15. (9.) Style simple, sometimes very short, with 1-3 stigmas. Fruit separating into 3 dehiscing mericarps. Seed-coat hard. Hairy plants. Leaves alternate, entire, nearly always exstipulate. Flowers solitary or in spikes, racemes, or heads.--Species 80. South Africa, southern Central Africa, Madagascar and the neighbouring islands. Some are used as ornamental plants. =Phylica= L. Style 2-4-cleft. Leaves stipulate. Flowers in cymes sometimes arranged in false spikes or racemes, very rarely flowers solitary. 16 16. Receptacle top-shaped, not prolonged beyond the ovary. Fruit separating into 3 elastically dehiscent mericarps. Erect shrubs or low trees. Leaves alternate, 3-nerved at the base, serrate. Flowers in axillary cymes.--Species 1. East and South-east Africa, including the islands. =Colubrina= Brongn. Receptacle prolonged beyond the ovary. 17 17. Stem tree-like. Leaves opposite, entire, penninerved, hairy beneath. Flowers in axillary cymes. Anthers dehiscing by longitudinal slits which are confluent at the apex. Fruit separating into dehiscent mericarps; epicarp somewhat fleshy.--Species 1. Island of St. Helena. =Nesiota= Hook. fil. Stem shrubby, half-shrubby, or climbing. Leaves alternate. Flowers in axillary and terminal inflorescences. 18 18. Stem not climbing, without tendrils. Leaves few, lanceolate, entire. Flowers solitary or in few-flowered cymes.--Species 1. South Africa (Betchuanaland). =Marlothia= Engl. Stem climbing, bearing tendrils. Leaves oval. Flowers in usually many-flowered cymes, false spikes, or panicles. Mericarps 3, separating from a central column. 19 19. Flowers in cymes. Disc entire. Fruit wingless; mericarps dehiscing elastically. Leaves entire, penninerved.--Species 3. Tropical and South Africa. =Helinus= E. Mey. Flowers in false spikes or racemes. Disc usually lobed. Fruit 3-winged; mericarps dehiscing by a narrow slit or indehiscent--Species 12. Tropics. Some are used medicinally. =Gouania= L. FAMILY 138. VITACEAE. Shrubs or trees, usually climbing, rarely (_Cissus_) herbs or undershrubs. Leaves alternate, stipulate. Flowers regular, in cymose inflorescences. Calyx small, entire or lobed. Petals 3-7, sometimes cohering at the base or at the apex, valvate in bud. Stamens as many as and opposite to the petals, inserted outside the hypogynous, sometimes indistinct disc. Anthers opening inwards by two longitudinal slits. Ovary 2-8-celled, seated upon the disc or more or less sunk in it. Ovules solitary in each cell or two side by side, ascending, inverted, with ventral raphe. Style simple, sometimes indistinct. Stigma entire or 2-4-lobed. Fruit a berry, usually septate. Seeds with a bony or crustaceous testa and a fleshy or cartilaginous, more or less ruminate albumen enclosing a small straight embryo.--Genera 5, species 200. (_AMPELIDEAE_.) (Plate 89.)