8. Ficus.] 125. MORACEjE. 



h. Leaves opposite. Recepts mostlj- on special 

 branches : — 

 Small tree. Branches hispid. L. ovate-oblong' 



or obovate 20. hispida. 



Low spreading shrub in river beds. Branchlets 



hirsute. L. lanceolate or oblanceolate . . 21. scemocarpa. 

 2. Stamens 2-3. Leaves alternate:— 



a. Climbing shrub. Recepts 1-2 axillary, pedi- 



celled 22. scandem. 



h. Recepts verj- large (1-2" diam.) on tubercles or 

 special short branches:— 

 i. Erect shrub or branches prostrate . . .23. lanceolata. 

 ii. Small trees : — 



L. ovate to elliptic. 4-7*5" . . . .24. glomerata. 



L, very broad, 8-18" long by 5-12" broad . 25. macrophtfUa. 



1. F. comosa, Roxb. 8yn. F. Benjamina, var. comosa, Kurz (there 



is some doubt, however, whether F. Benjamina, L. is not synony- 

 mous with F. retusa, var. nitida. There is no doubt as to Rox-^ 

 burgh's plant. Hence I have taken the name given by him). 

 Pokaha, S. ; Paniar, Lakhar, Th. 

 A very handsome, large quite glabrous tree with slender drooping 

 branches, broadly-elliptic or -ovate abruptly acuminate or shortly 

 caudate, Avith rounded or very obtuse base scarcely 3-nerved, thfr 

 two lateral basal nerves being hardly stronger than the very numerous 

 close spreading secondaries and spreading more or less parallel to 

 these ; secondaries about 12Avith their scarcely finer intermediaries all 

 meeting in an intramarginal nerve close to the thickened margin. 

 Receipts mostly terminating or towards the ends of the branchlets 

 geminate axillary (but the leaf often suppressed or deciduous), sessile 

 C£uite globose or suddenly contracted into the base, 'G-'SS" diam.^ 

 one basal bract not sunk in the base (cp. retusa), two others almost 

 concealed by the base and often inconspicuous and concolorous 

 with recept. 



Champaran, forests of Ramnagar and Bettiah ! Santal Parg., in valleys! 

 Valleys in Singbhum and Hazaribagh ! Manbhum, Cal. Herb. ! Angul ! Naya- 

 t^arh ! Recepts ripen March-May. Evergreen. 



Our plant appears to be F. Benjaminn var. comosa, Kurz, from its large fruit, 

 that of Benjamina being described with fruit only ".i" (which is the size of the 

 fruit of retasa I), On the other hand in var. comosa the sepals of all the flowers are 

 said to be ■'lanceolate-acuminate not spathulate." This is quite different frora 

 our specimens in which the bracts are lanceolate, but the tepals are very obtuse 

 sub-spathulate and outermost hooded ; the anther is globose, apiculate. 



The tree is easily recognised in the forest by its liabit and finely nearly hori- 

 zontally striate nervation of leaves which are 2 by 1" to ;:f"5 bj- 2" or sometimes 

 broader in proportion. Petiole slender •5-1 ', grooved. Stipules •4-'5", linear- 

 oblong acuminate. Recepts up to "9" in length when contracted at base, l)right 

 yellow when ripe (sometimes white.''). 



2. F. retusa, L. 8yn. F. benjamina, Willd. (Sp. Plant. Ficus- 



No. 42 ?). Buti-hesa, Chuman-hesa, A'. ; Jili, S. ; Jir, Be.ng. 

 A small or large tree, epiphytic when young on trees or rocks with 

 rather small rotund, obovate, oblanceolate or elliptic leaves always- 

 with a cuneate 3-nerved base, lateral basal nerves not or not much 

 stronger titan the secondaries but oblique, secondaries 0-10 with many 

 nearly as strong intermediate, all meeting in an intramarginal nerve 

 close to the thickened margin. Recepts in axillary pairs sessile 



828 



