to the wall of the ovary. Perianth-segments of the male flowers linear. Spadices hemispherical.—Species 2. Tropics. [Tribe LANGSDORFFIEAE.] Thonningia Vahl
Anthers numerous, 2-celled. Ovule free, pendulous.—Species 1. Comoro
Islands. [Tribe BALANOPHOREAE.] Balanophora Forst.