Gastonia. decandria monogynia. 407 



GASTONIA. Juss. gen. n. 242. 



Calyx obscurely from eight to ten-toothed. Petals 

 from eight to ten. Germ inferior, from eii^ht to ten-cell- 

 ed ; cells one-seeded ; attachment superior. Stigma from 

 eight to ten-rayed. Capsule evalvular, from eight to 

 ten-celled. Seed solitary. Embryo inverse, and furnish- 

 ed with a perisperm. 



1. G. palmata. R. 



Sub-arboreous, armed. Leaves palmate, serrate ; pe- 

 tioles armed. 



An erect, stout shrub, or small tree ; every part well 

 armed with numerous, short, straight prickles. A native 

 of the moist vallies of Chittagong, where it blossoms in 

 January and February, and the seeds ripen in May and 

 June. 



Stem, in luxuriant plants in the Botanic garden at 

 Calcutta now three years old, straight, nearly simple, 

 about as thick as our largest walking canes, from six to 

 seven feet high, completely armed with numerous, small, 

 straight and incurved prickles, toward the leaves, round, 

 the top intermixed with appressed, feruginous, stiff 

 bristles. Branches only two or three from the lower 

 parts of the stem, where it is thicker, and more ligneous, 

 in every respect like the stem. Full grown trees in 

 their native vallies, are from ten to twelve feet high, 

 with stems twelve inches in circumference, bearing only 

 a few branches at the top. The leaves round the top of 

 the stem and branches are nearly round, alternate, ap- 

 proximate, petioled, palmate ; from five to nine-lobed, 

 from five to nine-nerved, of a hard texture, the upper sur- 

 face pretty smooth, the under one rather rough ; /062s lan- 

 ceolate, acuminate, acutely serrate; sinuses round ; the 

 length and breadth from twelve to thirty-six inches. 



