Penfapetes] StercuHacecs. 169 



p. suberifolium, La7n. III. iii. 136 (1823). 'Welangra, i". 

 Vinanku, T. 



Herm. Mus. 3. Fl. Zeyl. n. 250. Pentapetes suberifolia, L. Sp. PL 

 698 ; Moon Cat. 49. Thvv. Enum. 30. C. P. 1136. 

 Fl. B, Ind. i. 367. Hook. Bot. Misc. iii. t. supp. 26. 



A rather small tree, with thick longitudinally cracked 

 bark, young parts finely tomentose ; 1. distichous, 2-4 in., 

 obovate-oblong, rounded at base, bluntly acuminate, often 

 irregularly lobed or jagged in the upper part, often unequal- 

 sided, glabrous above, white or yellowish beneath with fine 

 tomentum, petioles short, tomentose, stip. small, caducous ; 

 fl. rather large, i-i^ in. diam., axillary, usually solitary, on 

 thick, tomentose, jointed ped., with several caducous bractlets ; 

 sep. f in., linear, obtuse, reflexed, thick, densely stellate- 

 tomentose outside, pubescent and with a central line of long 

 hair within, caducous ; pet. rather shorter than sep., linear 

 lanceolate ; stam. connate into a short tube at base, anth. 

 linear ; capsule 2-2| in., oblong, attenate at base, tapering to 

 a sharp point, covered with fine white tomentum ; wing of 

 seed broad, terminal, twice the length of the seed. 



Low country, especially in the dry region ; common. FL May ; 

 yellowish-white, very sweet-scented. 

 Also in Southern India and Burma. 

 Wood moderately hard, tough, pale red. 



5. PENTAPETES, L. 



An annual herb ; fl. axillary, solitary, with caducous 

 bracteoles ; sep. 5, slightly connate at base ; pet. 5 ; stam. 20, 

 connate at base, 5 very much longer, barren ; ov. 5-celled, 

 with many ovules ; fruit a loculicidal, 5-valved capsule ; seeds 

 numerous, angular. — Monotypic. 



* P. pboenicea, L. Sp. PI. 698 (1753). 



FL B. Ind. i. 371. Rheede, Hort. Mai. x. t. 56. 



A slightly branched annual, 2-5 ft., stem glabrous ; 1. very 

 variable, 1-5 in., oblong-deltoid to linear, strongly crenate- 

 serrate, glabrous above, with a few stellate hairs on the veins- 

 beneath, petiole short, stip. linear, as long as petiole ; fl. large, 

 i-i| in., solitary or 2, axillary, ped. shorter than 1., jointed 

 near the top, scabrid with few stellate hairs, bracteoles 3-5, 

 filiform, half as long as cal, very early caducous ; sep. narrow- 

 lanceolate, very acute, caudate, scabrous with few stellate 

 hairs ; pet. obovate ; barren stam. (staminodes) linear, obtuse, 

 3 times as long as the fertile ones ; capsule subglobose, h in.,. 



