1 60 MalvaceCB. [Eriodendron. 



B. malabarlcum, DC. Prod. i. 479 (1S24). Katu-imbul, S. 

 Parutti, T. 



Fl. Zeyl. n. 221. B. Ceiba, L. Sp. PI. 511 (in part) ; Moon Cat. 50. 

 Salmalia malabarica, Schott, Thw. Enum. 28. C. P. 545. 

 Fl. B. Ind. i. 349. Wight, 111. t. 29. Bedel. Fl. Sylv. t. 82. 



A tall, deciduous tree, with a straight, erect, buttressed 

 trunk and wide-spreading branches, bark smooth, whitish, set 

 with broad-based, conical, hard, sharp prickles, young parts 

 glabrous ; 1. large, .spreading, digitate, closely placed, petiole 

 longer than Iflts., glabrous, cylindrical, Iflts. 3-7, lanceolate or 

 oval, 4-8 in., middle are the largest, on short stalks, acute at 

 base, acuminate, acute, glabrous, stip. small, triangular, acute, 

 deciduous; fl. large, 3 in. diam., on short stout deflexed ped. 

 solitary in axils of last year's fallen leaves near the ends of 

 the branches, appearing before the new 1.; cal. i in., very 

 thick, cup-shaped, deeply obtusely 2 or 3-lobed, glabrous 

 outside, densely silky with long white adpressed hairs within, 

 wholly deciduous ; pet. 2-3 in., obovate-oblong, obtuse or 

 subacute, erect, recurved above, densely finely stellate-hairy 

 outside, stellate -pilose within, thick, deciduous with cal.; 

 stam. half as long as pet., 55-60, fil. connate only at base of 

 bundles, pink, anth. brown ; ov. conical, glabrous, closely 

 surrounded by the tube of inner bundle of stam., style a little 

 exceeding stam. stigmas 5, acute, spreading, recurved ; capsule 

 3^-4 in,, fusiform, blunt, glabrous, green, valves leathery 

 densely lined within with long white cottony or silky hair ; 

 seeds ovoid, over \ in., smooth, glabrous, enveloped in closely 

 packed cotton. 



Low country, up to 2500 ft.; common, but often planted. Fl. Jan.? 

 Feb.; bright pinkish-red. 



Also throughout India, and in Burma, Java, and Sumatra. 



The well-known 'Cotton-tree,' very conspicuous in the dry season 

 from its display of large showy flowers on the bare branches and soon 

 after strewing the ground, followed ciuickly by the ripe pods. It is one of 

 our few completely deciduous trees, and often grows to an immense size. 



The calyx separates from the receptacle by a clean annular scar, and 

 carries away with it the pet. and stam. in one piece. 



Linnxus included under his B. Cciba a Tropical American species also, 

 and it is to that that his name is now restricted by botanists. Hermann 

 docs not seem to have noticed this tree. 



The cotton is used for stuffing cushions, &c. The wood is very light 

 and soft, whitish, with no heart-wood. 



II. ERIODENDRON, DC. 

 Large trees ; 1. digitate ; fl. in clusters, no bracteoles ; cal. 

 campanulate, rather obscurely 5-lobcd, persistent ; pet. 5, 

 slightly connate at base, imbricate ; stam. apparently 5 (pro- 



