T-VIT. MELA.STOMACE.«, 501 



,\-, in. long; style nearly 1 in. long, exceeding the stamens. I'ruit 

 4 in. long, broadly ovoid, trinicate, bursting irregularly usually in a 

 circle, and exposing Ibe 5 large purpliwh-black pnlpy placentas covered 

 wilb numerous minute seeds. Fl. li. 1. v. 2, p. 523 ; Grab. Cat. p. 71 ; 

 AViglit, 111. t. !)') ; Dalz. & Gibs. p. 92 ; Cogniaux, in DC. Monogr. Than. 

 V. 7, p. 'MV ; Trim. Fl. Ceyl. v. 2, p. 190; Krasser, in Engler & Prantl, 

 Pdanzenf. v. Ji, part 7, p. 154, fig. 70, A, B ; Talli. Trees, Bomb. ed. 2, 

 p. 172. Woodr. in Journ. Bomb. Nat. v. 11 (18!I8) p. 637 ; Watt, 

 Diet. Eion. Trod. V. 5, p. 210. — Flowers: Oct.-Mar. Vern. Palore. 



Konkan: S/oc/,-s'., Ddhclll, Law'.; near Vingorla, Coolce\, Wood row \ S. M. 

 Coi'STiiY : Asanwiiri, Dr. Ltixh ex Graham; Ramgli;lt, Rilchie. 293! Kanaka: 

 N. Kanara in moist Torests, often along the banks of nuias near evergreen forests, 

 Talbot ; Kiini))ta, Woodrow; iSiddapur, Woodrow. — Distrib. Throughout ludia (except 

 the (les*M-t) ; Ceylon. 



Tlie pulp of the fruit is edible, tasting something lilio a blackberry; it stains the 

 mouth black. 



3. SONERILA, Eoxb. 



Herbs often woody at the base, usually small, sometimes stemless. 

 Leaves usually membranous, equal or dimorphous, entire or serrulate, 

 3-5-nerved. Flowers in racemes or scorpioid spikes, usually reddish. 

 Calyx glabrous or setose; tube campanulate or funnel-shaped ; teetfi 3, 

 short, usually deciduous. Petals 3, acute, acuminate, or obtuse. Stamens 

 3 (very rarely 6) ; anthers blunt, pointed or rostrate, the cells more or 

 less divergent at the base, not produced below. Ovary adnate to the 

 calyx-tube, 3-celled (the cells alternate with the petals), glabrous at the 

 apex ; ovules many ; style filiform ; stigma truncate or capitate. 

 Capsule included in the calyx-tube, 3-gonous, dehiscing at the apex by 

 3 valves. Seeds numerous, usually muriculate with minute tubercles. — 

 DiSTBiB. India and Malaya with 1 species in S. China ; species about 60. 



Stem ; leaves small ; seeds small 1. S. scapigera. 



Stem distinct ; leaves large ; seeds tuberculate 2. 8. Bhecdei. 



1. Sonerila scapigera, Hook. Loncl. Journ. Bot.y. 7 (1848) p. 672, 

 t. 23. A small glabrous stemless herb 3-4 in. high. Leaves radical, 

 ^-1| by |-1 in., ovate or ovate-oblong, sometimes tinged with purple, 

 obtuse or subacute, minutely creuate-serrate, glabrous on both sides or 

 sometimes minutely glandular-puberulous, base cordate; petioles 1^-2^ 

 in. long. rio\\ers 4-10, crowded, subumbellate : flowering scapes 1-3 

 in. long; pedicels slender, -^-^ in. long. Calyx ^— ^- in. long, funnel- 

 shaped, obscurely 3-sulcate ; teeth short, triangular, acute, deciduous. 

 Petals mauve-colored, ^-g in. long, obovate, obliquely acute. Stamens 

 equalling the style ; anthers y-^ in. long, bright-yellow. Capsule ^-\ 

 in. long. Seeds without raised points. Fl. B. I. v. 2, p. 538; Dalz. & 

 Gibs. p. 93; Cogniaux, in DC. Monogr. Phan. v. 7, p. 513; Woodr. in 

 Journ. Bomb. Nat. v. 11 (1898) p. (i37.— Flowers : July-Aug. The 

 plant was originally described by Hooker (Lend. Journ. Bot. 1. c.) and 

 not by Dalzell, as erroneously stated in Fl. B. I. (/. c), a mistake which 

 is followed by Cogniaux and by the ' Index Kewensis.' 



Konkan: DahcU\\ North and South Konkan, Law I; Ghats near Bombay, Dahelll 

 Deccan : Khandala, Woodrow \, Cooke\ — Djstrib. India (W. Peninsula). 



