89. APOCYNACE.E. [2. Carissa. 



large, minutely 2-fid. Ovules 1-4 in each cell. Berry 2-, or by 

 abortion, 1-celled. Albumen tiesliy, cotyledons ovate. 



Note.— In the Indian Forester for July, 1919, there are figures of the species here 

 dealt with, but at the time of writing that article it was not known that the 

 Linnean C. sphmrum is really Roxburgh's C. difum; the s^'nonymy of the species as 

 named in that article is therefore given below. 



I. Cells of ovary 1-ovuled. Leaf-nervation obscure . . . \. paucinervia 

 II. Cells of ovary 2-ovuled. Leaf -nervation distinct :— \_iopaca). 



A. L. never acuminate, apiculate. Thorns straight :— 



Diffuse shrub, L. broadly ovate, venose, '6-l*6". Cor,- 



tube •4--55". Petals •2---i" 2. spiiiarum. 



Scandent shrub. L. ovate to oblong, 1-2". Cor. -tube 



•.5-'6". Petals •S-'i" var. scandens. 



B. L. acuminate, not mucronate Thorns often curved . . 3, intrmis. 

 III. Cells of ovary 4-ovuled. Leaves elliptic or oval with rounded 



ends 4 carandas. 



1. C. paucinervia, A.BC. Inc. C. opaca, Stapf, and C. gangetica, 

 Stapf* Syn. C. spinarum, Lamk. {non L.) ; C. spinarum, F.B.I. , 

 and of most other authors in whole or in part ; C. spinarum, 

 tyjpica, and C. spinarum, var. paucinervia, Haines, in Incl. Forester, 

 loc. cit., figs. 2 and 3 ; Kanuwan, K. ; Karwah-janum, Karwat', 

 S. ; Jangli Karaunda, H. 

 A rigid 2-3-chotomously branched erect shrub, sometimes sub- 

 arboreous, with pairs of divaricate straight often forked thorns 1-2" 

 long. Leaves -5-1 "8" from narrowly elliptic-oblong to broadly ovate, 

 acute and apiculate, Avith usually acute or rhomboid base, pale 

 beneath, sec. n. 2-3, rarely 4, faint when fresh (sometimes conspicuous 

 in the herbarium). Petiole '07-'lb". FloAvers small white star-like, 

 very slender in usually 2-nate terminal lax puberulous cymes with 

 peduncles up to 1". Corolla-tube •25--35", petals •2-'3" acuminate. 

 Ovules 1 only in each cell. Fruit ellipsoid to sub-globose, "25", black 

 when ripe. 



Common in the dryer and less forest-covered tracts. Gaya I Monghyr, Ham. ! 

 Hazaril:)agh ! Ranchi, chiefly near the ghats ! S.P. in the west ! Manbhum in the 

 north ! Sambalpur, rather scarce ! Fl. March-May and sporadically up to Sep- 

 tember. Fr. Nov. -Dec. and onward to March. Evergreen. New shoots March. 

 Rarely diffuse (var. hirsnta). Twigs glabrous, puberulous or very pubescent 

 when young. L. usually ovate with rhomboid base, but basal angle of lower 

 larger leaves wide, more rarely leaves (tj-pical paucinervia) narrowly ellipsoid or 

 lanceolate-rhomboid, usually glabrous. Cymes rarely solitary, or sessile or axillary. 

 Sepals 'Oy-'OS". Petals narrowly linear-lanceolate, often puberulous. Anthers near 

 top of tube. 



Stapf (m.s.) divides the species into three, as follows : 



a. paucinervia, A.DC. L. lanceolate, acute, 2-5-3 cm. by l-lo cm. Corymbs 

 3-5- fid. Cor.-tube 7-9 mm., lobes 3-4 mm. 



* Since writing the above I have learnt from Mr. Gamble, who knows the typical 

 C. pauelnercia in the Nilgherries, that that species is really quite distinct, and that 

 the plants so named from Monghyr and other plains localities in Herbaria (see 

 also F.B.I., iii, p. 631) are errors of identification. If it be conceded that these 

 latter are not C paucinervia, then one of the chief reasons for my uniting opaca 

 and gangetica under varieties of paucinenia disappear and our plant should be 

 called C. opaca, Stapf., as I understand will be done in the Flora of Madras. 

 Mr. Gamble also keeps variety 5'a?/5re!'ifa distinct. This requires further investiga- 

 tion in the field. 



If C. paucinervia is really distinct, then the slirub so named officially, growing 

 in the Calcutta Botanic Gardens, must also be an error of identification. 



533 



