84. SAPOTACE^. [2. Bassia. 



1. S. tomentosum, Roxb. Panial, Th.; Kanta Bobhi\la, Or. 



A small or m.s. usually thorny tree with tomeiitose or densely 

 brown-hairy twigs, and obovate elliptic-obovate or oblanceolate leaves 

 2-5" long clustered towards the ends of the twigs with 9-12 straight 

 strong spreading sec. n., pubescent or tomentose beneath especially 

 Avhen yonng, slightly rnsty or glabrescent above. Flowers white 

 rather small Avitli corolla S-So" long, solitary or fascicled mostly 

 from old leaf scars. Fruit yellowish subglobose or broadly ovoid 

 1-1-25" long seated on the 5-fid calyx. Seeds usually only 1 

 developed, deep-brown. 



Bettiah forests ! Sinsfbhum, valleys in the Latna and Saranda forests, near 

 sti'eams ! Santal Pars-anas! Frequent in the Southern tract near streams. 

 Puri! Bonai, Coojjerl Puri ! Ang'ul ! to Sambalpur ! Fl. April-June. Fruit ripens 

 the following- March-April. Everjireen. 



Bark grey or light brown, blaze bright red exuding- drops of milkj^ juice. 

 Leaves rarely 6" long by •2*5" Avide, obtuse or suddenly acute, base narrowed into 

 the ■25-'3" long petiole. Hairs branched. Sec. n. not always nnich stronger than 

 the intermediate, reticulate some distance from the margin. Two outer sepals 

 ovate-oVjlong pubescent or tomentose. inner narrower. Petals twice as long as 

 tube. Stamens opp. the petals alternating with a corona of petaloid staminodes 

 with filiform tips. Ovary tomentose. Fruit with very bitter flesh. 



Wood lisrht l)rown, moderateh* hard. Wt. 56 lbs., Gamble. Used for beams and. 

 carpenters' planes, Beddome. 



2. BASSIA, L. Mohwa. 



Trees with coriaceous leaves clustered at the ends of the branchlets 

 with deciduous caducous stipules. Flowers axillary or from the 

 axils of fallen leaves. Sepals usually 4 with the two outer valvate 

 enclosing the inner pair, very rarely 5 imbricate. Corolla campanu- 

 late or ovoid-urceolate with 6-12, usually 8 or 10 small lobes 2-seriate, 

 contorted in bud. Stamens 12-40, anthers lanceolate, connective 

 often mucronate or tailed. Ovary villous, cells 4-12, usually 6 or 8. 

 Berry 1-3- rarely 4-5-seeded. Cotyledons Heshy. 



The germination ishypogeal. 



L. with 10-12 sec. n. Corolla fleshy. St. 22-26 1. latifoUa. 



L. with 15-20 sec. n. Cor. not fleshy. Stamens 30-40 . . . .2. bufyracea. 



1. B. latifolia, i2o<x'&. Mahua, H". ; Madkom, Mandukam, A'. ; Mahul,. 



Beng., Or. ; Madgi, Uran. The fruit or seed is known as Kochra, 

 Beng. ; Kuindi, K., 8. ; the oil Kuindi sunum or dola, K., 8. 

 A large or m.s. tree with dense rounded rather low crown, pubes- 

 cent or tomentose twigs, large elliptic or oblong-elliptic rigid leaves 

 5-8" by 2"5-3'5" with petioles 1-1 "o" long, and numeroiis ovoid v^ery 

 fleshy cream-coloured flowers on long rusty-tomentose pedicels 

 clustered at the ends of the usually leafless branches, from the leaf 

 scars. Berry ovoid 1-2" long. 



Common throughout the Central tract, but in the forests chiefly confined to the 

 hills. North of the Gangetic plain it is scarce but is found occasionally ! HamiUon 

 recorded it as only common in the south-west corner of Purneah. Common in the 

 Southern tract, but less so in the Puri and Angul districts. Fl. Feb. -April when 

 more or less leafless. Fr. June-July. The leaves at the top of the tree usually fall 

 first ; the new leaves appear about May. 



Bark nearly smooth, brown, blaze thin brown, then thick and red or dark red, 

 with visible latex tubes which exude drops of latex. Corolla-tube ovoid -h" long[ 

 petals elliptic or narrowly elliptic •22-"3" long, erect in flower, 7-U according to 



511 



