CELASTRACEAE 301 
Species about 5, all tropical, 2 in the Philippines of which the following 
is introduced. 
*1..S. puRPUREA L. Sirihuelas (Tag.). (Corruption of Sp. Ciruela= 
“Plum.”) 
A deciduous tree usually about 8 m high with stout trunks and stout 
spreading branches. Leaves pinnate, 15 to 25 cm long. Leaflets 5 to 9 
pairs, oblong-ovate, inequilateral, acuminate, thin, 5 to 7 cm long, entire 
or slightly crenate. Flowers solitary or fascicled in the axils of fallen 
leaves, reddish, 3 to 3.5 mm long, pedicels jointed. Stamens 10, 5 alter- 
nating ones longer than the others. Fruit subglobose,.about 2.5 cm long, 
the pericarp fleshy, purplish outside, the stone large, very hard. (FI. Filip. 
pl. 182.) 
Common along the Parafiaque road, and occasional in other places, de- 
ciduous and fl. Feb.—Apr.; widely distributed in the Philippines. A native 
of tropical America, introduced into the Philippines at an early date. 
77. CELASTRACEAE (CELASTRUS FAMILY) 
Trees or shrubs, often climbing. Leaves opposite or alternate, simple, 
petioled. Flowers perfect or polygamous, small, cymose or panicled. Calyx 
small, 4- or 5-lobed, imbricate, persistent. Petals 4 or 5, free, imbricate. 
Stamens usually the same number as the petals. Disk prominent, lobed 
or entire. Ovary sessile, free or confluent with the disk, 3- to 5-celled, 
cells 2-ovuled; style short or none. Fruit a dehiscent capsule with arillate 
seeds, or hard and indehiscent with many scattered seeds. 
Genera about 38, species 450 or more, in most temperate and tropical 
regions, 8 genera and about 12 species in the Philippines. 
1. Inflorescence of terminal and axillary panicles........................ 1. Celastrus 
1. Inflorescence of short, dichotomous, axillary cymes. 
2. Fruit a dehiscent, few-seeded capsule...............-...--..--+- 2. Gymnosporia 
2. Fruit many-seeded, indehiscent...................--:-:--secsseseesseeseee 3. Siphonodon 
1. CELASTRUS Linnaeus 
Scandent shrubs with alternate, petioled leaves and terminal and axillary 
panicles. Flowers small. Calyx 5-cleft. Petals 5, spreading. Stamens 
5, on the margin of the broad disk. Ovary 2- to 4-celled, cells 2-ovuled, not 
immersed in the disk; style short, the stigma 3-lobed. Fruit a globose or 
obovoid, 1- to 3-celled, 1- to 6-se¢ded, dehiscent capsule, the seeds enveloped 
in a fleshy aril. (An ancient Greek name.) 
Species about 15, tropical Asia to Japan, Malaya and Australia, and in 
North America, 1 in the Philippines. 
1. C. paniculata Willd. 
A scandent shrub reaching a length of from 4 to 10 m, glabrous, the 
branches lenticellate, pendulous. Leaves ovate to elliptic-ovate, 5 to 12 cm 
long, shortly and abruptly acuminate, crenate, thin. Panicles 7 to 18 cm 
long, rather narrow, lax, pendulous. Flowers numerous, greenish or green- 
ish-white, about 5 mm in diameter. Capsules ovoid or subglobose, 7 to 9 
mm long, yellow, 3-celled, usually 3-seeded, the fleshy aril surrounding the 
seeds red. 
In thickets near Pasig, fl. Apr._March; widely distributed in the Phil- 
ippines. India to Malaya. 
