Diospyros?^ Ebenace^. 93 



3. D. Embryopteris, Pers. Syn. PL ii. 624 (1807). Timbiri, S. 

 Panichchai, T. 



Ejnbryopteris glutinifera, Roxb., Moon Cat. 70. Thw. Enum. 178. 

 C. P. 1915. 



Fl, B. Ind. iii. 556, Wight, Ic. tt. 843, 844 {E. glutinifera). Bedd. 

 Fl. Sylv. t. 69. Bentl. and Trim. Med. PI. t. 168 (from a Ceylon specimen). 



A moderate-sized or large tree with a thick fluted trunk 

 and many spreading branches forming a dense wide head, 

 bark thick, rather smooth, blackish, flaking off" in large pieces, 

 twigs stout, young parts silky; 1. numerous, spreading dis- 

 tichously, persistent, large, 5-7 in., oblong or lanceolate-oblong, 

 usually tapering, rarely rounded at base, obtuse or subacute, 

 glabrous, rather coriaceous, veins translucent not prominent 

 when living but becoming so when dried, petiole \ in., thick, 

 rigid; male fl. rather small, 2-5 together, on short ped. in 

 shortly pedunculate pubescent racemose cymes ; cal. shallowly 

 cup-shaped, silky, segm. 4 very broad; cor. broadly campanu- 

 late, very thick, lobes 4, very short, spreading ; stam. 24-64, 

 usually 40, equal, anth. linear, fil. extremely short, ov. reduced 

 to a lobed fleshy disk; fem. fl. much larger than male, i in. 

 diam., solitary, on short ped., cal. glabrous or pubescent, 

 segm. 4, deep, erect, broadly ovate, cordate and dilated at 

 base, acute ; cor. campanulate, lobes 4, deep, cordate, obtuse, 

 recurved ; staminodes usually adnate to cor.-tube ; ov. hairy, 

 8-celled, styles 4, stigmas lobed and undulated ; fruit large, 

 1 2-3 2 i'^v subglobose, very thick, covered with a hard rusty 

 mealiness readily detached, yellow, 8-celled, enlarged cal. 

 spreading or reflexed, pericarp thin, pulp viscid and glutinous ; 

 seeds 4-8, oblong, flattened, smooth, reddish-brown. 



Var. /3, atrata, Thtu. I. c. C. P. 2731. 



L. thinner, densely covered, as also the buds, inflor. and 

 cal, with long black hair. 



Var. y, nervosa, Thw. I. c. C. P. 1910. 



L. very coriaceous, shorter and broader, venation prominent 

 on both sides, inflor. and cal. covered with black hair ; cal.- 

 segm. greatly enlarged with fruit, erect, as long as fruit. 



Low country; very common in the dry region, especially by streams, 

 much rarer in the moist. Var. y, moist region only. Galle ; Reigam 

 Korale ; Ratnapura. Fl. May ; yellow, sweet-scented, white in var. y. 



Also in India and Malaya. 



The juice of the unripe fruit is very astringent, and is included in the 

 official Indian Pharmacopoeia. Here the bark alone seems to be used 

 medicinally, and as an external application only ; but the juice of the 

 fruit is much employed as a tan for fishing-nets and for the planks of 



