LAURINEiE. 349 



LITS^EA. F.B.I. 128 XII. 



Trees with alternate leaves and small unisexual 

 flowers clustered in a globose involucre of four or five 

 bracts, which at length opens. Perianth tubular with 

 usually six lobes. Stamens of male flowers nine or 

 twelve, those of the two inner whorls with glands on the 

 filaments. Fruit a berry seated on, and more or less 

 sunk in, the enlarged perianth (like an acorn in its cup). 



Species about loo, in tropical and sub-tropical Asia and 

 Australia. 



Litsa2a wightiana Wall., Cat. 2557!; F.B.I, v 177, XU 



59. A fair sized tree. Leaves alternate varying from 



2 or 3 inches, elliptic, acute or obtuse, and narrowed to 



the stalk, to 6 by 2 inches, oblong-lanceolate acute, very 



firm and coriaceous, glossy on the upper surface where 



the nerves are impressed, pubescent and tomentose and, 



with prominently raised nerves on the under margin, 



entire, revolute : stalk ^ inch. Spike of flower-heads 



2 inches, rusty-tomentose. Heads peduncled 1/5 to 1/3 



inch, spherical in bud : bracts four, very concave and 



firm. Perianth tube J^ inch, narrow-egg-shaped : lobes 



six, silky tomentose. Stamens about twelve, the six 



outer longer and without glands. Female flowers with 



similar staminodes. Stigma large and bushy. Fruit 



oblong, pointed at each end. 



In sholas, common on both plateaus. Fpoti 560, 1695, 

 1725, 1728, 2056, 2064, 2209, 2231, 2489. ■**■ Bottrne 272, 1497, 

 2044, 4656. 



Gen. Dist. South India. 



Considerable variation occurs in the size and shape of the leaves. 



NEOLITSi^A. 128 XII.* 



Formerly included in LITS/tA but differing from that 

 genus ; as now defined, by the leaves being three-nerved 

 at the base, the perianth segments four, and stamens six» 



