85. EBENACE.^. [2. Diospyros. 



cymes at the base of the new axillary shoots or (from suppression of 

 the shoot) in 2-nate axillary cymes. Cymes 3-fld. hairy, calj'-x "lo" 

 tubular, stamens 14^16 more or less paired with one of each pair 

 barren. Fem. fl. on short pedicels •2-"3" long- thickened above, 

 divaricate, paired, bracteate, calyx obconic-tubular, corolla yellowish 

 *4" long- o-labro^.s ovoid-tubular with i nearly straight narrow-oblong 

 lobes "2" long". Fruit globose '7", sunk at base in the cup-shaped 

 calyx, which has 4 reflexed distant oblong lobes. 



Puri (Champas^ai-h forest) ! Angul ! Fl. March-April. Fr. June. 



Bark Wack, finely rugose, blaze brown, then orange-brown, the latter rapidly 

 darkening on exposm-e. Leaves somewhat narrowed and acnte or obtuse or 

 rounded at base. sec. n. 4-8 obli(iue scarcely stronger than the shorter intermediate 

 and tertiaries very reticulate. Petiole "l-'S". Male peduncles 'l-'i", calyx-lobes 4, 

 one-third to one-half as long as tube, corolla '3", lobes free two-thirds way down, 

 narrow-oblong. Female calyx with 4 spreading oblong acute or broadly lanceolate 

 lobes '25" long, thickened and raised into a crenulate ring round the young fruit, 

 staminodes 8, inserted at ])ase of corolla-tube, filaments sparsely ciliate, anthers 

 oblong-lanceolate shorter than filaments. Ovary minutely puberulous, stigma 

 4-lobed. Fruit 8-celled and -seedeil. 



The typical D. ebenum gives the well-known ebony wood of Ceylon, but only 

 small trees occur in our area and appear to differ a good deal from the type. 



7. D. chloroxylpn, Roxh. Gourkasa, Or. 



A shrub or small tree often armed with stout or slender and sharp 

 axillary thorns Leaves always more or less hairy beneath, young 

 densely bi*own pubescent, only 1-2" at time of flowering but old 

 leaves attain 3'o" long, elliptic or rhomboid-obovate obtuse and base 

 rounded. Male fls. subsessile in numerous sessile capitate cymes, 

 4-merous, corolla white campanulate, only -16 -'15" across with a tuft 

 of haix's at the back of each petal. Fem. fl. solitaiy sessile, fruiting 

 calyx strig'osely hairy, "i" diam., berry "S-'So" diam. 



Fre<iuent in Puri, both in the Mais and the scrub jungles ! Khandpara, especially 

 on cotton soil ! Fl. June- July. Fr, March- April. Evergreen. Renews leaves 

 April-May. 



Bark dark grey or black, rugose. Shoots rusty tomentose. Leaf-buds perulate, 

 mature leaves coriaceous with about 3 sec. n. only. Petiole '\~". Male buds 

 globose with broadly ovate or orl)icular sepals, stamens 16, glabrous, anther-slits at 

 first sub-apical. Fem. fl, -18" diam., staminodes about 8, ovary glabrous. Seeds 2-3. 



Gamhle gives weight of wood as 46 lbs. It is apparently only used for fuel. 



8. D. melanoxylon, Roxh. Inc. D. tomentosa, Roxh. ; Tiril, Terel, 



K., S. ; Tend, Khariv. ; Kend, Kendu, H., Beng., Or. 

 A small and bushy or a large straight tree with grey- or rusty- 

 tomentose shoots. Leaves mostly sub-opposite, 4-8", broadly-ovate 

 or elliptic, old coriaceous, tomentose to glabrescent beneath. M. fls. 

 4-6-merovTS in peduncled 3-12-fld. villous simple or branched often 

 drooping cymes, buds narrowly ellipsoid "Zo" long wdth the tubular 

 calyx half as long as the silky corolla or more, corolla after opening 

 •2o-26'' long tubulai"-f unnel-shaped with suberect small obtuse lobes. 

 Fem. fl. solitary axillary or from leaf-scars, subsessile or on short 

 thick peduncles, calyx broad with edges recurved, somewhat 4-5- 

 angled. Corolla ■3--4" diam., similar in shape to male, staminodes 

 8-10, ovary densely hairy, 4-8-celled. Fruit subsessile, 1-1"5" diam., 

 globose to ovoid, smooth and yellowish when ripe with thick coriaceous 



519 



