2. Viscu^i.] 119. LORANTRACEM. 



anthers about as broad as long. Female "OS" long, tepals rather shorter than the 

 hyp,, connate at base triangular-lanceolate. Margins of bracts papillose (as they 

 are in V. motioicum). 



3. V. articulatum, Burm. 



A shrub with sap-green striate, often subverticillate, flattened 

 branches contracted at the nodes with leaves reduced to scales. 

 Internodes 1-2" long by •1--25" broad. Flowers minute, fascicled 

 at the nodes, few or many in connate cupular bracts, 3-4-merous. 

 Fruit subglobose, yellow, smooth. 



Common in all districts of Chota Nagpur, ascending to Neterhat (3000 ft.), 

 chiefly on Diospyros and Bas^ia ! Fl. Dec. -Jan. 



FAM. 120. SANTALACEiE. 



Trees, shrubs or herbs, often parasitic on roots (usually hemi- 

 parasites only). Leaves alternate or opposite, entire, sometimes 

 scale-like or 0, nerves inconspicuous, stipules 0. Flowers usually 

 inconspicuous, regular, variously arranged, 1-2-sexual. Perianth 

 superior or perigynous, 3-8-toothed, -lobed, or -partite, lobes with 

 often a tuft of hair behind the anthers. Stamens 3-6 often adnate 

 to the lobes, rarely at the base of the perianth opposite to the lobes, 

 anthers 2-celled. Disc perigynous or epigynous. Ovary nearly free 

 or usually adnate to the hypanthium, 1 -celled, style usually short, 

 stigma entire or 3-6-lobed. Ovules 2-3, adnate to or pendulous 

 from a central column. Fruit a drupe or nut. Seed globose or ovoid ; 

 testa thin or obsolete, albumen copious, fleshy. Embryo usually 

 terete. 



Slender herbs. Flowers axillary or spicate 1. Tkesium. 



Shrub. Flowers panicled 2. Savtalum. 



1. THESIUM, L. 



Slender herbs, rarely shrubby, " parasitic on roots." Leaves 

 alternate, narrow, decurrent, 1-3 -nerved. Flowers minute, greenish 

 or white, solitary, axillary or spicate or in 2-chotomous cymes, 2-sexuaL 

 Perianth-tube produced above the ovary with 5, rarely 4, tepals 

 which are hairy behind the anthers. Stamens inserted at the base 

 of the tepals, included. Ovary quite inferior. Ovules 2-3, pendulous 

 from a basal often flexuous or crumpled column which is free (according 

 to the books consulted) or suspended in a thin-walled parenchyma 

 (in our species) which fills the ovarian cavity. Fruit a drupe or nut, 

 often ribbed. Embryo terete. 



1. T. unicaule, Haines [Journ. As. Soc. Beng., xv, 7, p. 316). 



An erect weak pale-green herb about 1 ft. high with very slender 

 glabrous stems and numerous alternate linear-acicular leaves, the 

 lower about 1-1-5" long, upper smaller bearing green sessile 2-bracteate 

 flowers -12" long in their axils. Flowers with their two linear bracts 

 adnate to the base of the leaf in fruit, becoming bottle-shaped. 



804 



