io6 VII. MENISPERMACE^. [Ftbraureu. 



Use : The wood of the stem and roots formerly used as a yellow 

 dye, and also used in medicine. The whole plant very bitter. 



5. COSCINIUM, Colebr. 



Climbing shrubs, not very stout. Leaves ovate more or less 

 peltate. Flowers in dense globose heads, in racemes or panicles. 

 Sepals 6, orbicular. Petals 3, large spreading elliptic; anthers 

 adnate, outer i-celled, inner 2-celled. Female flower, staminodes 6. 

 Ovaries 3 to 6 ; styles subulate. Drupes globose ; endocarp bony. 

 Seed globose, embracing a globose intrusion of the endocarp. 

 Albumen fleshy ruminate. Embryo straight, cotyledons orbicular. 

 Species 6, Indo-Malayan. 



Leaves very slightly peltate ovate yellowish tomentose 



beneath; flower-heads small . . . . (i) C. Wallichianum 



Leaves oblong distinctly peltate, tomentum white ; 



flower-heads large (^) C. Blumeanum 



(i) C. Wallichianum Miers, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. Scr. 2, 

 vii. 37. C. fenestratum Hook. fil. and Thorn. Ft. Ind. i. 99 {partly) ; 

 King, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. 381. C. Maingayi Pierre Fl. For. 

 Cochinchine, pi. 112. 



A moderate liane. Stem yellow when cut, tomentose above. 

 Leaves coriaceous ovate-peltate, above glabrous shining, beneath 

 yellowish tomentose ; nerves 5, radiating from base, prominent 

 beneath as are the reticulations, with 2 pairs of nerves from the 

 midrib above ; 6 to 7 in. long, 4-5 to 6 in. across ; petioles woolty, 

 3 in. long, thick. Male heads of flowers from the branches, in 

 tomentose panicles, 4 in. long; peduncles i in. long; heads "2 in. 

 across. Outer sepals short, inner ones longer oblong pilose. Drupes 

 globose I in. through, fawn colour, on much thickened branches. 

 Hah. Common in woods, but seldom to be found in flower. Singa- 

 pore, Changi. Malacca (Maingay). Perak. Distrib. South India, 

 Ceylon. Native names: Akar Kunyit ; KunyitBabi; Tol (Sakai). 

 Use : In dart poison by the Sakais. 



(2) C. Blumeanum Miers, Contrib. Bot. in. 23 ; Hook. fil. 

 F.B.I, i. 99; King, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. I.e. 381. 



A woody climber, whitish woolly. Leaves coriaceous, oblong- 

 ovate or oblong shortl}^ acuminate, base rounded quite peltate, 

 above glabrous, beneath white tomentose; nerves 7 radiating 

 from apex of petiole, reticulations prominent, secondary nerves 

 inarching near the edge ; 8 to 15 in. long, 4 to 6 in. wide ; petioles 

 6 to 8 in. long, thickened at both ends. Male inflorescence from 

 the old wood 4 to 5 in. long, woolly-tomentose ; branchlets '5 in. 

 long thick. Heads globose "5 in. across. Sepals and petals light 

 yellow, silky-tomentose outside, lanceolate sub-spathulate, inner 

 ones narrower. Stamens 6. Hab. Forests. Dindings, Lunuit 

 (Curtis). Penang Hill, 200 to 2000 ft. altitude (Walhch, Maingay). 

 Kedah, Alor Sta. Native name : Akar Mengkunyit. 



