incurved, cuspidate, acute ; above dark green, rather rugose, 

 glabrous ; beneath pale, downy towards the midrib as well 

 as on the elevated, parallel, approximated, oblique nerves, 

 transversely reticulated with veins. Petioles an inch long, 

 rounded, plane above, slightly marginate by reason of the 

 acute, entire, decurrentbase of the leaf. Stipules none, unless 

 an elevated sometimes downy line, connecting the bases of the 

 petioles be so called. Panicle large, terminal, broadly-ovate, 

 naked or furnished at the base with a few lanceolate, entire, 

 floral leaves, shorter than the uppermost pair of leaves, 

 densely-flowered ; its branches opposite, downy, subtricho- 

 tomous at the summit. Bracteas none. Flowers very 

 numerous, pale blue, or sometimes pink, externally whitish, 

 scentless, in many fascicles, or subumbellate, their pedun- 

 cles short, villous, slightly coloured. Calyx superior, that 

 is, cohering with the ovary ; the limb small, free, five-tooth- 

 ed, the teeth minute, spreading, ovate, acute, distant, rather 

 downy. Corolla fleshy, glabrous, five-petaled, prior to 

 expansion valvular and ovato-obtuse. Petals lanceolate, 

 acute, marked with three lines, quite patent, finally recurv- 

 ed, inserted with its broad base upon the calyx within the 

 limb of the latter and alternating with its teeth. Stamens 

 ten, patent, rather shorter than the petals and alternately 

 opposite, nearly equal ; filaments subulate, bluish, fleshy, 

 glabrous : anthers fixed by their base, large, ovate, two- 

 celled, before bursting, those five which are opposite to the 

 petals are deflexed, the rest erect. Ovary inferior, globose, 

 as large as a grain of black pepper, downy, pseudo-quin- 

 quelocular, with the top a little elevated within the petals ; 

 ovules minute, fixed to five parietal, fleshy receptacles. 

 Styles five, nearly erect, fleshy, swelling at the top into as 

 many club-shaped, compressed stigmas, which are some- 

 what tumid at the margin, and somewhat two-lobed. 

 Berries very numerous, panicled, globose, glabrous, deep 

 blue, as large as a black currant, within fleshy, pale and 

 spongy, somewhat five-celled, many-seeded, convex at the 

 top, retuse at the centre, and terminated by the persistent 

 styles, crowned with the numerous, minute, persistent, 

 calycine teeth, which are united with a very narrow margin. 

 Seeds extremely numerous, minute, pear-shaped, slightly 

 striated, inserted upon five parietal, fleshy, finally vanishing 

 receptacles, and filling the whole cavity of the fruit. Inte- 

 gument simple, dark brown, membranaceous. Perisperm 

 fleshy, of the same shape as the seed. Embryo cylindrical 

 occupying nearly the whole of the centre of the perisperm. 



Cotyledons 



