92 T.xxvii. .sAroTACE.i:. 



Authera 20-30 in 3 series 1. B. latifolia. 



Anthers 16-20 in 2 series. 



CoroUa-tnbe glabrous inside and outside; ovary hairy ; fruit 



hairy when joung 2. B. longifolia. 



Corolla-tube hairy inside and outside ; ovary glabrous ; 



young fruit glabrous 3. B. malaharica. 



iiote. — The genus Bassia was established by Koeuig (Linn. Mantiss. p. 555). In his 

 description o( Bassla longifolia, LinnjEUS (Mantiss. p. 563) mentions that Xoenig(MS.) 

 had giveu Illipe as a name of the plant. This name {Illipe) is the Tamil name of the 

 tree and Koenig evidently intended to explain that it was the Illipe of the inhabitants 

 of the Malabar coast {Illipe 7nalubururum). F. von Mueller (Select Extra-Tro]i. PL 

 ed. 5, p. 181 ) under the mistaken notion that Ka?nig, notwithstanding his having already 

 established the genus Bassia, had changed the name of that genus to Ulipe, called 

 Bassla latifolia by the name Illipe latifolia. Engler (Eagl. & Frantl, Pflanzenf. v. 4, 

 part 1, p. 133) follows Mueller in his mislake and gives the name Illipe, Koenig, to the 

 genus. Koenig lias nowhere published the genus as Illipe, and the only name possible 

 to recognize for it is Bass^ia. 



1. Bassia latifolia, Roxh. Cor. PI. v. 1 (1795) p. 20, t. 19. A 



deciduous tree reaching; 40-50 ft. high ; bark thick, dark-colored, 

 cracked, the inner bark red, inilky ; trunk short ; branches numerous, 

 spreading, forming a thick shady head (branched like an oak, Dalz. dc 

 Gibs.). Leaves clustered near the ends of tlie branches, 3-9 by Ik-'i^ 

 in., coriaceous, hard and firm, elliptic or elliptic-oblong, shortly acuminate, 

 pubescent or tomentose when young, at length glabrous, base rounded 

 or acute; main nerves lO-l-l- pairs, |-| in. (or in large leaves | in.) 

 apart, with closely reticulate veins between ; petioles l-lg in. long, at 

 first pubescent, ultimately glabrous or nearly so ; stipules |-| in long, 

 subulate, densely pubescent, very caducous. Elowers in dense fascicles 

 near the ends of the branches, below the terminal leaf-bud ; pedicels 1- 

 1| in. long, drooping, fulvous- or rusty-pubescent or -tomentose. Calyx 

 £• in. long, divided nearly to the base ; segments ovate, subacute, rusty- 

 tomentose, usually 4 (rarely 5), the two outer subvalvate and enclosing 

 the others. Corolla cream-colored, rather more than g in. long ; tube 

 ^ in. long, fleshy, rugose when dry ; lobes 7-14 (usually 8-9), ovate- 

 lanceolate, acute^ erect. Stamens 20-30 (usu.-dly 24-26); anthers in 3 

 series, acuminate, hairy at the buck. Ovary hirsute ; style 1 in. long or 

 more, hairy at the base. Berry 1-2 in. long, fieshv, ovoid, greenish. 

 Seeds 1-4." Fl. B. I. v. 3, p. 544; Grab. Cat. p. 107 ; Dalz. & Gibs, 

 p. 139; Bedd. Flor. Svlvat. t. 41 ; Talb. Trees, Bomb. ed. 2, p. 20(5; 

 Woodr. in Journ. Boinb. Nat. v. 12(1898) p. 163; Watt, Diet. Econ. 

 Prod. V. 1, p. 406.— Flowers : Jan. -Apr. Veun. Mohd ; Mhovd. 



Throughout the Konkans, plentiful in Gujarat, Graham, Dalsell^ Gibson. Konkan : 

 Lan^ : : Malabar Hill (Bombay ), Grahaiu : Maihcran Ghat, H. M. Birdwood. Deccan : 

 Khandala, Wood row]; Peint Taluka, Wondrow. S. M. Country: Belgaum, liitchie, 

 IJJiA; Padshapur, liitchie, 11051 Kanaka: forests of N. Kanara but nowhere 



abundant, Talhot. 



A mos( useful tree. An oil is extracted from the kernels of the fruit, wiiich is eaten 

 and used for soap-making. Tlie flowers are largely eaten either raw or cooked and a 

 spirit is distilled from them from wiiicii a large revenue accrues to Government. For 

 a full description see Watt, Diet. Econ. Prod. 1. c — Distkib. India (Central Provinces, 

 Central India, Oude, liirnui, W. Peninsula), cultivated and often self-sown. 



2. Bassia longifolia, Linn. Mantiss. v. 2, App. (1771) p. 563. A 

 large tret;; branches inimerous ; bark thick, dark brown, scaly, the 

 inner darl; red, milk; ; young j^art-^ pinkij^h-wliite. silky-puhcHcent. 



