77. RUBIACEM. [13. Randia. 



believe the same species as in some other Randia and Gardenia. Eudocarp of 

 fruit fleshy white. Seeds many embedded in brown pulp. 



The fruit is used to intoxicate fish. It has a most aofreeable smell, but produces 

 an uncomfortable burning sensation in the throat. The Kols say that it is not 

 edible. Mr. Innes (Report on Famine Foods) states that when unripe it is boiled 

 and eaten but the ripe fruit is rather poisonous. Campbell states that it is applied 

 externally in fever and that the bark is given internally and externally for fever, 

 and that it is also used as a dye. Nadkami says that the rind and fruit have useful 

 emetic, diaphoretic and antispasmodic properties. The bark is a sedative and 

 nervine carminative. 



N.B. — Wight and Arnott in the Prodromus keep Randia longispina and M. 

 dumetorum distinct. The following points of difference are taken from their work 

 omitting non-con trastable characters : * 



R. dumetorum. L. oval cuneate at base. Fls. solitary terminal, calyx-lobes 

 oblong. Fr. globose, rarelj' oblong. 



R. longispina. L. obovate to oblong, cuneate at base. Fls. usually 1-3 

 terminating short axillary shoots, rarely solitarj' axillary. Calyx-lobes ovate with 

 often a small tooth in the sinus. Fr. shoi't ovoid, slightly retuse at base. 



Both these forms occur in our area as well as others. 



Roxburgh, who apparently had both his Posoqueria longispina and Konig's 

 F. dumetorum growing under his eye, and who seldom errs in the discrimination of 

 species, states that F. longispina differs very conspicuously in the long slender 

 spreading and drooping branchlets, in the limb of the calyx being permanent and 

 tlie fruit obovate, whereas Randia dumetorum has short and rigidly erect branchlets, 

 globose berry, and the calyx-limb deciduous. Unfortunately W. cf- A. state that 

 the calyx-linib is permanent in both ! Certainly some individuals have the limb 

 deciduous, but whether this character is associated invariably with others or 

 whether even constant in the same individual can only be fully determined in the 

 field. 



3. R. malabarica, Lamk. Syn. Gardenia fragrans, Koen. ; Griffithia 



fragrans, Wight ; Phirika, Or. 

 An erect very rigid thorny shrub 4-8 ft. with grey divaricate 

 branches and nvimerous abbreviated branchlets or leafy fascicles. 

 Leaves glabrous •?" to nearly 3" oblanceolate to obovate or some 

 elliptic-oblong, subsessile or narrowed into a short petiole "S" long. 

 Flowers white salver-shaped 75" diam. in dense sessile corymbs or 

 sub-umbellate cymes. Very pretty in fruit from its numerous um- 

 bellate globose scarlet berries ^--Q" diam. Avith a depressed areole. 



Orissa, very common near the coast from Balasore southwards ! Very common 

 on the Khandagiri sandstones but also found on laterite. Fl. chiefly March-May. 

 Fr. Oct.-Dec. 



Leaves shining coriaceous with slightly recurved margins, sometimes rather 

 fleshy close to the sea and round the Chilka Lake, apex obtuse or rounded, sec. n. 

 3-4 with ciliate glandular pits in their axils beneath. Rhachis of corymb very 

 short, pedicels •25--3" bracteate and sheathed at base with 2 connate bracteoles. 

 Calyx tubular "17" lobes very short deltoid. Corolla-tube "3", petals '3~'i" oblong. 

 Fruit 2-celled with 1-several seeds in each cell. 



This species is sometimes placed in a separate genus Griffithia {G. fragrans, 

 W. ^ A.) on account of the decidedly deciduous calyx which separates by a trans- 

 verse crack from the apex of the ovarj'-. 



4. R. fasciculata, DC. 



A shrub or small spreading tree copiously armed with axillary 

 erecto-patent thorns '5" long. Leaves small 1-3" elliptic or ovate 

 obtuse or acuminate. FloAvers white fragrant \" diam. with tube 

 usually -9" long, mostly in 3-fld. cymes at the ends of the short 



* Since completing the family the 4th part of the Flora of Madras has been 

 published. Mr. Gamble separates the two forms as species and there is a note on 

 the subject in Kew Bulletin, No. 8 of 1921. 



433 



