Rhamnns. pentandria monogynia. 



605 



with ash-colour and brown, that of the young shoots smooth 

 and green. Leaves alternate, rarely sub-opposite, short-pe- 

 tioled, reclinate, oblong- ventrieose, serrate, pretty smooth on 

 both sides ; from one to three inches long, and from half an 

 inch to an inch broad. Stipules petiolary, ensiform, ciliate, base 

 permanent. Peduncles from the scales which embrace the 

 base of the young shoots, ami axillary, generally tern, slen- 

 der, one-flowered. Flowers very small, yellow. Calyx campa- 

 nulate, more generally four than five-cleft. Corol no other 

 than the little scales of the genus, which are here very imper- 

 fect. Filaments four or five, as there are divisions in the 

 border of the calyx, small. Anthers often imperfect. Germ 

 two or three-lobed, ovate, smooth, from two to three-celled, 

 with one ovulum in each, attached to the lower and inner an- 

 gle of its cell. Style short. Stigma two or three-cleft; 

 segments recurved. 



It differs from R. catharticus ; the only species known to 

 me which it approaches in having a two or three-cleft stig- 

 ma, with just as many lobes, cells, and seeds as in the germ, 

 consequently the number of seeds in the berry can never ex- 

 ceed the contents of the germ, it cannot therefore be catharti- 

 cus, which has a four-cleft stigma, and four-seeded berry. 



4. R. lucidns. R. 



Sub-arboreous, armed with short, opposite and solitary, 

 recurved aculei. Leaves opposite, from round to oblong, 

 emarginate, entire, polished and firm. Peduncles axillary, 

 short, from two to four-flowered. Berries globular, general- 

 ly two-seeded. 



A small, very ramous tree, with far spreading and strag- 

 gling, some what scahderit branches ; a native of Mauritius. 

 It is very nearly allied to R. circumscissus, the chief differ- 

 ence is in the leaves being entire and retuse, or emarginate 

 in this species. 



