1. LoRANTHus.] 119. LOBANTHACE^. 



The commonest Loranthm, found on a large variety of trees and throughout the 

 province. In the Ghichamura Sal forest in Sambalpur nearly every pole was at 

 one time infested with this parasite. Fl.. Fr. Nov.-March. 



L. mostly elliptic or ovate, obtuse or rounded, base sometimes amplexicaul, 

 midrib often red, with obscure secondary nervation. Racemes and hypanthium 

 pubescent or puberulous. Bract suborbicular "06" ; bracteoles 0. Perianth tube 

 somewhat expanded upwards. Anthers linear. 



2. L. globosus, Roxh. 



A glabrous shrub with opposite elliptic -lanceolate acute or sub- 

 acuminate coriaceous leaves 2-4" long, obscurely nerved when green, 

 and greenish- orange flowers about -5" long before the reflexion of the 

 tepals, in 3-7-fld. short racemes -^--lo" long axillary and from 

 the leaf-scars. Perianth-tube oblong 5-6-angled and inflated, Avith 

 5-6 linear-spathulate lobes nearly as long as the tube. Fruit globose, 

 yellow (Roxb.) 



Manbhum, Ca»«;j. ! S. V., Ckaffarjee I Probably also Purneah. Bengal (without 

 locality^ Uei-b. Ken: Eoxburgh says " common on trees throughout Bengal," but it 

 is only common in the eastern parts, and has been collected by me just east of our 

 area in Jalpiguri district together Avith L. am/jullaceus. Roxb., which Hooker con- 

 siders a form of the same species. Fl., Fr. h.s. or (f.de Roxb.) all the j-ear. 



Leaves with 5-8 very fine sec. u. easily visible when dry as are the finer 

 tertiaries. Petiole •2-'3". Flowers with a broadly ovate bract -06" long and 2 

 similar rather smaller bracteoles connate with one another about half-way up. 

 Hypanthium with calyculus -15" long, truncate. Ridges sharp extending whole 

 length of the perianth in bud and with triangular ]3rojections about middle of the 

 tube. Anthers short oblong truncate, much shorter than free part of filament. 



3. L. scurrula, L. Huring sum, K. ; Banda, //., S. 



A tufted shrub with very lenticellate branches, young parts with a 

 broAvn or hoary stellate or scaly tomentum. Leaves ovate-oblong, 

 ovate or elliptic, opposite or some alternate, young rusty, mature 

 often glabrous, 2-4" by 1-2-5". Base often cuneate and somewhat 

 decurrent on the •3--6"-long petiole. Flowers •5--7" long before the 

 reflexion of the tepals, fascicled or in short contracted racemes, 

 tomentose, greenish with bright-red filaments. Bracts minute and 

 bracteoles 0. Fruit clavate or pyriform -3". 



Perhaps as common as L. lo»ffiflorut, but usually on low trees and shrubs, esp. 

 common on Woodfordia and Wendlandia. Plains of Behar, J.D.H. ! Chota 

 Nagpur, all districts, common ! Santal Parg. ! Narsingpur ! Fl. Oct.-Jan. Fr. 

 Dec-Jan. New shoots in Jan. 



L. obtuse or subacute with -i-o faint sec. n. Rhachis of inflorescence mostly 

 under -25". Hypanthium scarcely- produced into a calyculus. Perianth tomen- 

 tose -5'' or less, tube curved, inflated, split ; lobes linear 4, •12-'17" long, anthers 

 linear '07". 



When quite ripe the outer covering of the fruit consisting of an epidermis, a 

 parenchymatous tissue with little chlorophyll and an inner sheath of very minute 

 cells becomes detached leaving a somewhat -i-gonous clavate body, probably the 

 seed. This has an outer transparent very small-celled layer and an inner thicker 

 tissue very rich in chlorophyll which secretes mucus. 



4. L. cordifolius, }Yall. Ichac' banda, S. (which merely means the 



parasite of Woodfordia). 

 As Sir J. D. Hooker remarks, this is scarcely more than a variety 

 of L. scurrula, differing in its greater size, more rounded and cordate 

 leaves and the more copious white tomentum. 

 Hazaribagh ! Manbhum. Cam:o. ! 



I would include this in L. scurrula. L. broadly elliptic to ovate, 2-2"o", with 

 rounded or cordate base. Petiole -^--S". 



802 





