49 



as B. insigne is really an undescribed species which Wallich issued aa 

 1840-2 B of his Catalogue under the name B. malaharicum, var. albiflora. 

 His No. 3 of the same name I have not seen. A tree with leaves 

 exactly like Wallich's 1840-4 and with unarmed trunk and branches 

 has recently been collected in the little Coco Island by Dr. D. Praia for 

 the Calcutta Herbarium. 



2. B. MALABARTCUM, DC. Prod. i. 479. A tree with the general 

 characters of the last, but much larger ; and with the trunk and branches 

 prickly, the leaflets much narrower (lanceolate not obovate) and the 

 flowers and fruit smaller. Mast, in Hook. fil. PI. Br. Ind. i. 349; Kurss 

 For. PL Burm. i. 136; Bl. Bijdr. 81 ; Wight 111. t. 29 ; W. & A. Prodr. 

 i. 61 ; Wall. Cat. 1840 (exclude No. 4 and possibly No. 2 B) ; Bed- 

 dome PI. Sylvat. t. 82. Sahnalia malaharica, Schott Meletem, 35 ; 

 Thwaites Euum. 28 ; Dalz. & Gibs. Bomb. PI. 22 ; Miq. PL Ind. Bat. i. 

 pt. 2, 166. Bomhax heptaphylla, Cav. Diss. v. p. 296 ; Roxb. Hort. Beng. 

 50 ; Cor. PI. iii. t. 247 ; Fl. Ind. iii. 167. B. Geiba, Burm. PI. Ind. 145, 

 excl. syn. Gossampinus rubra, Ham. in Trans. Linn. Soc. xv. 



Andaman Islands ; common. 



7. Eriodbndron, DC. 



Trees. Leaves digitate, deciduous. Floiuers appearing before the 

 leaves, tufted at the ends of the branches, or axillary, large white or rose- 

 coloured. Bracteoles 0. Calyx cup-shaped, truncate, or 3-5-fid. Petals 

 oblong. StaDiinal bundles 5, opposite the petals, connate at the base, 

 each bearing 2-3 sinuous or linear anthers. Ooary ovoid, 5-celled ; style 

 cylindrical, dilated, stigma obscurely 5-lobed. Capsule oblong, coria- 

 ceous or wood}^ o-celled, 5-valved, valves densely silky within. Seeds 

 globose or obovoid ; testa crustaceous, smooth with silky hairs, albumen 

 scanty ; cotyledons contortuplicate. — About eight species — 1 Asiatic and 

 African, the others American. 



1. E. ANPRACTUOSUM, DC. Prod. i. 479. A tall tree, the trunk 

 prickly when young ; branchlets stout, smooth, glaucous. Leaflets 8 or 

 9, lanceolate, acuminate, entire or serrulate towards the apex, the base 

 acute; glaucous beneath ; length 3 to 4 in., breadth "75 to 1 in., petiolule 

 •25 in. broad ; petioles usually longer than the leaflets. Flowers pedun- 

 culate, in fascicles of 3 to 8 below the apices of the branches ; peduncles 

 1 to 2 in. long, minutely bracteate : involucre none. Calyx cup-shaped, 

 with 5 rounded lobes, glabrous externally, sericeous internally. Petals 

 oblanceolate, tomeutose externally, glabrous within, 1 to 1"5 in. long, 

 whitish. Fdavients shorter than the petals. Capsule oblong, 3 to 5 in. 

 long, smooth. Seeds numerous, sub-ovoid, black. Mast, in Hook. fil. 



158 



