DiospyrosJ] Ebeuacecs. 99 



tapering; ov. 8- (or 6-) celled; fruit nearly | in., globose, 

 smooth, dark green, cal. much enlarged, flat, spreading, folia- 

 ceous ; seeds 2-8, oblong, endosperm ruminate. 



Moist low country, and up to 4000 ft.; rather rare. Hantane; Wata- 

 goda ; Eknaligoda ; Singhe Raja Forest. FI. April ; white. 

 Also in S. India. 

 Turns black in drying. 



13. ]>. melanoxylon, Roxb. Cor. PI. i. 2)^ (1795). 

 Fl. B. Ind. iii. 564. 



Roxb. Cor. PI. t. 46. Bedd. FI. Sylv. t. 67 {D. Wightiana). 



A small tree, branches irregular, bark deeply fissured both 

 transversely and vertically, in alternate grey and black layers, 

 young shoots fulvous-pubescent; 1. 3-5 in., oblong-oval or 

 •oblong-lanceolate, acute at base, obtuse or rounded at apex, 

 glabrous above, more or less densely tomentose beneath, 

 petiole very short, tomentose; fl. not seen; fruit i-i;^ in., 

 globose, glabrous, cal. slightly enlarged, flat, undulate, with 

 4-6 ovate-triangular acute segm., densely tomentose. 



Low country in the dry region, very rare. Only found between Bibile 

 and Ekiriankumbura, Uva; first in Jan. 1888 in fruit. 



Also in Peninsular India. 



Roxburgh (Fl. Ind. ii. 531) gives Ceylon for his D. Melattoxylon, and 

 is followed by De Candolle and the Fl. of Brit. Ind.; but it was unknown 

 here to Thwaites, and there are no known specimens from the Island, 

 •except from the above locality. My specimens are poor and without 

 flowers, but agree fairly well with Roxburgh's figure, though scarcely with 

 Beddome's. This is the ' Ebony' tree of S. India, but the wood is much 

 inferior to that of D. Ebenumj D. Tupru, Buch.-Ham., is scarcely dis- 

 tinguishable, 



14. D. hirsuta, L.f. Suppl. PI. 440 (1781). 



Thw. Enum. 181. Hiern, Mon. Eben. 163. C. P. 382. 

 Fl. B. Ind. iii. 565. Bedd. Ic. Fl. Ind. Or. t. 137. 



A moderate-sized tree, branchlets and young parts densely 

 ferrugineo-tomentose; 1. 4-7 in., oval or oblong-oval, usually 

 rounded at base, acuminate, obtuse or subacute, glabrous 

 when mature above, usually densely and finely pubescent be- 

 neath, petiole |in. ; fl. sessile, male in dense clusters, fem. 

 larger, usually solitary; cal. densely ferrugineo-tomentose, 

 segm. 5, deeper and broader in fem.; cor. thick, lobes 5, 

 acute ; stam. 5, anth. nearly sessile, apiculate ; ov. usually 10- 

 cclled, densely hairy; fruit |-i in., broadly ovoid, apiculate, 

 densely clothed with rufous hair, enlarged cal. nearly flat, 

 segm. spreading, undulated; seeds 6-10, |-f in. long, endo- 

 sperm ruminate. 



