PhyUanthus. rionoecia monadelphia. G67 



17. P. patens. R. 



Shrubby. Branches spreading, bifarious. Leaves bifa- 

 rious, alternate, pinnate with twelve or more alternate, short- 

 petioled, oval leaflets in each side. Flowers leaflet-axillary ; 

 tUe female ones solitary, the 7nale ones fascicled in the lower 

 axills. Berries erect in the rotate, permanent calyx. 



A native of Chittagong-, and from thence introduced by 

 Mr. William Roxburgh, Jun. into the Botanic garden, where 

 it is in flower all the year, and a very ornamental shrub 

 it is. 



Trunk erect. ^ra?«c/ies spreading, with numerous approx- 

 imated, alternate, bifarious, horizontally spreading- branch- 

 lets. Bark of the woody parts dark brown ; that of the 

 young parts smooth, deep green. Leaves alternate, bifarious, 

 pinnate, spreading, from four to eight inches long. Leaflets 

 on each side from five to fifteen, alternate, short-petioled, 

 oval, entire, smooth on both sides, dark green, a little more 

 than half an inch in general length. Stipules of the petioles 

 forming a three-toothed cup ; those of the leaflets two, semi- 

 cordate, acuminate. Male flowers in the axills of the 

 lower leaflets, several together, very fine-peduncled, droop- 

 ing under the leaves. Bractes minute. Calyx turbinate, 

 scarcely half the length of the calyx. Anthers six or tiiree 

 pair, linear, afiixed longitudinally to the club of the fila- 

 ment. Female flowers in the axills of the middle leaflet, 

 the exterior ones being without flowers, solitary, short-pedun- 

 cled, drooping' while in blossom. Calyx flat, with a border 

 of six reniform, permanent segments. Berry erect on the 

 spreading, enlarged, coloured calyx, three-lobed, smooth, 

 succulent, of the size of a pea, three-celled. Seeds, two in 

 each cell. 



It is much like P. vitis idtea, but in addition to the difter- 

 ence which the description points out, specimens of this 

 species retain their colour when dry, whereas those of v//?s 

 id(ca become remarkably black. 



4 F2 



