8 FLORA OF SEYCHELLES AND ALDABRA 



Mahe : Not uncommon in the forest of the Cascade Estate, 

 Thomasett, 54 ; various other locaHties, Gardiner. Silhouette : 

 Jungle above Mare aux Cochons, at 2000 ft., Gardiner. 



This is the plant collected by Home and E. P. Wright 

 referred to by Baker (Flora, p. 48), under Avodytes. 



Apodytes mauritiana Planch ; Baker Flora, 48. Descriptio 

 hie amplificata. 



Arbor 9-12 m. alta, ramis floriferis crassiusculis rugosis, 

 novellis leviter puberulis. Folia ad ramorum apices conferta, 

 alterna, petiolata, exstipulata, glabra vel citissirao glabrescentia, 

 parum coriacea, in siccis nigrescentia ; lamina lanceolato-oblonga, 

 interdum fere elliptica, 4-8 cm. longa, apice obtusissima vel rotun- 

 data, basi subcuneata, integerrima, supra nitida, subtus opaca ; 

 costa angusta ; venae immersse, obscurae ; petiolus gracilis, circiter 

 1 cm. longus. Flores parvi, albi, odorati, in cymas paniculatas 

 denses puberulas terminales quam folia soopius breviores dispositi, 

 nunc sessiles nunc brevissime pedicellati, ebracteolati vel brac- 

 teolis minimis. Calyx puberulus, cupularis, circiter 0*5 mm. altus, 

 obscure 5-dentatus, dentibus obtusis. Petala 5, valvata, ligulata, 

 3-4 mm. longa, apice inflexa. Stamina 5, petalis alterna ; fila- 

 menta filiformia, nuda, quam petala paulo breviora ; antherge 

 lineares, versatiles, basi bifid^e. Discus minimus vel obsoletus. 

 Gynaeceum glabrum, leviter obliquum. Ovarium uniloculare, 

 biovulatum, ovuhs penduhs superpositis ; stylus stamina vix 

 sequans. Fructus drupaceus, immaturus tantum visus, obhque 

 ellipsoideus, circiter 1 cm. diametro, compressus, intus extusque 

 obscure costatus, extus puberulus, basi appendice ventrali parva 

 hemisphaerica carnosa inter stylum persistentem lateralem in- 

 structus. Semen unicum tantum saepius evolutum, fere planum ; 

 embryo minutus. 



Aldabra : Thomasset, 225 ; Fryer, 62. 



Celasteace^. 



Celastrus senegalensis Lam., sensu D. Oliver Fl. Trop. 

 Africa, i, 361. 



The Aldabra specimens are easily sorted into three forms, or 

 varieties, or whatever status may ultimately be ascribed to them. 



Forma 1. Frutex spinis validis armatus. Eami albidi, rigi- 

 dissimi, internodiis brevissimis. Folia brevissime petiolata, 

 coriacea, obovato-oblonga vel interdum fere spathulata, plerumque 

 3-5 cm. longa, obscure calloso-denticulata ; venae in siccis prae- 

 cipue subtus sat conspicuae. Cymae parvae, multifiorae, breviter 

 pedunculatae vel sessiles. Capsulae subglobosae, 4-5 mm. diametro, 

 nudae, bivalvae, valvis demum divergentes. 



Aldabra : Dupont, 41 ; Fryer, 57 ; Thomasset, 256. 



Dupont gives this the name of Bambara Chapelet. " Bambara," 



according to Baker, is a name applied in Mauritius to Tocldalia 



aculeata, Scutia Commersonii, and Pisonia aculeata — all shrubs 



. armed with spines. This form is nearest typical C. senccjcdensis 



Lam. 



