Page:Books from the Biodiversity Heritage Library (IA mobot31753002447982).pdf/130

54 NEILGHERRY PLANTS. A small erect densely ramous scraggy looking shrub, rather frequent about Ootacamund, also on the road- sides to Kotagherry and Kulhutty, flowering March and April-also very abundant in Orange valley, where I found it in flower in August and September. It rare- ly attains the height of six feet, is full of little branches forming a dense compact mass of vegetation. The leaves are small, rarely attaining the length of an inch, and little more than half the breadth, glabrous above, clothed beneath with soft white hair; usually oval or tending to obovate, attenuated below, mucro- nate at the point. Flowers small, white, in little clusters of three or four: calyx tomentose petals round gla- brous withering before they fall: ovary of two carpels hairy, at first scarcely immersed in the calyx; calyx afterwards enlarging and enclosing them. Fruit about the size of a pea, succulent, with a harsh austere taste : seed four, ascending testa bony radicle inferior.

This differs from C. affinis to which D. C. referred doubtfully to it, in its erect not procumbent habit, smaller leaves and fewer flowered corymbs.

Tube of the calyx cup shaped limb 6-cleft: corolla 6-petaled inserted on the throat of the calyx: stamens 12-13 inserted with the petals; filaments filiform; anthers 2-celled deluscing longitudinally ovary sessile 1- celled; ovules 2-collateral, pendulous; style terminal stigma dilated: drupe dry transversely oblong subriniform contracted in the middle, one-seeded: seed inverse exalbuminous cotyledous, very thick, radicle very short, superior. Trees with alternate oblong entire leaves often with 2 glands at the base, racemes axillary and lateral, solitary or several, often tomentose, flowers small 1 bractiate. Endl. gen. plant.

PYGEUM ACUMINATUM? (Colebr.) "a tree with alternate oblong, acuminate entire, glabrous leaves: racemes axillary: flowers yellowish."-Polyodontia arborea Blume.

The specimens from which the drawing was made, were gathered at Kaitee falls in July. I since, in com- pany with Mr. Gardner of Ceylon, found it in great abundance near the Avalanche in fruit, in February. It is a large tree producing a fine spreading umbra- geous head, with large ovate acuminate entire gla- brous leaves, without glands: solitary glabrous, racemes and slightly hairy calyx tube: ovary hairy with gla- brous style and 2-lobed dilated stigma.

The above character is so brief and general that it is impossible to say whether this is Colebrooke's plant, but as it agrees, so far as it goes, I have adopted his name, with a doubt, having nothing further to guide me.

I am uncertain about the species, because it seems to me, had this been the one from which Colebrooke's character was taken, he would have described the flow- er as apetalous with a 12-lobed calyx limb. In this respect, if the dissection of my figure of Polyodontia Ceylanica, No. 256 is correct, and I believe it is, this can scarcely be considered a true congener, as it is re- presented with distinct calyx and petals, but I have not now the specimens to re-examine. Specimens of a Ceylon species which I have, correspond with this. Should this prove a distinct species, the following cha- racter might serve to distinguish it from the other spe- cies of the genus.

Arboreous: leaves alternate, oblong, acuminated, entire, glabrous racemes axillary shorter than the leaves: flowers yellowish: calyx lobes and corolla in- distinguishable, clothed with rusty coloured pubescence: filaments attached to the edge of the tube inflexed in æstivation: ovary ventricose, stigma dilated, two lip- ped, drupe dry friable, transversely oblong, glabrous.

This genus seems imperfectly known, it was first established by Mr. Colebrooke on an Indian plant. Blume afterwards found a species which he described under the name of Polyodontia arborea, which Wal- pers in his "Repertorium," has referred as a synonym to Colebrooke's plant, but I suspect erroneously, if this plant is correctly named. As regards the analysis of the accompanying figure, which was prepared in my absence, I have some misgivings as to its accuracy, a point on which I have not at present the means of satisfying myself.

This is a large, and for the most part, a Tropical family, the number of extra-tropical species being small when compared with the great number of equinoctial ones, and those found in the warm latitudes immediately adjoining. Many of the tropical species however possess the transition character assigned to Balsamineæ, that is, they are found in Alpine regions, and only make their appearance during the cool and rainy season of the year, or immediately after the rains are over. Such is the character of the Neilgherry ones, nearly all of which are in their greatest perfection in January and February.

By far the greatest number are natives of America, extending as far south as Brazil, in which country they are numerous. From that continent there are now nearly 1000