FLORA OF CUTCJJ. HI 



species of Ind'pofera and Tcphrosia are siniihirly protected. Alhagl 

 camelorvm is a much- branched ri^id shrub armed with axilhiry spines 

 which produce the flowers. The loaves are not of great importance, 

 being very small and of short duration. Their function is performed 

 by the green tissue of the branches and thorns which have their 

 stomata in pits at right angles to the long axis. yUacia ehnrnea^ 

 iniligenous in the dry parts of India, has the young branches 

 purplish-brown ; the leaves are very small anil the long stipular 

 spines ivory-white. Echinopg ech/'natus. a, thistle-like herb, is 

 clothed with a white cottony pubescence. The deeply pinnatifid 

 leaves are spinescent, the spines very ofien reaching one inch ; the 

 involucres are surrounded by strong white bristles and the inter- 

 mediate bracts are usually produced into sharp spines. Of the 

 Asclepiadacece the following contain a milky juice : Feriploca 

 apluflla. C'llotropis procera, Oxijstelma escidentum, Damia ea-tensa^ 

 Sarcostemma brevistiyma. I have not been able to ascertain 

 whether the laticiferous tissue, besides being a reservoir of waste- 

 products, contains also plastic substances The fact that so many 

 plants growing in dry localities develop this tissue makes it very 

 probable that part of t le latex is reserved for times of scarcity. 

 Periploca aphijlLi is an erect branched shrub and mostly without 

 any leaves ; but when these are present they are extremely small 

 and thick. Calotrofiis procera grows much higher in Cutch than 

 I have ever seen it on the Deccan. The woody parts become 

 quite corky, whilst the young branches and leaves are covered with 

 a cottony tomentum. Sarc>stemma hrev /stigma is a twining 

 jointed shrub without leaves ; transpiration is confined to the green 

 pendulous branches. Leptadenia spartium is mostly leafless : leaves 

 are seen sometimes on young shoots. 



Cressa cretha. which is a common undershrub on cultivated 

 fields and blown sand, can be recognized by the great number 

 of very small leaves that are covered all over with a whitish 

 crust of a hygroscopic salt. This is secreted in solution by 

 glandular hairs that are to be found in depressions on both sides 

 of the leaves. It is not very probable that the water supplied 

 by the ab.-orbing action of the salt is sufficient in times of 

 drought, because the leiives are very delicate, the outer walls 

 of the epidermal cells thin and the stomata not depressed at 



