84 



radicle inferior. Diatrib. A genus of about 18 species, confined to 

 tropical Asia. 



Flowers G in. long ... ... ... 1. P. diversifulium. 



„ 2 in. long. 



Sepals shortly pubescent inside, 



capsule 3 to d in. long. 2. P. Blumeamim. 



Sepals with silky hairs inside ; 

 capsule' 1"5 in. long, with scaly 

 hairs ... ... ... 3. P. Jaclcianum. 



„ less than 2 in. long ; capsule 2 to 



2 5 in , glabrous ... ... 4. P. aceroides. 



I. P. DiVERSiFOLiUM, Blume, Bijdr, 88. A tree 60 to 100 feet 

 high : young branches, petioles, under surfaces of leaves and outer 

 surface of sepals and fruit covered with a layer of minute, tawny tomen- 

 tum with many, more or less deciduous, rufous, stellate hairs on its sur- 

 face. Leaves coriaceous, varying from obovate-oblong to elliptic-rotund ; 

 the apex broad, blunt, or sub-truncate, suddenly contracted into a tri- 

 angular point ; the edges entire or sinuous, rarely lobed ; the base always 

 cordate or emarginate, 3 to 7-nerved and often oblique : upper surface 

 shining, glabrous, except the tomentose midrib : main nerves 8 to 10 

 pairs, straight, sub-erect, prominent on both surfaces ; length 6 to 9 in., 

 breadth 3'5 to 6 in., petiole 1 to 1'25 or even 2 in., stipules small linear, 

 caducous. Floioers 6 to 7 in. long, buds narrowly cylindric, solitary, or 

 in 3 to 4-flowered sub-sessile axillary cymes ; pedicels '2 in. long, each 

 with a minute recurved lanceolate bracteole. Sepals coriaceous, slightly 

 shorter than the petals, linear, blunt, adpressed-sericeous internally. 

 Petals membranous, linear, glabrescent. Staminal tube and gynophore 

 2 in. long ; the free part of the filaments slightly longer ; fertile anthers 

 about JO, linear; staminodes 5, pubescent. Ovary fusiform, tomentose, 

 5-celled. Stj/le less than 2 in. long, angled, pubescent ; stigma fusiform. 

 Capsule woody, oblong, pointed, acutely 5-angled, suddenly constricted 

 at the base, about 4 to 5 in. long and I'S to 2 in. in diara. Seeds flat- 

 tened, J -5 to 2 in. long. Mast, in Hook. fil. Fl. Br. Ind. i. 367 ; Pierre 

 Fl. For. Coch-Chine, t. 179; Miq. Fl. Ind. Bat. i. pt. 2, p. 192 ; Hassk. 

 PI. Jav. Rar. 316; Korth. Ned. Kruik. Arch. i. 312. P. acerifoUum, 

 Zoll. et Mor. Syst. Verz. p. 27 (excl. syn. Willd.) 



Pcrak, Malacca ; common ; at low elevations. Distrib. Java, 

 Philippines, Cochiu-China. 



The leaves on young shoots of this ai'e often peltate and deeply 

 lobed. 



2. P. Blumeanum, Korth. Ned. Kruik. Arch. ii. p. 311. A tree 



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