176 Flora of the Malayan Peninsula. 



6. Bassia, Linn. 



Trees with milky juice. Leaves coriaceous or chartaceous, often 

 •clustered at the ends of the branchlets ; stipules caducous. Floivers 

 fascicled, in the axils of the leaves or of the scars of fallen leaves, 

 pedicellate, pedicels frequently reflexed. Calyx-lobes 4, the 2 outer 

 usually valvate, enclosing the 2 inner imbricate. Corolla campanulate ; 

 tube broad ; lobes 6 to 12, contorted in bud, erect in flower, imbricate. 

 Stamens twice the number of the corolla-lobes or more, inserted in one 

 or more rows on the corolla-tube ; filaments usually short ; anthers 

 generally lanceolate, laterally or extrorsely dehiscing ; connective 

 generally produced in an acumen; staminodes none. Ovary villous, 

 4-12- (usually 6-8-) -celled ; style linear, subulate, more or less elongate. 

 Fruit a globose or oblong or ovoid berry, few-seeded. Seeds ellipsoid, 

 usually compressed ; testa crustaceous, shining ; hilum oblong or linear, 

 conspicuous ; albumen none ; cotyledons thick, fleshy ; radicle small. — 

 DiSTEiB. About 40 species, found in India, Ceylon, the Malay Penin- 

 sula, and Malay Archipelago. 



In several of the species the fruit is unknown, and some of these may prove, when 

 it becomes available, to belong to Payeiia, which is hardly separable except by the 

 important character of having albuminous seeds and leafy cotyledons. 



We have not followed Baillon and Engler in changing the name of this genus to 

 Illilie, as we agree in the opinions expressed by Drs. Trimen (" Flora of Ceylon ") and 

 Cooke ("Flora of Bombay") that the word lllipe was not intended by Konig to be 

 employed as the name of a genus, but was merely mentioned as being the vernacular 

 name employed by the natives of Malabar for one of the species. 



Flower-buds large, nearly -75 in. long, conical ; intramarginal 

 nerve of leaves prominent; pedicels thick, 1-5 to 2 in. long . . 1. jB. aristulata. 

 Flower-buds moderately large, about "4 in. long, globose ; intra- 

 marginal nerve present ; pedicels short, about '4 in. long :— 



Intramarginal nerve conspicuous ; leaves 10 to 14 in. long . . 2. B. Kingiana. 

 Intramarginal nerve faint ; leaves 4 to 6 in. long . . 3.7?. Kunstleri, 



Flower-buds moderately large. -4 in. long or rather less, conical : — • 

 Leaves large, over 6 in. long ; main-nerves prominent : — 

 Pedicels over 1 in. long ; leaves coriaceous, silky-pubescent 

 beneath ; main-nerves straight, intramarginal nerve present ; 

 connective of anthers penicillate . . . . . . A. B. penicillata. 



Pedicels under -6 in. long ; leaves chartaceous, sparsely 

 pubescent beneath ; main-nerves curved, no intramarginal 

 nerve ; connective of anthers not penicillate . . . . 5. B. malaccensis. 



Leaves moderate-sized, under 6 in. long; main-nerves not 



prominent . . . . . . . . . . 6. i>\ Curtisii. 



Flower-buds small, under -3 in. long, usually conical, generally 

 in many-flowered fascicles : — 



Pedicels usually under 5 in. long : — 



Pedicels and flower-buds densely tawny-pubescent ; connec- 

 tive of anthers produced in a long point . . . . 7. Z>. laurifoliu. 



386 



