THE MANGROVE OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY. 653 



are sessile. The cylindric, acute fruit, resembling a miniature curved 

 carrot, is coriaceous, striate, and one-seeded. Dehiscence is longitudinal. 

 The seed is curved in the same way as the pericarp. The inferior 

 radicle is long and enlarged at the base. The cotyledons are very 

 small. sEgkeras majus shows vivipary, though not in the complete 

 form of the Rhizophoracese. The seeds begin to germinate while still 

 included in the pericarp, wherefore Linnaeus gave it the name of 

 Rhizophora corniculata. 



The rather gloomy looking salt-marshes are often beautified by a 

 handsome little shrub, Acanthus ilicifolius, L., which on account of 

 its holly-like leaves was called sea-holly. The cylindrical, glabrous 

 stems, rarely exceeding the height of 4 ft., are scarcely branched. 

 The large oblong-oval or oblong-lanceolate leaves have the base acute, 

 the apex acute or truncate. On each margin there are a few large, 

 spinous teeth, continuations of the lateral veins. Besides, they are 

 coriaceous, rigid and shining. The blunt, apiculate capsule, about 

 1 in. long, is shining and bright-brown. It is in this invariable under- 

 growth in the mangrove -swamps that we meet again those characteristic 

 stilt-roots of Rhizophora muoronata, though not in the same luxurious 

 form. There is no vivipary in the sea-holly ; nevertheless, a peculiarity 

 as regards reproduction is observed in Acanthus ilicifolius, viz., a greater 

 development of the embryo while still inclosed in the pericarp than is 

 usually the case with inland plants. 



We come to the last representative of our mangrove, viz., Exccecaria 

 ag allodia, L., called Blinding tree in India on account of the fresh sap 

 being extremely acrid. The small tree bears rather thick branchlets, 

 marked with leaf-scars. The leaves are entire and rather thick. The 

 catkin-like male spikes are numerous. The sessile male flowers are 

 surrounded by acuminate bracts. The more slender female spikes are not 

 so numerous. The capsule, very variable in size, is \ — nearly 1 in. in 

 diameter. The blinding tree, occurring in tidal estuaries and back- 

 waters, is not common. 



If we compare with each other the different species which make up the 

 mangrove formation, one fact before all is most striking, viz., that all are 

 possessed of coriaceous leaves. These, again, have a shining surface and 

 their margins entire, with the only exception of Carapa obovata which 

 bears pinnate leaves. If we further examine the internal structure of 

 the leaves, we meet the same uniformity as regards their anatomy. 

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