, Tas. 4519. 
OCHNA arro-purPUREA. 
Dark-purple Ochna. 
Nat. Ord. OcHNacE®.—PoLyanpRIA Mon OGYNIA, 
Gen. Char. (Ocuna, Diporidium inclus.) Calyx pentaphyllus, coloratus, 
foliolis imbricatis, deciduis. Corolle petala 5-10, hypogyna, calyce paulo ma- 
jora, obovata v. oblonga, patentia. Stamina plurima, petalis breviora ; filamenta 
filiformia, anthere introrse, biloculares, filamentis breviores v. longiores, basi 
affixee, loculis oppositis, ovatis, filamento brevioribus, juxta totam longitudinem 
v. linearibus filamentum superantibus, rima basim haud attingente, puls minus 
longa dehiscentibus. | Ovarium columna centrali stylifera depressissima, ampliata 
tri- quinque- decempartitum, lobis gynophoro ovato v. hemispheerico lata basi ob- 
lique insidentibus, obtusissimus, ovudo unico adscendente foetis ; s¢ylo inter lobos 
centrali, apice quinque- decemfido, stigmatibus minimis. Bacce 5-10 v. abortu 
pauciores, interdum solitariz, gynophoro ampliato insidentes, uniloculares, mono- 
sperme. Semen. .... —Arbores v. frutices, in Asia, Africa tropica crescentes ; 
foliis alternis, deciduis, simplicibus, serratis v. rarius subintegerrimis, stipulis 
awillaribus geminis, deciduis, racemis pedunculatis, sepissime e gemma squamosa 
infra folia annotina ortis bracteatis, floribus Juteis, pedicellis medio aut paulo 
supra basin articulatis. Endl. 
OcHNA atro-purpurea ; floribus 5-petalis solitariis vel 2-4-racemulosis, antheris 
linearibus apice biporosis, stigmatibus brevissimis, foliis oblongis serratis 
subintegrisve. 
Ocuna atro-purpurea. De Cand. in dun. Mus. d Hist. Nat. v.11. p.412. Ejusd. 
Prodr. v.1. p. 136. Planch. in Hook. Lond. Journ. Bot. v.5. p. 654. 
_ Drporrprvum atro-purpureum. Wendi. 
Ocuna arborea. Burch. in De Cand. Prodr. v.1. p.136. Planch. 1.c. p. 654. 
Ocuna serrulata. Hochst. in Krauss Fl. Natal. p.41 (sub Diporidio). 
Ocuna Natalitia. Meisn. in Hook. Lond. Journ. Bot. v.2. p.58 (sub Diporidio). 
Planch. 1. c. p. 655. : 
Ocuna Delagoensis. Hekl. et Zeyh. Enum. Pl. Afr. Austr. p.926 (sub Diporidio). 
Walp. Repert. 0.1. p.528. Planch. 1. c. p. 655. 
Arspor Africana. Pluken. Alm. t. 263. f.1, 2. 
An evergreen greenhouse shrub, native of South Africa, east 
of the Cape, and extending as far as Delagoa Bay, varying, how- 
ever, much in size, in the solitary or racemose flowers, in the size 
and serratures of the leaves, which are sometimes sharply serrated, 
sometimes nearly if not quite entire. The original authority for 
this plant is Plukenet’s very indifferent figure above quoted, 
which De Candolle characterized as having “ ovate, acutely den- 
ticulated leaves.” Such a form of leaf neither exists in Plukenet’s 
plate, nor, have I seen it on any South African Ochna. The 
O. arborea of Burchell is said to have “ oval-oblong and nearly 
entire leaves,” quite according with O. atro-purpurea. Then an 
O. (Diporidium) serrulata was described by Hochstettin from 
Port Natal, partly agreeing with ‘our present plant, and which 
M. Planchon has rightly referred to it. O. (Divoridium) Nata- 
litia of Meisner (also from Port Natal) has no better claim to 
be distinct, and is, I believe, intended to be identical with 
JUNE lst, 1850. 
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