coo MONOECIA PENTANDRIA. XmitMum. 



den in 1798. Now, July 1802, both male and female trees 

 are in blossom, and about fifteen feet high. 



Trunk straight. Bark smooth.^ olive-coloured. Branches 

 numerous, spreading in every direction. Young shoots 

 clothed with much short, soft, hairy pubescence. Leaves al- 

 ternate, petioled, from ovate to round-cordate, three-nerved, 

 serrate, acute, harsh, deep green above, hoary underneath, 

 from four to eight inches long, and from two to six or seven 

 broad. Petioles rather shorter than the leaves, round, downy. 

 Stipules semi-cordate, lanceolate, caducous. Panicles axil- 

 lary, solitary, with a few flexuose branches. Male flow- 

 ers, hitherto they have been only found in a distinct tree, 

 and collected in little, rather remote fascicles over the rami- 

 fications of the panicles. Calyx four-toothed. Stamens 

 lonof and recurved. Female flowers collected in little, 

 round, aggregate heads. Calyx urceolate, entire, becoming- 

 succulent. Style or stigma single, long, curved, villous. 

 Berry round, size of a pea, very succuh t, pure, pellucid, 

 white when ripe, and containing many very minute seeds. 



The taste of the ripe fruit is sweet, but rather insipid. 



MONOECIA PENTANDRIA. 



XANTHIUM. Schreh. gen. N. 1426. 



Jllale calyx ; common imbricated. Coro/one-petalled, five- 

 cleft, funnel-formed. Receptacle chaffy. Female calyx ; in- 

 volucre two-leaved, two-flowered. Corol none. Drupe dry, 

 murexed, two-cleft. J^^ut two-celled. Lhin. Syst. 



To our Indian plant the foil owId';' essential generic charac- 

 ter suits better, viz. Male aggregate. Calyx ; common, im- 

 bricated ; corollets tubular, five-toothed. JVectary cylindric, 

 antheriferous. female calyx as in the male. Corol none. 

 Germ superior, two-celled ; cells one-seeded ; attachment in- 

 ferior. Styles two pair. Drupe dry, muricate, two-celled. 

 Seed solitary. Embryo erect, without perisperm. 



