115. LATJRACEM. [3. Machilus. 



Purneah, in low forest ! Fl. Dec. -Jan, 



Stems attain 3" diam., bark smooth, blaze rather hard, pale-brown. L. green 

 beneath when dry. Involucre-bracts nearly glabrous or silky outside, gland- 

 dotted, 5-nerved from the amplexicaul base, tepals 6-7. outer stamens half as long 

 again as the tepals, filaments pilose, when 6 both series with glands, when 9 the 

 two inner series with quadrate stipitate glands. Fruit (not seen in our specimens) 

 •3 ' long, purple-black, ellipsoid, seated on the very slightly enlarged sub-cupular 

 perianth tube. 



4. L. nitida, Roxb. 



A straight small or mod. -sized glabrous tree branched low down 

 with large shining oblong to lanceolate leaves 12 by 3-5", rarely some 

 broadly elliptic and 3-4" broad, and long slender-pedicelled umbels 

 in axillary racemes. Fr. -5" red when ripe, invested by the enlarged 

 fleshy cupular perianth which attains •3-'4" diam. 



Deep valleys in the Saranda forests, Singbhum ! Bonai, Cooper ! Fl. June. 

 Fr. Sept. -Oct. Evergreen. 



A very distinct and handsome tree. Branchlets 5-angled or sub-alate, glossy, as 

 are the leaves, some of which attain 14". Nervation rather faint when fresh, very 

 obscure between the 5-8 irregular sec. n. Petiole stout •~o-l'o", M. i-acemes 1-4", 

 Fern. -5-2". Pedicels 75". F\^. about 4 in an umbel. Perianth-tube and filaments 

 tawny pubescent. Tep. 4 unequal, glabrous, very glandular. Fruiting perianth 

 often distinctly lobed. 



It is said to l)e a useful timber tree in Silhet. 



3. MACHILUS, Nees. 



Evergreen trees with the characteristic laurel branching [vide 

 description of familj-). Leaves alt. penninerved. Fls. 2-sexual, in 

 panicles from leaf-scales and axils of the new leaves hence at first 

 often appearing sub-terminal. Perianth of 6 free or nearly free 

 persistent tepals, spreading or reflexed in fruit. Perfect st. 9, anthers 

 4-celled, those of the 3rd series extrorse, and 2-glandular. Staminodes 

 of the 4th series cordate. Berry globose or ellipsoid seated on the 

 persistent unaltered perianth, pedicel not swollen. 



L. tawny-villose beneath. Petiole •5-*7" 1. villoui. 



L. glabrous, pale-glaucous beneath. Petiole '7-1*3" . . .1. macrantha. 



1. M. villosa. Hook, /. Atilo, Or. 



A large tree 4-6 ft. girth but usually much branched with the leaves 

 towards the ends of the branches 4-7" tawny-villose beneath, especially 

 on the stiong sec. nerves. Fls. tawny tomentose in narrow panicles 

 3-4" long. Fruit globose black -4" diam. 



Mayurbhanj, along rivers elev. over 2000 ft. (Bhanjbassa) ! Fl. April. Fr. May. 



Bark dark grey, nearly smooth. Blaze very thick and soft, red. Shoots tawny 

 tomentose. L. lanceolate, ell. or ell.-obovate acuminate glossjy above and 

 glabrous, base acute, sec. n. 7-9 very strong beneath oblique with numerous 

 tertiaries more or less scalariform. Peti. "b-'l". Panicles at base of new shoots or 

 subterminal (from cessation of growth of the shoot) raceiniform or subcorymbose 

 3-4", tomentose. Perianth campanulate (subglobose F.B.I.), tepals '15" elliptic- 

 obovate, pedicels stout "3". 



Gumble says of this species in the Eastern Himalaya and Uj)per Burma that it is 

 a nice useful wood but the growth is slow, 11 rings per inch of radius. 



2. M. macrantha, Nees. Syn. M. glaucescens, Wight. 



A small or mod. -sized tree glabrous except the inflorescence. 

 Mature leaves elliptic-oblong to elliptic-obovate 4" by 1-5" to 9" by 

 2-8" (on same twig), on flowering shoots often only 3-4", base rounded^ 



795 



