650 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XVI. 



falling, thickens gradually to near the apex and then becomes acute. 

 The cotyledons are conferruminate. 



Kandelia rheedii is a small tree with terete leafy branches. Th e 

 opposite, oblong, entire leaves are dark green and polished above, 

 reddish-brown beneath. The long calyx is externally rugose. The 

 lobes of the bifid petals are divided into numerous capillary segments* 

 The obclavate, conical-ovoid fruit is coriaceous, and reaches a length 

 of ^ to 1 in. The protruded, cylindric radicle is 6 to 15 in. long, 

 usually without ridges or grooves. 



In these two plants germination takes place in the same way as in 

 the foregoing RhizophoraceEe. A special adaptation to the surround- 

 ings of Ceriops candoHeana are the so-called pneumatuphores. But as 

 these occur not only in Ceriops but also in other representatives of the 

 mangrove-formation, I shall treat of them after having given a short 

 description of the following three plants: 



Abundantly growing in the salt-marshes in Bombay, the Konkan 

 and elsewhere, often covering large tracts of tidal or flooded sea-shore 

 to such an extent as to exclude every other plant, is a shrub or dwarf 

 tree, viz., Avicennia officinalis, L. or the " white mangrove." 



The entire, oval-pointed leaves are nearly veinless, coriaceous, shin- 

 ing above, whitish below and clothed with a fine tomentum. The 

 broad, compressed capsule is one-seeded and dehisces by two thick 

 valves. The embryo of the erect seed is imperfectly covered by its 

 two integuments. The large cotyledons are lengthwise plaited. The 

 large embryo begins to germinate in the fruit before it falls. 



Rather rare is Sonneratia apetala, Ham. (LythraceEe). It is a pretty 

 slender tree, reaching a height of 40 ft. The slender, drooping 

 branches bear entire, coriaceous, glabrous leaves. The calyx is thickly 

 coriaceous. The depressed globose capsule is about f in. broad and 

 supported by the persistent calyx. The many-curved, angular seeds 

 are imbedded in pulp. The short, foliaceous cotyledons are convolute, 

 the elongate radicle terete. This beautiful tree may be found v.g., 

 between Bombay and Sewree and also in Mumbra and Dharamptar. 



More common is another species of the same genus — Sonneratia acida, 

 L. The small tree, which rarely reaches a height of 15 ft., occurs on 

 the Island of Salsette, in Ratnagiri, Vingorla, Hareshvar, Dharamtar, 

 Kanara. Its elliptic-oblong or obovate leaves are coriaceous and 

 nearly sessile. The coriaceous calyx is borne on a very short, thick 



