342 BURMA, ITS PEOPLE AXD PRODUCTIONS. 



Onlrr APOCY^^E.E. 



Flowers regular, hermaphrodite. Calyx free, o-parted, or the sepals distinct, 

 imbricate in bud, bearing occasionally small glands or scales inside at the base. 

 Corolla-Iohes 5, spreading, twisted imbricate, or larely valvate in bud, the throat 

 sometimes closed with a corona of scales, and often hairy. Stamens 5, inserted in 

 the tube and alternating with the corolla-lobes. Anthers erect, turned inwards, 

 2-celled, the cells opening by longitudinal slits, either free and included in the 

 usually swollen part of the corolla-tube, or sometimes exserted and connate, or 

 connivent in a cone or ring round the style. Pollen not collected in masses, but 

 the auricles at the base of the anthers, or the tips occasionally without pollen. 

 Ovary 2-celled, with axile placentas, or more, usually the 2 carpels distinct, and 

 with parietal placentas, the cells or carpels with few to numerous ovules, in 2 or 

 more rows, attached to the placentas. Sfylrs 1 or 2, distinct at the base, but united 

 aipwards. Stic/ma usually thickened, mitre-like, membranous or bulbous at the base, 

 terminating in a short entire or 2-cleft point. Fruit either a single drupe or berry, 

 or more frequently each or 1 of the carpels forms a follicle, opening along the inner 

 edge. Seeds pendulous, or rarely ascending, or peltately attached, usually albu- 

 minous, often bearing a tuft of hairs at one or both ends. Fmhryo straight, 

 with flat or rarely convolute cotyledons. Trees or shrubs, often climbing, rarely 

 alternate, simple, with or without gland-like small inteipetiolar stipules. Flowers 

 usually cymose or cymose-panicled, axillary or terminal. Bracts usually very small, 

 rarely larger and coloured, deciduous. Bractlets usually none. 



Series I. GTMXOSPERlIiE. 

 Seeds naked, i.e. without a deciduous tuft of hairs at their extremities, some- 

 times persistently haiiy-fiinged all round, more so at the extremities. Anthers free. 



* Corolla valcate in hud. 

 STHYCHNIEJE. 

 Oiary entire, 2-celled, with axile placentas. 



SiETCHNOs, Linnams. 



Corolla-throat naked or bearded. Berry corticate or sappy, the seeds imbedded 

 in pulp. Albumen horny. Trees or seandeut shrubs. 



* Freet trees, vithout tendrils. 

 X Corolla ylabrous at the throat, the tube long. 

 S. Nrx-voiricA, L. All over Burma up to 2000 feet. 



Kha-boung. (Kuchla in India.) 



Corymbs peduncled, terminal or terminating axillary shoots ; berries the size of 

 an orange or smaller, many-seeded, the pericarp thick and eoiky. 



The strychnos-trce is about the size of an apple-tree, and the fruit, which has 

 a hard rind, closely resembles an orange in appearance. Ou breaking into it, the 

 round flat seeds are seen imbedded in an orange pulp, which, though somewhat 

 bitter, is edible, and is largely consumed by hornbills, whence, in India, these birds 

 are named Kuchla-kai, or ' strychnos-eaters.' 



X X Corolla villuus at the throat. 



S. POTATORUM, L. 



Panicle very short, axillary. C'oroUa-tube about 2 lines long. Berries 1 -seeded, 

 the pericarp coriaceous. 



The seeds are used to claiify water. A seed is rubbed over the inside of an 

 earthen water-pot, whose rough surface abrades the albuminous fleshy body of the 

 seed. On water being now agitated in the pot, the albumen becomes dissolved, and 

 on standing forms a flocculent deposit, which carries down with it any floating 

 impurities, and the clear water can then be decanted. A Little alum is, however, 

 more commonly used for clarifying purposes. 



