278 RhamnacecB. \yentilago. 



orange-red, with 1-8 seeds immersed in pulp; seeds somewhat 

 angular. 



Dry region ; rather common. Trincomalie ; Haragama ; Atakalan 

 Korale; Uma-oya. Fl. April; yellow. 

 Also in Southern India. 



XXXVII I.— RHAMNACE^. 



Shrubs or small trees, often climbing; 1. alt. or more rarely 

 opp., with small stip. ; fl. small, regular, bisexual, rarely poly- 

 gamous ; cal. 5-fid, lobes valvate, usually keeled within ; 

 pet. 5, usually very small and involute, or o; stam. 5 (rarely 4), 

 opp. the pet. and often slightly adnate to their base, inserted 

 at the mouth of cal.-tube outside disk ; disk fleshy, lining or 

 filling the cal.-tube, the margin often free ; ov. free or more 

 or less immersed in disk (in Goiiania quite inferior), 2-4-celled, 

 with I erect ovule in each cell, style usually 2-4-fid ; fruit 

 usually indehiscent, fleshy or dry, or a 3-valved capsule of 

 3 separable carp. ; seed with large embryo usually immersed 

 in scanty, fleshy endosperm. 



Fr. dry, indehiscent, i-celled; ov. half-inferior . . i. VentilaGO. 



Fr. a fleshy drupe, stone 1-4-celled ; ov. half-inferior . 2. ZlZYPHUS. 

 Fr. a berry with 2-4 pyrenes ; ov. superior. 



Pyrenes 3 or 4 3. RhamnuS. 



Pyrenes 2. 



Fl. pedicellate in axillary umbels . . . .4. Scutia. 



Fl. sessile in long spicate pannicles . . • 5- Sageretia. 



Fr. a 3-valved capsule ; ov. half-inferior . . .6. Colubrina. 



Fr. of 3 separable winged carpels ; ov. quite inferior . 7. Gou.vnia. 



Of our 12 species, 9 are low country plants, 5 being confined to the 

 dry region and 2 to the moist. Sageretia and both species of Rhamnus 

 are mountain species. 



I. VENTZZiAGO, Gaerin. 



Woody climbers; 1. alternate, with stip.; fl. in large ter- 

 minal panicles ; cal. with an obconical tube, 5-fid ; pet. 5, 

 small ; stam. 5, slightly adnate to base of pet.; disk broad, 

 flat, slightly 5-lobed; ov. half-inferior, 2-celled, styles 2; fruit 



