Alphonsea.] Menispermacecs. 37 



A tree, buds pubescent ; 1. 2-3 in., narrowly lanceolate, 

 caudate-acuminate, obtuse, attenuate at base, glabrous, shortly 

 stalked ; fl. solitary or 2 together, extra-axillary, ped. \ in., 

 curved, hairy ; sep. minute, reflexed ; outer and inner pet. 

 equal, \ in., ovate, acute, outer spreading ; stam. about 30 ; 

 carp. 1-5, pilose ; style very short, thick ; fruit-carp. 1-4, on 

 stalks \'vci., globose or nearly so, i in., hard and woody, some- 

 what wrinkled, covered with fine close fulvous tomentum. 



Upper zone of the moist low country, ascending into lower zone of the 

 montane region ; common. Hantane; Matale; Hunasgiria; Lagalla; 

 Ramboda ; Galagama. Fl. Sept., March ; pale yellow. 



Also in Travancore. 



3. A. sderocarpa, Thw. Enum. 11 (1858). 

 Thw. Enum. ii. C.P. 2727. 

 Fl. Brit. Ind. i. 89. 



A tree, bark rough, grey, buds fulvous-pilose ; 1. 2-3|- in., 

 lanceolate, obtuse, tapering to base, often somewhat falcate, 

 glabrous, shortly petioled ; fl. small, in leaf-opposed fascicles 

 or on the old wood, ped. very short, hairy ; sep. very small, 

 rounded, pilose ; outer and inner pet, about equal, \ in., lan- 

 ceolate, obtuse, the inner rather narrower, pilose externally ; 

 stam. about 15 ; carp. 3-5, ovules about 8 in 2 rows, style 

 short, glabrous ; frt.-carp. 3-5, on stout stalks \ in. long, sub- 

 globose or ovoid, 1-2 in., very hard and bony, coarsely warted, 

 covered with short yellowish tomentum. 



Low country ; very rare. Only knov/n from or near Haragama on the 

 old road from Kandy to Badulla. Fl. March; very pale greenish-yellow. 

 Endemic. 



v.— MENISPERMACE^. 



Twining shrubs or rarely herbs ; 1. alternate, simple, entire, 

 without stip. ; fl. very small, unisexual, dioecious ; sep. 6, in 

 2 rows (rarely 5 or 4 or i), imbricate, distinct, rarely connate ; 

 pet. 6 (rarely 4 or 3 or i or o), distinct (rarely connate) ; stam. 6, 

 in 2 rows (rarely numerous), opp. pet., distinct or mona- 

 delphous, usually represented by staminodes in fem. fl. ; carp. 

 3-6 (rarely 12 or i), ovule solitary; ripe carp, indehiscent 

 (drupes), with style-scar lateral or sub-basal or sub-terminal, 

 endocarp thin, hard, often deeply excavated on ventral 

 surface and projected inward ; seed usually more or less 



